HOLLYWOOD PARK : Handicappers Were Wise to Ignore the Lines Than Read Between Them

Although This Time Tony has won 10 times in his 45-race career, the 5-year-old gelding is more famous right now for two races he did not run.

An error in last Saturday’s edition of the Daily Racing Form credited This Time Tony, who was entered in the day’s fifth race, a $10,000 claimer, for two bad efforts--a seventh-place finish at the Fairgrounds in Louisiana on March 21 and a sixth-place finish on April 2 at Fonner Park in Nebraska--that weren’t his.

Actually, before Saturday, the Nebraska-bred had not run since March 6 at Gulfstream Park. This Time Tony finished fourth, beaten three lengths, at 5-1 against $30,000 claimers.

Making his California debut on Saturday at Hollywood Park and taking a sizable drop in class, This Time Tony, who is owned by Joe Noveli of Chicago and trained locally by Julie Neumann, won by 2 1/4 lengths under Paul Atkinson and paid $11.80.

With his victory also came questions, specifically, how did the mistake happen in the Racing Form and whether or not This Time Tony should have been allowed to run after the error was found.

Apparently, the mistake was discovered in New York by someone at the Form late Friday afternoon, long after the Saturday edition had been published. The past performance lines were accurate, but the race at the Fairgrounds belonged to a horse named Twice A Lieutenant while the race at Fonner Park belonged to a filly named Tickles All Over.

When informed of the mistake, Hollywood Park immediately had track announcer Trevor Denman inform fans that the lines for This Time Tony were incorrect.

Track spokesman Rick Simon said Denman made an announcement Friday afternoon and on the race replay show that night. There were also two more announcements on Saturday--at noon with the day’s scratches and changes and again, before the start of the Pick Six, which begins with the fourth race.

“We feel, that under the circumstances, we did as much as we could to alert the public,” Simon said.

Originally, track linemaker Russ Hudak made This Time Tony 20-1 on his morning-line, but he lowered that to 6-1 after being informed of the mistake and after the late scratch of Malibu Parker.

“There is still an ongoing investigation to try to determine how this mistake happened,” steward Pete Pedersen said. “There is also an investigation into the race itself, but we have no reason to believe there is anything suspicious.”

Since This Time Tony was a newcomer to California, Neumann had to specify where the gelding had last raced when she entered him Thursday morning. She said Gulfstream Park, a fact confirmed by Pedersen.

“I just got the horse,” said Neumann, who added that Noveli has been a client of hers for seven years. “He shipped in, had a workout April 20 (three furlongs in 38 2/5) at Santa Anita and we ran him.

“I was unaware of the information in the Form, and I don’t know if there were any irregular betting patterns because I’m not a gambler. I’ve always gone by the book and I don’t feel like there was anything wrong with the race. It’s unfortunate that this happened because I’ve heard a lot of squawks on the backstretch since Saturday.”

Hollywood Park will simulcast, in addition to the Kentucky Derby, five other stakes races from Churchill Downs on Saturday.

Post time for the first race from Churchill Downs is 10:05 a.m. Gates to Hollywood Park will open at 8 a.m.

The five other stakes from Kentucky are the American Turf, the WHAS-TV, the Brown and Williamson, the Churchill Downs, and the Capital Holding Mile. Four of those races will be run before the first live race at 1 p.m., then the Capital Holding Mile will be run between the first and second races and the Kentucky Derby will come between Hollywood’s second and third races.

Jockey Martin Pedroza, injured in a spill shortly after the start of Sunday’s first race, will be sidelined an estimated 2-3 weeks, according to the rider and his agent, Rich Silverstein. A slight fracture was discovered in Pedroza’s left shoulder and he was told to take it easy by Dr. Robert Kerlan, whom the rider will see again next week. Silverstein said May 12 is the target date for Pedroza’s return.

Thrown when Takeagianstep came out awkwardly in the $10,000 claimer, Pedroza also suffered a minor concussion. “I was out cold for a good 40 minutes,” he said. “I remember my horse acting up in the gate and that he broke in real hard (at the start). The next thing I remember after that is waking up in the hospital.”

Jockey Corey Nakatani won three times Wednesday, including the $42,000 allowance feature race on turf with Gold Desert.

Times staff writer Bill Christine contributed to this story.