HOLLYWOOD PARK : A Silver Lining in Gold Cup Weekend

For a trainer who finished no better than second with three top contenders in the Hollywood Gold Cup, Bobby Frankel was still in an upbeat mood by the time the Fourth of July weekend ended.

Toussaud’s authoritative victory Sunday over an otherwise all-male field in the $216,000 American Handicap contributed to Frankel’s demeanor. So did Now Listen’s win in the $111,400 Triple Bend Handicap, which was run on Saturday, a few hours after the Gold Cup. By finishing second with Bertrando, fourth with Marquetry and fifth with Missionary Ridge in the Gold Cup, and by winning the other two races, Frankel’s barn collected $417,400 in purses. That was $4,900 more than what Best Pal earned for winning the Gold Cup.

And Frankel was even able to forgive--though not forget--the ride that Kent Desormeaux gave him in costing Jolypha the chance to beat Flawlessly in the Beverly Hills Handicap the week before. After riding Jolypha into a cul de sac along the fence in a four-horse race, Desormeaux tried to atone by winning with both Now Listen and Toussaud.

The morning after the Beverly Hills, Frankel was back at Santa Anita, where most of his horses train. Still reverberating from Jolypha’s defeat, he was approached by a fan at Clockers’ Corner.

“Jolypha just didn’t like the hard turf, huh?” said the fan.

Jockey Gary Stevens, standing next to Frankel, left quickly, heading for the coffee line. He didn’t want to be within earshot of Frankel’s reply.

“I just laughed,” Frankel said. “It’s a funny story.”

Did Frankel think he had been set up? “I don’t think so,” he said. “I think that this was just a guy who didn’t know.”

Although Bertrando continues to run like a middle-distance horse, rather than a 1 1/4-mile horse like Best Pal, Frankel offered no apologies for his colt’s performance in the Gold Cup.

“He ran a tough race,” the trainer said. “I still think it’s possible that he can win going a mile and a quarter. Take away the winner in the Gold Cup and we wind up beating the next horse by five and a half lengths.”

Still, Frankel has selected a safer route for Bertrando. His next start will be on July 24 at Monmouth Park in the Iselin Handicap, which is only 1 1/8 miles. The makeup of the rest of field might determine whether Bertrando returns on Aug. 21, for a rematch with Best Pal in the $1-million Pacific Classic at 1 1/4 miles at Del Mar.

As for Marquetry, he has quietly gone over the $2-million mark in earnings during the current Hollywood Park meeting. Almost half of his total--$806,250--has come in three Gold Cup starts: the victory as a record 27-1 shot in 1991, the second behind Sultry Song last year and the fourth-place finish last Saturday. The 6-year-old’s next start, his fourth of the meeting, is expected to be in the $150,000 Bel Air Handicap on July 17.

Horse Racing Notes

Times change. Trainer Wayne Lukas is advertising for clients in trade publications as the expensive yearling auctions at Keeneland and Saratoga approach. “His record speaks for itself,” says one ad. “D. Wayne Lukas has an eye for picking champions and he can pick one for you!” In palmier days, Lukas went to the sales with a battalion of big spenders who wrote out blank checks. Now Lukas’ principal client, William T. Young, breeds the horses that he races. Thanks to a good meet with his division at Churchill Downs, Lukas is over the $2-million mark in purses, but he still hasn’t won a major race since October of 1991, he’s far down in the national standings and his 10-year reign as No. 1 on the money list is all but over.

By circumstance, Midpointe Racing, the group that includes Hollywood Park and its chairman, R.D. Hubbard, may still be in contention for the much-delayed racing license in Dallas-Fort Worth. A state judge has ruled that the Texas Racing Commission improperly awarded the license to the Lone Star Jockey Club, which could result in all four applicants being reconsidered by the commission. Hollywood Park has already reportedly spent more than $750,000 in supporting the Midpointe application. . . . Gary Stevens rode three winners Wednesday at Hollywood Park, including a narrow victory aboard La Spia in the feature.