HOLLYWOOD PARK : Mandella Offers Classy Fillies for Fields of Landaluce, Oaks

What has already been a very good year for trainer Richard Mandella could get even better this weekend at Hollywood Park.

Seventh in earnings nationally, Mandella could better his position with victories by Dance With Grace in the $110,900 Landaluce today and Likeable Style in the $220,400 Hollywood Oaks on Sunday. Fit To Lead, another Mandella-trained filly, was also entered in the Oaks but is an unlikely participant.

Victories in the Landaluce and Oaks would give Mandella a sweep of the three most recent stakes at Hollywood Park, with Bel’s Starlet’s upset of Knight Prospector in the Valkyr Handicap last Monday.

Long considered one of California’s top trainers, Mandella has been a force all year, thanks in part to Kotashaan, Likeable Style, Bel’s Starlet, Leger Cat and Fit To Lead, who shocked Eliza in the recent Princess Stakes.

“To be honest, I try not to think about that stuff (earnings and the national trainer standings) too much,” Mandella said. “I just always try to do the best I can with what I have, and right now, I have some pretty nice (horses) to work with.”

Owned and bred by John and Betty Mabee, Dance With Grace has the pedigree of a quality filly. She is by Mr. Prospector out of Dancing Tribute, a Nureyev mare.

She tired and fell back to fourth in her debut, after competing for the lead, then came back nearly a month later on June 20 and won by two lengths in 57 1/5 seconds for five furlongs.

Corey Nakatani, who rode her in the victory, will be aboard today against a field of eight 2-year-old fillies in the six-furlong Landaluce. Dance With Grace, the 2-1 favorite on the morning line, drew the rail, hardly the preferred post position for sprinting at Hollywood Park.

“I’d prefer to be outside, but I’m happy to be here,” Mandella said. “(Dance With Grace) is doing really well. She wasn’t quite ready the first time. She acted like she needed the race. If she improves just a little more, or runs the same race she did when she won, she’ll be tough.

“She’s a small filly, but she’s got a nice body on her. She’s kind of strong-looking. She’s got a lot of pedigree, and that’s not a bad combination.”

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Likeable Style will be a prohibitive favorite in the 1 1/8-mile Oaks, the meeting’s 3-year-old filly championship race.

Successful in five of six starts, the Nijinsky II filly also is owned by the Mabees, who have been on a roll themselves. They won the Gold Cup with Best Pal a week ago, then came back two days later with Bel’s Starlet.

Likeable Style has shown she doesn’t need to carry her track around with her. She has won on dirt and on turf, and last time she showed she could handle mud. A surprise storm left the track muddy for the Honeymoon Handicap on June 5, and she responded with a 1 1/4-length victory over Adorydar.

“She’s doing great,” Mandella said. “Except for that race in the (Santa Anita) Oaks, where she hurt herself, she’d done everything we’ve asked. She’s not a showoff. She just seems to do what she has to and gets the job done.”

Fit To Lead, who has a victory, a second and a third in three starts for Mandella, will probably wait for the Test Stakes July 31 at Saratoga or the San Clemente Stakes at Del Mar.

Other entrants for the Grade I Oaks on Friday morning were Swazi’s Moment, Hollywood Wildcat, Fondly Remembered, Added Asset, Nortena, Passing Vice and Adorydar.

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Kotashaan, who capped a big Santa Anita meeting with a victory over Bien Bien in the San Juan Capistrano, will probably return in the Eddie Read Handicap Aug. 15 at Del Mar.

The Breeders’ Cup Turf on Nov. 6 at Santa Anita is the primary target for Kotashaan, who also won the San Luis Rey and San Luis Obispo earlier this year.

“We’d like to have three or four races in him going into the Breeders’ Cup,” said Mandella, who mentioned the Arlington Million or Del Mar Handicap and the Oak Tree Invitational as other possibilities after the Read.

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Trainer Brian Mayberry and owners Jan, Mace and Samantha Siegel have owned the Landaluce, winning it the last three years, but Bob Baffert has the filly to beat today in Miss Gibson County.

A Florida-bred daughter of Winrightt, she won the first two starts of her career against males at Turf Paradise in Phoenix, then was second in the Moraga Futurity at Golden Gate Fields after showing incredible speed. She went a remarkable 20 3/5 seconds for the first quarter and 44 flat for the half before losing by a length to Meadow Rendevous in 1:03 1/5 for the 5 1/2 furlongs.

Baffert will also send out Becky’s Appeal, who was purchased after breaking her maiden by 17 lengths in a $25,000 claimer at Calder.

The rest of the field includes Rushing Attack, Sharper Bye One, Gold Shivers, Spiritual Path and the Mayberry duo of Rhapsodic and Frigid Coed.

Horse Racing Notes

Aboard Miss Gibson County, Martin Pedroza will be shooting for his fourth consecutive victory in the Landaluce. He rode the last three winners for the Siegels and Mayberry, his main clients, but has been bounced from all of the Siegel horses after expressing his desire to ride Miss Gibson County instead of Frigid Coed, who was third in the Moraga after breaking her maiden at Hollywood Park. . . . Hollywood Park will offer betting on the Round Table from Arlington International in Suburban Chicago between the second and third races today. Lykatill Hil, second behind Future Storm in the Will Rogers Handicap in his last start, is the favorite and 123-pound high weight for the Round Table, which will be run at 1 1/8 miles on turf.