HOLLYWOOD PARK : Flawlessly, Hollywood Wildcat Return Together in the Gamely

Charlie Whittingham and Chris McCarron both hope for a better ending today than they had Saturday in the Belmont Stakes.

Whittingham, who had to settle for third with Strodes Creek, and McCarron, who was second on Go For Gin, will join forces with Flawlessly in the $150,000-added Gamely Handicap at Hollywood Park.

Defeat in Inglewood is foreign to the 6-year-old Affirmed mare, who is the 8-5 favorite in the 1 1/8-mile grass race. She is perfect in six starts on the Hollywood Park turf.

Winner of the Eclipse Award the last two years as the country’s top female performer on grass, Flawlessly hasn’t raced since she took the Matriarch for the second consecutive time last Nov. 28.

Last year, she returned after a similar layoff and won the Beverly Hills Handicap by nine lengths. She will carry 124 pounds and McCarron, as usual, will ride.

Hollywood Wildcat, the Eclipse winner as the nation’s best 3-year-old filly in 1993, is the 9-5 second choice and she is also making a comeback. She hasn’t run since having a five-race win streak snapped in the La Canada on Feb. 5. She has trained well for Neil Drysdale and is unbeaten in two races on turf.

Bel’s Starlet and Skimble, who won the Wilshire Handicap last month, are both 6-1, then comes Empress Club (8-1), Dis Moi Tout (10-1) and Mz. Zill Bear (20-1). Dis Moi Tout is a likely scratch after she worked five furlongs in 1:00 4/5 Saturday morning.

A champion in South Africa, Empress Club was a troubled sixth in her American debut for owners Mr. and Mrs. Laurence Jaffe and trainer Charles Pinnell. The 6-year-old mare has trained well since the race and she has 15 victories in 21 starts. Corey Black, who worked Empress Club at San Luis Rey last Monday, will ride.

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In a race reduced to four starters after the scratches of Norwich and Bon Point, Gothland won for the third time in six American starts, beating Rapan Boy by 1 1/4 lengths in the $103,200 Inglewood Handicap Saturday at Hollywood Park.

Gothland, the 3-2 favorite ridden by Corey Nakatani, split pacesetter Savinio and Rapan Boy entering the stretch and went on to win in 1:39 3/5 for the 1 1/16 miles on turf.

Rapan Boy, the 3-2 second choice, finished nearly three lengths ahead of Johann Quatz, then came Savinio.

“This horse is special,” said trainer Wally Dollase, who also owns a piece of the 5-year-old gray with a dozen other owners. “He’s such a wonderful horse to be around. He’s got this presence about him. He’s just a special animal.”

A French-bred, Gothland hasn’t been worse than third in this country and now has eight victories from 23 lifetime starts. He increased his earnings to $358,182.

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Thanks to longshot victories by Romy ($69.40) in the Misty Isle Stakes at Arlington Park and Pleasant Dilemma ($20.80) in the Miss Woodford at Monmouth Park, there were no perfect tickets in the third week of the National Best Seven Saturday.

This means there is a carryover of $106,819.11 for next week’s Best Seven, along with a jackpot pool carryover of $43,177.10. The jackpot will be paid if there is one correct ticket with seven winners.

Those who had six out of seven Saturday collected $1,813.20. The total handle was $226,072.

The other five winners in the Best Seven were: Smart Alec ($6.80) in the Housebuster at Pimlico, Bay Street Star ($4) in the Colin at Belmont, Crusader’s Poetry ($3.60) in the Southland at Louisiana Downs, Roany Pony ($6.40) in the Senators’ Stakes at AKsarben and Tabasco Cat ($8.80) in the Belmont.

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Left without a mount in the $100,000 Moraga Stakes at Golden Gate Fields when morning-line favorite Cat’s Cradle scratched, Chris Antley picked up Charlies Paradise and went on to an 2 1/2-length victory in the race for 2-year-old fillies.

Taking over for David Flores, who was sore after being thrown by Our Last Brig at the start of Friday’s fourth race at Hollywood Park, Antley directed the Florida-bred filly to her third victory without a loss. Owned by Mike Pegram and trained by Bob Baffert, Charlies Paradise paid $6.20 and covered the 5 1/2 furlongs in 1:04 4/5. Just Plain Fancy, a 51-1 shot, was second, two lengths ahead of So Apropos.

Cat’s Cradle, who set a Hollywood Park track record when she ran 4 1/2 furlongs in 51 seconds in winning her debut on May 19, was scratched due to a fever.

“My son Grant called me this morning and said she had a 102-degree temperature,” trainer David Hofmans said. “It was a surprise because she had been perfect (Friday) night. She ate up everything, there was no reason to think anything would go wrong.”

Horse Racing Notes

Corey Nakatani and Alex Solis both won three times Saturday. . . . Chris Antley, who rode three winners Friday night before heading north, has 14 victories on 37 mounts at the meeting on Friday nights. . . . Paseana, who has been sidelined with a splint injury, worked a half-mile in 49 3/5 Saturday morning. Also on the work tab were Valiant Nature, the beaten choice in the Will Rogers, who worked five furlongs in 1:00 1/5 and the highly regarded European import User Friendly, who went three furlongs in 38 flat. . . . Bien Bien, second to Grand Flotilla in the Hollywood Turf Handicap, will not be going to Atlantic City for the $500,000 Caesars International Handicap on June 26. Instead, he will make his next start in the $250,000 Sunset Handicap on July 24 at Hollywood Park. The son of Manila worked a half-mile in 49 2/5 Saturday morning.