SANTA ANITA : Stevens Decries Safety of Track After Being Injured in a Spill

Gary Stevens, fortunate to escape serious injury in a spill that involved two other riders Friday at Santa Anita, said after the race that the track is dangerous.

“It’s the worst track in the United States right now,” Stevens said. “I don’t think it’s a safe track.”

Steve Wood, the Santa Anita track superintendent, has been lauded by horsemen for his work on the racing strip during one of the wettest Januarys in memory.

“I keep real good track of these things,” Wood said, “and I don’t think we’ve had that many breakdowns. I think we’re having a pretty good year as far as that’s concerned.”

Three Times Never, ridden by Stevens, was moving to the front near the five-sixteenths pole of Friday’s second race when her right foreleg snapped. Stevens went down with the 4-year-old filly and was a target for the seven horses behind him. Roblar Miss, ridden by Mickey Walls, and Senorita Bonita, with Paul Atkinson aboard, stumbled over Three Times Never and both jockeys were thrown.

Other jockeys had to pull up to avoid falling, and only four horses finished the one-mile claiming race, with Cozier winning by seven lengths.

Stevens, who is No. 2, behind Chris McCarron, on the national purse list and ranks first at Santa Anita with 40 winners this season, was taken to Arcadia Methodist Hospital, where he was treated for a bruised leg and a cut on his forehead and released. The other jockeys remained at the track, Walls suffering bruised ribs and Atkinson a bruised throat. Three Times Never was destroyed on the track.

Stevens’ riding helmet showed a hoof print from one of the horses who passed him.

“I feel better now than I did when I was lying there,” Stevens said. “I was scared that I was going to get wiped out. One of the horses hit my right knee, the one that had to be operated on a few years ago.”

Three Times Never’s breakdown came without warning.

“I was riding her with confidence,” Stevens said. “When she made her move, I thought we were in good shape. Two strides later, she broke down.”

Stevens believes that too much sand was added to the track.

“It feels like they put on about 300 tons of sand after all the rain,” he said. “I think they overcompensated. When it gets wet, it’s like concrete.”

Stevens, who had a large blood blister on his forehead hours after the spill, is scheduled to ride Likeable Style, one of the favorites in today’s Las Virgenes Stakes.

“If I can get my helmet on, I’ll be riding,” Stevens said.

With Best Pal on the sidelines, Jovial and Sir Beaufort will head a seven-horse field Sunday in the $250,000 San Antonio Handicap, which sometimes has served as a prep race for the Santa Anita Handicap.

Sir Beaufort has won his last two starts, the Native Diver Handicap at Hollywood Park on Dec. 6 and the San Carlos Handicap at Santa Anita on Jan. 9.

Jovial has also won two in a row, the most recent a 2 3/4-length victory in the San Pasqual Handicap over a field that included Marquetry, Reign Road and Best Pal.

Trainer Charlie Whittingham, who will saddle Sir Beaufort and Tel Quel, has won a record eight Santa Anita Handicaps and three of those winners--Pretense in 1967, Ack Ack in 1971 and Lord At War in 1985--also won the San Antonio. In 1990, Ruhlmann gave Whittingham his eighth Big ‘Cap winner after running third in the San Antonio.

Best Pal, who was assigned 124 pounds for the San Antonio, is entered in the $1-million Big ‘Cap on March 6. The 5-year-old gelding has a chance to win the race in successive years, matching an accomplishment by John Henry in 1981-82. Best Pal finished second in the San Pasqual, then was disqualified to fifth because of interference.

Sir Beaufort drew a 120-pound assignment for Sunday, the same weight he carried in the San Carlos. Here is the field, in post-position order:

Marquetry, Eddie Delahoussaye, 117 pounds; Reign Road, David Flores, 116; Sir Beaufort, Chris McCarron, 120; Jovial, Mickey Walls, 117; Bucking Bird, Kent Desormeaux, 110; Major Launch, Alex Solis, 110; and Tel Quel, Gary Stevens, 118.

Solis has ridden Criminal Type and Ibero, winners of the 1 1/8-mile stake in two of the last three years.

There has been a lot of trading in Hollywood Park stock in recent days, including a divestiture of holdings by Jeremy M. Jacobs, the Buffalo concessionaire who was one of the track’s largest shareholders.

Jacobs sold his 600,000 shares, reportedly making a profit of more than $1 million. The value of the Hollywood Park stock has more than doubled in the past year, with most of the gains posted in recent weeks.

At one time, Jacobs owned 6 1/2% of the Hollywood stock. Only track chairman R.D. Hubbard, former chairman Marje Everett and Harry Ornest own more.

Jacobs’ investment in Hollywood Park was cited by opponents of Hubbard and the Inglewood track as they unsuccessfully sought a Texas racing license in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Jacobs is chairman of Delaware North, which has never been convicted of a felony, but was linked with organized crime in the 1970s.

Delaware North has done business with some of Hubbard’s other tracks, but it no longer is involved in the concessions at Hollywood Park.

Horse Racing Notes

Charmonnier was 28-1 when he upset Best Pal, the 2-5 favorite, in the California Cup Classic in November of 1991 at Santa Anita. Charmonnier, a 5-year-old gelding, has undergone multiple changes of trainers since then, and on Friday, Wally Dollase saddled him for the feature-race victory at Santa Anita, his first victory since the California Cup. Under Laffit Pincay, Charmonnier won by seven lengths. Charmonnier finished third in last year’s California Cup. . . . Pincay will be in Maryland today to ride Laramie Moon in the $200,000 Barbara Fritchie Handicap at Laurel. Chris McCarron will ride Devil’s Orchard in the race. . . . Kent Desormeaux will be at Gulfstream Park a week from today, to ride Missionary Ridge in the $500,000 Donn Handicap.

Times staff writer Bob Mieszerski contributed to this story.