LOS ALAMITOS : Long a Stakes Race Runner-Up, Holland Ease Wins by a Nose

Until last Saturday, Holland Ease’s path to the winner’s circle of a stakes race had been blocked by one superstar after another.

In the 1991 All-American Futurity, he finished sixth, behind Royal Quick Dash, who never again duplicated that form. In the fall of 1991, Holland Ease was beaten three times in major stakes by Corona Chick on her way to the champion 2-year-old title. After that, he lost two more stakes to Dash Ta Fame, then last August finished behind Corona Chick again.

But this fall, those horses aren’t running at Los Alamitos and Holland Ease is. And on Saturday, even though he was racing against Femmes Frolic, the nation’s leading 3-year-old gelding, Holland Ease finally won a stake, the Golden State Derby. He beat Femmes Frolic by a nose under the guidance of Eddie Garcia.

His victory extended a remarkable streak for his owners, Dr. James Streelman and Denny Boer, who have also won the California Futurity at Hollywood Park with Holland Ease’s 2-year-old brother, Four Forty Blast, and the $1-million Breeders Cup Sprint in Florida with Thirty Slews, a thoroughbred in which they own a majority share.

The Golden State Derby was only Holland Ease’s second victory of the year, but his fourth major stakes appearance. He has earned the majority of his $361,227 by finishing second or third. “For so long we’ve run second behind the best, that it’s finally great to win a stakes,” Boer said. “We thought the odds were with us in his 2-year-old year that we’d eventually win one.”

At 2, he won almost $200,000 but chased Corona Chick most of the year. This year, most of his races have been in California, with his best results at Los Alamitos, where he finished second to Dash Ta Fame in the El Primero Del Ano Derby last January and second to Corona Chick in the Governor’s Cup last August.

After a disappointing Hollywood Park meeting--his best finish in three starts was a third in a minor stake--the colt was given a refresher before returning to trainer Carlos Lopez.

Streelman says Holland Ease will have one more start this winter, in the $75,000 Horsemen’s Quarter Horse Racing Assn. Handicap in January, before going to stud at Double Bar S Ranch in Moreno Valley. It’s likely he will return to racing next summer, reflecting a trend in quarter horse racing.

“This horse has been X-rayed from top to bottom and he’s stone sound,” Streelman said. “Our intention is to bring him back and if it’s not until the end of the year, that’s no big deal.”

Tinkkerbell, a 3-year-old Arabian filly, has been temporarily suspended by the Arabian Horse Registry because of an investigation involving the parentage of her dam, Cserena.

Tinkkerbell, who won a stake at Hollywood Park in September, is owned and trained by Bill Waldron, who raced a stable of Arabians there during the recent quarter horse-Arabian meeting.

Tinkkerbell’s papers were suspended in late October by the Registry in Westminster, Colo. According to Jim Garrison, the director of operations of the Arabian Horse Registry, the investigation is still being conducted and will probably be finished early next year.

“(Tinkkerbell) won some stakes and some people had some questions,” he said. “It’s not the first and it won’t be the last.”

Garrison said a registry representative came to Hollywood Park a few months ago for additional blood-typing of Tinkkerbell, which proved correct.

“As an outgrowth of that investigation, we took a look at the parentage of Cserena and that’s what’s in question,” Garrison said.

“It’s hard to tell what direction (the investigation) will go. Some of the horses are no longer available.”

Tinkkerbell has won five of six starts this year, including two stakes. She won the Gladys Brown Edwards Cup at Hollywood Park by nine lengths, setting an Arabian track record for 1 1/8 miles of 2:00 4/5.

The Tinkkerbell situation is similar to one that arose in quarter horse racing last year when several horses allegedly sired by the thoroughbred Nublado where found, through blood-typing, to have been sired by lesser quarter horse stallions. Papers were reissued on the horses in question and some have even raced at Los Alamitos.

As a result, though, quarter horse foals now must have their parentage verified through blood-typing before they can race.

Rare Form’s victory in last Friday’s Champion of Champions trials drew comparisons to Dash For Cash, who won the 1976 Champion of Champions in track record time of 21.17 seconds for 440 yards. But Rare Form won’t have a chance to emulate Dash For Cash.

On Tuesday, Rare Form’s owner, Bob Moore of Norman, Okla., announced that Rare Form would not run in the Champion of Champions because of a leg injury he suffered in the race.

Rare Form was timed in 21.21 seconds, the fastest 440 yards ever run at Los Alamitos at night. He would have been a favorite in the $250,000 race on Dec. 19, even with Refrigerator running. Refrigerator was third in last year’s Champion of Champions and has won two of three starts this year, including the Los Alamitos Championship in July.

The disappointment is acute for Moore, who won the first Champion of Champions in 1972 with Mr Jet Moore.

“It’s hard to be too disappointed by this setback when he has accomplished so much already,” he said. “But it is certainly disappointing when such a great runner will not be able to perform in a race like the Champion of Champions after his most recent performances.”

Refrigerator and Rare Form are the leading contenders for world champion, but neither has the title locked up. Champion of Champions victories by Femmes Frolic, Ed Grimley, Bills Ryon, Dash Master Miss or Junos Request could bring one of them the title, since all won major races earlier this year.

Rare Form, however, won all four of his starts in California impressively. He won the Breeders Sophomore Classic at Hollywood Park in early October after stumbling at the start and spotting the field half a length at the start of the 400-yard race.

He followed with victories in the California Derby trials and finals, setting track records in both. His victory in the Champion of Champions trials was his ninth in 10 starts this year and the time of 21.21 seconds narrowly missed Dash For Cash’s record.

The fastest six times of the two trials qualified for the Champion of Champions finals, and Refrigerator, Femmes Frolic, Bills Ryon and Ed Grimley earned spots on the basis of major victories. Three horses that finished behind Rare Form in last Friday’s trials, One Slick One, Sound Dash and Six To Five, also qualified for the finals. In the first division, two of the leading mares in the nation, Dash Maser Miss and Junos Request, advanced.

With Rare Form absent, the 10th spot will go to either Ima Lark or The Dream Doctor. Both were clocked in 21.55 seconds during last Friday’s trials.

Moore said that Rare Form would be sent to stud at Ridgeleigh Farm in Oklahoma, but that he would return to the races next year.

Los Alamitos Notes

Five track records fell over the weekend, two for Appaloosas and three for Arabians. The 4-year-old Appaloosa Sally’s Patch ran four furlongs in 43 4/5 seconds last Friday, breaking the 1990 mark of General Bridger, who completed the distance in 45 seconds. On Sunday, Look What Luck ran 5 1/2 furlongs in 1:05 2/5. MHF Eclipse set a six-furlong track record for Arabians last Friday, 1:17 2/5, which was 1 1/5 seconds faster than Magna Terra Smoky’s 1991 record. Last Saturday, Fast Ptrack ran 6 1/2 furlongs in 1:25 4/5, breaking Adorya’s 1991 record. On Sunday, Bryze, a first-time starter, ran 5 1/2 furlongs in 1:11 3/5, breaking the old mare record by one-fifth of a second.