HOLLYWOOD PARK : Nakatani Hangs On and Top Shape Wins

Trainer Bobby Frankel and jockey Corey Nakatani had big meetings at Santa Anita, and they have picked up where they left off at Hollywood Park.

Frankel won his second stakes race in three days and fourth race overall when Top Shape provided Nakatani with his fourth consecutive triumph Sunday in the $103,900 Senorita Breeders’ Cup Stakes.

After drawing clear from nine opponents by making a move from eighth place while racing wide, Top Shape, the 9-5 favorite making her first start in the United States, had to find more in the stretch to hold off Artica by a neck in 1:34 3/5 for the mile on turf.

Frankel, who won the opening-night Los Angeles Handicap with Forest Gazelle, was happy with the result Sunday, but not about Nakatani’s ride.

“I’m happy to win, but she showed she’s a great filly because you don’t see too many horses do what she did--come back in the stretch and win,” Frankel said. “Corey said she ran off with him, but you’ve got to take a hold of her. That’s why you’re there. You’re supposed to be riding these horses, not just letting them do what they want.

“She can run, this filly. I told Corey there would be a lot of speed, and just let her settle and let her come running at the end.”

This was the third victory in 10 starts for Top Shape and gave Nakatani eight in the first three days of the Hollywood Park season.

“It was an unusual move for her to do, but she was coming out of sprint races in Europe, and down the backside, I was in real tight and taking a real strong hold of her and she was running over horses,” Nakatani said. “I moved her out a little bit so I wasn’t clipping heels, and she really started running. Instead of me strangling her and stopping her again, I just gradually let her get into a nice comfortable stride. I hit her left-handed and she came back on down the lane. She’s a real nice filly.”

Auriette was third, a neck behind Artica. Then came Ski Dancer, Jewel Princess, Euroexport, Texinadress, Made To Perfection, Lisa Mac and Stately Star.

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Jockey Felipe Martinez was off his mounts Saturday after being involved in a spill in Friday’s eighth race, but he is scheduled to ride two horses--Tap Dancing Susan and Cocooning--today.

Riding Johnny Mc, Martinez was thrown when the 5-year-old Moscow Ballet gelding broke down on the far turn while running fourth.

Sal Gonzalez, Jr., riding Dabbler, couldn’t avoid the mishap and he also went down, but was not injured.

A winner of 11 of 24 starts, Johnny Mc, who had been claimed by owner-trainer Sam Aldabbagh for $10,000 on Feb. 22 at Santa Anita, was destroyed after breaking his left front ankle.

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Attendance on Friday night was 29,649, the largest opening for Hollywood Park since 1984--the year the track played host to the first Breeders’ Cup--when the crowd was 32,809.

There was a bigger crowd (37,862) in 1991, but there was free admission that year.

The track also set opening-day records of total attendance (50,715) and handle ($9,756,407).

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The first 2-year-old race of the meeting will be run today.

It will go as the second race and features seven California-bred fillies.