HOLLYWOOD PARK : Desormeaux Is Youngest to 2,500

Kent Desormeaux, considered the best prospect to surpass Bill Shoemaker and become the world’s winningest rider, had two winners at Hollywood Park Wednesday to become the youngest jockey to ride 2,500 winners.

After winning the fifth race with Possibly Perfect, Desormeaux, 23, reached the plateau in the eighth, rallying along the rail with White Blade to win by the feature by a half-length. Both of his victories came on horses trained by Bobby Frankel.

Chris McCarron was the youngest to reach 2,500 previously. He was 25 when he did so in 1980.

Unaware he was close to 2,500 until a few days earlier, Desormeaux was more concerned afterward about patching things up with John Mabee, the owner of Golden Eagle Farm.

Desormeaux angered Mabee when he didn’t ride Best Pal in the Hollywood Turf Handicap on May 31, instead honoring a commitment to the Frankel-trained Rainbow Corner. Desormeaux injured his back in a spill in the fifth race that day and didn’t ride Rainbow Corner, who finished last under Julio Garcia. Corey Black rode Best Pal, who finished second to Bien Bien.

“As far as my career is concerned, everything is super except that I’m not on good terms with Mr. Mabee,” Desormeaux said. “The main thing to do right now is get back to even terms with Best Pal and company.

“Here’s a horse that made me, and Mr. Mabee’s quite upset with me from the last situation. I hope I can be friends with (trainer) Gary Jones and Golden Eagle Farm. That’s the only business I have to take care of as far as my career is concerned.

“I’ve spoken (with Jones), but I’ve never seen the Mabees. (Mabee) is obviously pretty upset. If I could do anything, I’d just like to apologize. I really wanted to be (on Best Pal). I just got stuck where I was. I understand that with what Best Pal has done for me, it shouldn’t have mattered if it was Moses.

“I should have told them, ‘We’ll have to get the Ten Commandments later anyway.’ I have to ride Best Pal. I can understand that feeling from them. But (Desormeaux’s agent) Gene (Short) is the kind of guy that, once he gives a call, he sticks to it. It has gotten us a lot of mounts, but on that day, it certainly cost us an entire outfit.”

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Rough Habit, the third-leading money winner in Australian history, arrived in California early Wednesday morning and will run in the $750,000 Hollywood Gold Cup on July 3.

Mick Dittman, Australia’s all-time leading rider who won a race in his U.S. debut on May 14, will come in to ride Rough Habit, a 6-year-old who has won 11 Group I races in Australia and has 24 victories from 55 lifetime starts.

Trained by John Wheeler, the gelded son of Roughcast is third on the all-time money list in his country behind Super Impose and Better Loosen Up. He is in quarantine and will take his first tour of the Hollywood Park main track when he gallops Friday under McCarron.

Another highly regarded Australian champion, Let’s Elope, worked a mile in 1:37 under Pat Valenzuela before the races Wednesday.

Trained by Ron McAnally, Let’s Elope is expected to make her U.S. debut shortly.

Horse Racing Notes

Jockey Gary Stevens was off his mounts Wednesday and will take the rest of the week off at the recommendation of Dr. Robert Kerlan. Stevens, who broke his left thumb May 31 at Belmont Park, returned to action ahead of schedule last Saturday at Hollywood Park. After riding Sunday, he experienced some pain in his thumb and was examined by Kerlan Monday. . . . Hubert Jones, who worked as a steward from 1971-91, died Monday morning of complications from a brain tumor at Huntington Memorial Hospital in Pasadena. Jones, 66, underwent surgery a week earlier for the tumor. The former jockey rode eight winners on a single program in 1944 at Caliente. He is survived by a daughter, a son and three grandchildren.

Leading trainer Mike Mitchell won three more races Wednesday, scoring with Jamie Nicole in the first, Dancin’ Gandy in the fourth and Stylish Majesty in the seventh. Mitchell now has 27 victories at the meeting from 72 starters, leaving him eight ahead of Jack Van Berg. Flawlessly, who will make her 1993 debut in the $300,000 Beverly Hills Handicap on Sunday, worked five furlongs on the turf in 58 seconds about an hour before the races began Wednesday. Assigned high weight of 123 pounds, Flawlessly’s main rival Sunday figures to be Jolypha, who was given 121 pounds for the Grade I, 1 1/8-mile race. A winner of an allowance race May 8 in her first start of the year, Jolypha worked seven furlongs in 1:24 4/5 last Sunday. . . . Casual Lies, the runner-up behind Lil E. Tee in the 1992 Kentucky Derby, will make his first start of this year in the $150,000 Golden Gate Fields Budweiser Breeders’ Cup Handicap on Saturday. The 1 1/16 mile race will be simulcast at Hollywood Park.