HOLLYWOOD PARK : Is Me, Bertrando Give Frankel Good Chances in Stakes Today

Having the right horse in the right place at the right time is an important part of training, and Bobby Frankel appears to be in such a position today in two races almost 3,000 miles apart.

Frankel, No. 1 on the trainers’ money list as he seeks his first national title, will run Bertrando in the $500,000 Iselin Handicap at Monmouth Park and Is Me in the $200,000 Swaps Stakes at Hollywood Park.

At 1 1/8 miles, the Iselin will be front-running Bertrando’s optimum distance, and Is Me is the only entrant who has run the Swaps distance of 1 1/4 miles.

Frankel’s horses won’t be favored in either race. Bertrando is winless in his last four starts since the 1 1/8-mile San Fernando Stakes at Santa Anita in January, and is expected to be the second choice behind Devil His Due. The 7-5 morning-line favorite in the Swaps is Codified, winner of three in a row at Hollywood this season, including the 1 1/8-mile Affirmed Handicap on July 3.

Wayne Lukas’ 10-year run as national leader in purses is all but over, and Frankel and another Californian, Ron McAnally, are battling for the lead with respective totals of $3.7 million and $3.4 million through last Sunday. Lukas, in a 1 1/2-year slump, is ninth with $2.3 million. Last year, when Lukas totaled $9.8 million to finish on top again, McAnally was second with $8.2 million and Frankel third at $6.9 million.

Bertrando has been second in his last two starts, against McAnally’s Ibero in the one-mile Metropolitan Handicap at Belmont Park on May 31 and to Best Pal in the Hollywood Gold Cup on July 3.

In reviewing those races, Frankel said: “He was very game in the Metropolitan after a long layoff (nearly three months). Then we jumped him up to 1 1/4 miles in the Gold Cup, and that’s a little long for him right now. Now he’s back to 1 1/8 miles, and I think this is an ideal situation for him. Best Pal had to run his best race and get a perfect trip to beat him. I think he’ll be much-improved over his last race.”

Some solid 3-year-olds--Bien Bien, Best Pal, Jovial and Prized--have won the Swaps the last four years, with Prized’s 1989 victory coming against Sunday Silence, the Kentucky Derby winner.

By comparison, this year’s field is nondescript. “It doesn’t look like that tough of a race,” Frankel said. “There aren’t any 1 1/4-mile horses in there by any means.”

Frankel entered two European horses, Is Me and Hawk Spell, but on Friday he scratched Hawk Spell. Both horses arrived at his barn late this week after stopping in Chicago and clearing quarantine.

Is Me ran 1 1/4 miles on grass in his last start, finishing fifth in France.

Frankel has won eight stakes at the Hollywood meet, which will end Monday. Trainer David Hofmans’ only graded-stake victory at the meet came when Codified narrowly edged Roman Image in the Affirmed.

Codified’s other two victories at the meet came in allowance company. Two other horses out of the Affirmed--Future Storm, who was third, and fourth-place finisher Devoted Brass--are back for the Swaps. Trainer Noble Threewitt will add blinkers to the slow-starting Devoted Brass’ equipment. The gelding, who won the San Rafael Stakes at Santa Anita, has tailed off in his last five races.

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Frankel also has Toulon entered in Sunday’s $250,000 Sunset Handicap at Hollywood. Bien Bien, who has developed into a top grass horse since winning last year’s Swaps, will carry high weight of 122 pounds, three more than his impost when he won the Hollywood Turf Handicap on May 31.

Beyton drew the rail and will carry 116 pounds and be ridden by Kent Desormeaux. Outside them, in order, come Bien Bien, Chris McCarron, 122 pounds; Man From Eldorado, Eddie Delahoussaye, 116; Toulon, Gary Stevens, 116; Know Heights, Pat Valenzuela, 116; Miatuschka, Sal Gonzalez Jr., 108; and Emerald Jig, Rafael Meza, 114.

For the second consecutive race since Santa Anita closed, Bien Bien will not have to face Kotashaan, who beat the 4-year-old twice this winter.

“There comes a time in the year when you have to give a horse a rest, and this has been the time for Kotashaan,” trainer Richard Mandella said. “If I had tried gearing him up for the Sunset, which is 1 1/2 miles, he wouldn’t have gotten a rest at all. We’re shooting for the big grass races at the end of the year, and we’ll get him back in action at Del Mar (which opens Wednesday).”

Bien Bien, who has five victories, four seconds and a third in 17 starts, can go over the $1-million mark in earnings by finishing in the money Sunday. He races for Trudy McCaffery and John Toffan, who bought him for $100,000 as a yearling. McCaffery and Toffan were among the leading buyers at Keeneland’s selected yearling sale this week, buying eight horses for $1.695 million.

Know Heights, winner of eight of 12 starts in Europe, is on a five-race winning streak and will be saddled by Bob Hess Jr. for the first time.

Horse Racing Notes

One of the probables in Monday’s $100,000 Hollywood Juvenile is Set Records, who is undefeated in three starts at Ruidoso Downs. Set Records will be ridden by New York-based Jerry Bailey, who will make a rare appearance in California. Bailey, who won the Kentucky Derby with Sea Hero, has $6.2 million in purses, including the $1-million Triple Crown bonus, and ranks second nationally behind Mike Smith, another New York jockey. Set Records’ three victories have come by combined margins of almost 17 lengths. One his owners is former tennis champion Margaret DuPont.