HOLLYWOOD PARK : Injuries Put Itsallgreektome Out of the Hollywood Turf Cup

Itsallgreektome won’t become the first horse to run in the $500,000 Hollywood Turf Cup three times.

The 5-year-old Sovereign Dancer gelding, who won the Grade I race in 1990 and was second to Miss Alleged last year, suffered injuries to his right front leg and right eye in his Hollywood Park stall on Monday and will be out of action indefinitely.

“We’re awfully disappointed because he was training super for this,” trainer Wally Dollase said. “He was feeling so darn good. When he’s like that, though, he’s been known to play in his stall at night. Somehow, he got hooked up in his hay rack. He would have run a big race.

“He was moping around (Tuesday). But now, he’s back tearing the barn down again. We’re happy with the progress he’s made. He’d closed the right eye, but it’s getting better.

“We’ll be back in a few months and he’ll be able to race again--that’s the main thing.”

A winner of eight of 27 starts and nearly $2 million, Itsallgreektome was sidelined more than eight months this year after being injured last March. In his first race back, he was fourth, beaten by a half-length, in the River City Handicap Nov. 15 at Churchill Downs.

With Itsallgreektome out, a field of six or seven is likely for the Turf Cup, which is run at 1 1/2 miles.

Fraise, who upset Sky Classic in the Breeders’ Cup Turf, is the probable favorite and could earn himself an Eclipse Award with a victory. The son of Strawberry Road, who has won five of nine this year, will be ridden by Pat Valenzuela.

“It’s been a good year,” said trainer Bill Mott. “We’re very pleased with the way he’s been training and if we can win this race, it would be icing on the cake.”

The other likely participants are Hollywood Derby runner-up Bien Bien; Jolypha, who was third behind A.P. Indy and Pleasant Tap in the Breeders’ Cup Classic; Tel Quel, Campagnarde, Trishyde and, possibly, Revasser.

Jolypha, a 3-year-old filly, worked six furlongs in 1:13 1/5 Wednesday morning at Santa Anita; and Trishyde, another 3-year-old filly who was second to Leger Cat in the Citation Handicap on Nov. 29, worked five furlongs in a minute.

Entries will be taken this morning for the inaugural Amateur International Cup, a race featuring eight or nine amateur jockeys on Saturday.

There will be wagering on the race, which will be a starter allowance at 1 1/16 miles on the turf. It will the ninth race on an 11-race program, but won’t be included in the Win-Place Pick Nine or the Pick Six.

Sanctioned by the Amateur Riders Club of America, the race was approved by the California Horse Racing Board at its meeting last month. This is the first such event in this state, but there have been nearly 40 amateur races contested this year in North America and Europe. The most recent was at Arlington International in September, and there have also been races at Turf Paradise, Delaware Park, Atlantic City, Laurel and Monmouth Park, among others.

Remi Bello, director of the Amateur Riders Club of America, will be one of four members of Team USA, which will take on a team of four riders from Europe.

Besides Bello, the son of Daily Racing Form cartoonist Pierre (Peb) Bello and Hollywood Park’s director of communications, the other riders for Team USA are Matt McCarron, Mandy McKaughan, Jeff Metz and, if there are nine horses, Marc Sharp.

McCarron, 21, is the son of jockey Gregg McCarron and Chris McCarron’s nephew. McKaughan, who has worked as an exercise rider locally, is the co-host with Jeff Siegel on “The Backstretch” television show and Metz is a trainer and show rider.

The European team features Celou Bonnet, a sculptor from France; Peter Dalb, an ice-skating coach from England; Scott Fileccia, a cameraman from Canada, and Jean-Christophe Monnin, a pharmacist from France.

Normal mount fees and winnings earned by the riders will be donated to three charities--the Jockeys’ Guild Injured Riders Fund, the Shoemaker Foundation and the Don MacBeth Memorial Jockeys Fund.

Echo Of Yesterday won his third race in four starts on Wednesday, holding off Blinking Lights to win the $34,000 feature at Hollywood Park by a half-length.

Echo Of Yesterday, a 3-year-old son of Pirate’s Bounty ridden by Chris McCarron and carrying 116 pounds, covered 7 1/2 furlongs in 1:28 2/5 and paid $7.80, $4.20 and $3.

The victory was worth $18,700.

Blinking Lights, ridden by Patrick Valenzuela and carrying 117 pounds, finished four lengths in front of Really Solid and returned $5.80 and $3.80.

Really Solid, ridden by Corey Black and carrying 116 pounds, was a neck ahead of Buda Red at the wire and paid $3.40 to show.

Saratoga Gambler, the 13-10 favorite, was fifth and last in the allowance race for 3-year-olds and up.

Horse Racing Notes

Training for a return in the San Carlos Handicap Jan. 9 at Santa Anita, Best Pal went three furlongs in 36 4/5 Wednesday at Hollywood Park. . . . Pat Valenzuela will ride Daros and Corey Nakatani will ride Standiford at Bay Meadows on Saturday in the $100,000 Bay Meadows Derby, which will be simulcast at Hollywood Park. . . . Nakatani, Martin Pedroza and Kent Desormeaux won twice Wednesday and Laurie Gulas became the first apprentice to win at the meeting, aboard Super Chief in the second.

Material from the Associated Press is contained in this story.