HOLLYWOOD PARK : Prying Will Have McAnally on Her Side in the Hawthorne

Even though she drew the outside post in a field of 11 and has never won a graded stakes, Prying probably deserves a second look in the $112,600 Hawthorne Handicap Sunday at Hollywood Park.

What the 5-year-old mare from Argentina has in her favor is trainer Ron McAnally, who over the last four years has dominated Hollywood Park’s main track series for fillies and mares.

Since 1989, McAnally has won the Hawthorne three times, the Milady four times and the Vanity three times. That adds up to 10 victories in 12 races. Last year, Brought To Mind was second to Sacramentada in the Hawthorne, and in 1990, Gorgeous won the Vanity when McAnally, unhappy with Bayakoa’s weight assignment, decided to skip the Grade I event.

A victory by Prying on Sunday would be an upset, but the 1 1/16-mile race is wide open and drew a large field because McAnally’s star mare, Paseana, won’t be in it.

After beginning the year with two defeats, Paseana, the 1992 Eclipse Award winner, scored an impressive victory in the Apple Blossom at Oaklawn Park in Little Rock, Ark., on April 16.

“She’s not the type of mare who can take as much as a mare like Bayakoa,” McAnally said. “Bayakoa was a big, strong mare and a good doer. Paseana’s a lot more feminine. She can’t take as much as the other mare, so we try to space her races out a little more.

“We feel we got beat twice early in the year when we were giving away a lot of weight. We’ll try to keep the weight off because we want her to last until the Breeders’ Cup.”

Paseana will next race June 12, in either the Milady or the Hempstead Handicap at Belmont Park.

“We’ll run wherever the weight is the fairest,” McAnally said.

Looie Capote, who was second, 3 1/2 lengths behind Paseana in the Apple Blossom, is the probable favorite in the Hawthorne. Owned by Martin and Lois Gellman and trained by Eyal Klayman, the 4-year-old Capote filly has two victories and two seconds in four starts this year.

She won the Manta and Santa Lucia handicaps at Santa Anita before two runner-up finishes on the road. Besides the Apple Blossom, she finished second to Quilma in the Budweiser Breeders’ Cup on April 30 at Churchill Downs.

Kent Desormeaux will ride Looie Capote, winless in six starts at Hollywood Park, where she has two seconds and three thirds.

Other contenders include Golden Treat, Re Toss, Visible Gold, Shes A Sure Bet and Interactive.

Last in the Wilshire Handicap last month on the turf, Golden Treat returned to work six furlongs in 1:11 last Sunday, and she has run well on the Hollywood Park main track. Eddie Delahoussaye will be aboard for trainer Richard Mandella.

Re Toss has been off since Feb. 6, but has trained well for Henry Moreno and hasn’t been worse than third in four local starts. She was third in last year’s Hawthorne, then finished second in the Milady and third in the Vanity.

Sharp on the turf, front-runner Visible Gold will have the benefit of the rail.

A 4-year-old daughter of Staff Writer, Shes A Sure Bet has won five of her last seven, including the Desert Law by 5 1/2 lengths at Santa Anita on April 14.

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Earl Of Barking, who won the Spotlight three weeks ago, is the 9-5 favorite in the $114,900 Will Rogers Handicap at 1 1/16 miles on turf against 11 other 3-year-olds today.

The 122-pound highweight is unbeaten in two races on the Hollywood Park turf and drew the inside post. His main challengers are Lykatill Hil and Future Storm, both of whom had trouble in the Spotlight while finishing second and seventh, respectively.

Corey Black will again ride Lykatill Hil. Desormeaux, who was aboard Future Storm when the colt won the Baldwin Stakes in his U.S. debut, will be back aboard today. Corey Nakatani rode the son of Storm Cat in the Spotlight because Desormeaux was on Diazo in the Kentucky Derby.

McAnally’s hope in the Will Rogers is Tossofthecoin, who will race on Lasix for the first time after bleeding while finishing last in the Kentucky Derby.

A winner of only one race in 10 starts, Tossofthecoin has been represented by some sharp salesmen, if nothing else, during his career. Original owners Robert and Beverly Lewis sold the son of Magesterial to Frances Jelks for a reported $400,000, then, before the Derby, Jelks sold him to Sidney Craig for a reported $1 million.

That seems an inflated price for a horse who has beaten only maidens and of the five who chased him that day, Nov. 20, four are still searching for their first victories.

McAnally, however, seems confident that Tossofthecoin will run well today.

“He’s trained well (since returning to California) and I like him a lot,” he said. “I do think he’ll handle the turf.”

Horse Racing Notes

Two of the more highly regarded 2-year-old fillies at Hollywood Park will get together in the third race today. Frigid Coed has trained well for Brian Mayberry and some are already expecting her to win the Landaluce, the 2-year-old filly stakes run near the end of the meeting. She went three furlongs in 33 2/5 on May 7. Dance With Grace, trained by Richard Mandella and owned by John and Betty Mabee’s Golden Eagle Farm, worked the same distance in 34 flat on May 1 and has a quality pedigree, being by Mr. Prospector out of a Nureyev mare. . . . Hollywood Park will simulcast the $100,000 Sheridan Stakes from Arlington International between the second and third races today. . . . Best Pal, who is nominated for the Hollywood Turf Handicap on May 31, worked six furlongs in 1:15 Friday morning.