THOROUGHBRED RACING : It’s Been a Long Meeting, but It Had Its Moments

It is hard to believe that Hollywood Park’s spring-summer meeting, which ends Monday, is only 67 days long.

To those who experienced back-to-back, 14-race cards last month and several weekend programs that lasted more than five hours because of needless time in between many uninteresting simulcast events from other locations and live racing, the season has seemed longer.

Perhaps changes will be made for the next meeting in Inglewood, but, even with that complaint, there has been much to remember this year.

In large part because of the efforts of racing secretary Martin Panza, Cigar and Concern, the nation’s top two handicap horses, came west. Concern dominated the locals in the Californian, then Cigar, who was going to skip the Hollywood Gold Cup, altered his schedule and blew everybody away in the meeting’s richest race.

Two world records were set, and an attractive closing weekend remains. Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes winner Thunder Gulch will run in the Swaps on Sunday, the same day Paseana will attempt in the Vanity to surpass Dance Smartly as the richest female in racing history.

Although some categories remain to be decided, here is one view of the meeting’s top performers:

Sprinter--Pembroke. Trainer Gary Jones says Pembroke isn’t the healthiest horse in the world, but the son of Gone West can run. He shattered the world record for 5 1/2 furlongs when he won the Hollywood Park Budweiser Breeders’ Cup last Saturday in 1:00 2/5. Before that, he had another win and came within a nose of a third victory when beaten by Cyrano Storme in the Jack Disney.

Jockey--Corey Nakatani. The jockey title slipped away from him in the final days at Santa Anita, but he has left little doubt about his superiority at Inglewood. Nakatani is more than 20 victories in front heading into the final six days against the world’s strongest jockey colony. He has no real weakness as a rider and figures to get even better.

Trainer--Bobby Frankel. Sandy Shulman has more victories, but Frankel has a higher winning percentage and six stakes victories.

Handicap Horse and Horse of the Meet--Cigar. After being away for about 18 months, he returned to California for a short visit and left no doubt he has developed into the country’s best horse. The Gold Cup victory was his ninth in a row, and he’ll make it an even 10 wherever he runs next. He might be back for the Pacific Classic on Aug. 13 at Del Mar.

3-Year-Old Filly--Sleep Easy. With Urbane and Cat’s Cradle injured and Serena’s Song in the East, she proved herself the best of a very weak bunch with victories in the Railbird and Hollywood Oaks. The year after Lakeway and Sardula hooked up in the Oaks, we got Sleep Easy and Predicted Glory, a former claimer, finishing 1-2 and the race was stained further when Favored One broke down in the stretch.

Claimer--Berillon. Frankel’s old-timer ran in only one claiming race this season, but he dominated Panza’s innovative starter allowance series. Berillon has won three times at the meeting--and is scheduled to go for a fourth this weekend--and jockey Eddie Delahoussaye didn’t really have to push him in any of the victories.

2-Year-Old Filly--Raw Gold. She is perfect in two starts after following her maiden victory with a win in the Landaluce. However, the two best 2-year-old fillies seen at the meeting were a pair trained by Wayne Lukas. Mira Loma broke her maiden in early May, then went to Kentucky and beat male rivals in a stakes before being injured. Golden Attraction broke her maiden here last month, also went to Kentucky and won a stakes. She is scheduled to run in the Schuylerville, one of Saratoga’s opening-day stakes, on Friday.

Other categories--grass horse, 2-year-old and 2-year-old male and 3-year-old and 3-year-old male and older filly-mare--will be determined this weekend.

If Mr Purple is able to beat Thunder Gulch, Dazzling Falls, Petionville and Da Hoss in the Swaps, he will be the 3-year-old of the meeting. He already has victories in the Harry Henson and Affirmed.

Pirate’s Revenge could have wrapped up the older filly/mare title with a second victory over Paseana in the Vanity, but sickness will force her to miss the race. The top 2-year-old will be determined in the closing-day Hollywood Juvenile Championship on Monday. From here, it looks like Hennessy. No grass horse has been dominant.

Horse Racing Notes

Heavily favored Morgana didn’t find room until late in the stretch, but was able to get up and win the $75,600 Melvin Durslag by half a length Wednesday at Hollywood Park. She paid $3.20 as the 3-5 favorite in the one-mile turf race, which was named for the longtime columnist for the L.A. Herald Examiner, who is retired. Morgana was ridden by Corey Nakatani for trainer Gary Jones. . . . Entries will be taken this morning for the Caesars Palace Turf Championship, which will be run Saturday, and for Sunday’s Swaps and Vanity. . . . Only five are expected to be entered in the $250,000 Caesars Palace Turf Championship: Sandpit, Jahafil, Special Price, Liyoun and Urgent Request. . . . Gary Stevens won three times Wednesday and Chris McCarron and Alex Solis had two wins apiece.