HOLLYWOOD PARK : Kostroma Goes Out on Top With Dahlia Victory

Kostroma is one of those horses who deserve that nonexistent designation: Best Horses Never to Win an Eclipse Award.

Alydar, an unfortunate contemporary of Affirmed, may have invented the category. Perpetuating it have been horses such as Exceller, Easy Goer and Best Pal, who is still active with a chance to win a title.

And now Kostroma, who apparently finished her racing career Thursday with a narrow, stretch-running victory in the $111,500 Dahlia Handicap as Hollywood Park closed its 32-day season with crowd of 15,029.

Earning $66,500 for the victory, Kostroma finishes with 12 victories, two seconds and three thirds in 26 starts. She has won $1.2 million. The 6-year-old mare would have earned considerably more had it not been for Flawlessly, who won four of the races that Kostroma didn’t. Flawlessly’s victory in the Matriarch at Hollywood on Nov. 29, with Kostroma running third, three lengths behind, probably clinched this year’s Eclipse Award for best female on grass.

“She’s going to be bred to Forty Niner,” said William De Burgh, one of Kostroma’s owners. “(Trainer) Gary Jones would love to run in the San Gorgonio Handicap (at Santa Anita on Jan. 17), but I don’t know if we will. We’re not keen to run her as a 7-year-old.”

Seemingly trapped on the rail, behind Visible Gold and inside of Vijaya, Gary Stevens found an opening and beat Vijaya, a 57-1 shot, by a neck. Paying $3 to win, Kostroma carried 124 pounds, 10 more than Vijaya, who was the co-low weight in the eight-horse field. Guiza finished third, two lengths behind Vijaya and two in front of Suivi. Kostroma’s time for 1 1/16 miles was 1:41 2/5.

The Hollywood Park season ended with three consecutive stakes winners being ridden by jockeys who replaced the injured Kent Desormeaux. Last weekend, Corey Nakatani was aboard for Creaking Board’s victory in the Hollywood Starlet, and Laffit Pincay booted home River Special in the Hollywood Futurity.

Desormeaux, who suffered a fractured skull when kicked by a horse at Hollywood on Dec. 11, won’t return to action at Santa Anita until mid-January at the soonest. Stevens rode one other winner Thursday, giving him 29 and a tie with Desormeaux for the meet’s riding title. Because of the injury and an early five-day suspension, Desormeaux competed in only 17 days and rode in 68 fewer races than Stevens.

The season’s training title went to Bob Hess Jr., whose 19 victories set a Hollywood Park fall record.

Per-capita betting continued to drop at area tracks. Hollywood Park survived substantial off-track declines because of off-track betting.

The on-track per-capita was $222, compared to $237 a year ago. At Hollywood Park, the daily averages were 9,834 for attendance and $2.1 million for handle, respective drops of 7.9% and 13.7%. Overall, the averages were 25,525 and $6.3 million, declines of 2.1% and 1.9%.

The California Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Assn. has filed a suit against the California state lottery, alleging that the new keno game is illegal.

“The initiative passed by the people of California to permit a lottery was never meant to allow this type of casino gambling,” said Brian Sweeney, a director of the horsemen’s group. “We know that the state lottery people are seeking to place their keno machines at racetracks, county fairgrounds and satellite betting outlets. So far, no track or outlet has elected to install the machines, but we know that the sales pitch is continuing.”

The CHBPA is seeking a preliminary injunction to stop the keno games and prevent them from being offered at racetracks.

Former New Yorkers Bobby Frankel and Eddie Nahem were talking about horses in California last October.

“Eddie said something about maybe changing trainers for Bertrando,” Frankel said. “But he didn’t say anything about it being me.”

Frankel went to New York for a week before returning to his barn at Santa Anita. Walking in one morning, he saw a horse and said: “Who’s that?”

“That’s Bertrando,” Frankel was told.

After telling the story, Frankel said: “I felt foolish, not knowing the horse, but I never expected to see him in my barn.”

With Frankel in charge instead of Bruce Headley, Nahem and his partner, Marshall Naify, will run Bertrando on Saturday, when the highlight on Santa Anita’s opening day is the $100,000 Malibu Stakes at seven furlongs.

This will be Bertrando’s first start since he was outrun by A.P. Indy in the Santa Anita Derby last April.

“I’ve always liked Bertrando,” Frankel said. “I thought he would beat A.P. Indy in that race.”

Bertrando was on his way to the Kentucky Derby before a respiratory infection sidelined him. A.P. Indy also missed the Derby because of a hoof injury, but after winning the Breeders’ Cup Classic he’s the favorite to be voted horse of the year.

Twelve horses are entered for the Malibu.