HORSE RACING : HOLLYWOOD PARK : Stute’s Luck Stays In Even When He’s Out

If Mel Stute happens to have a starter in the 1996 Lazaro S. Barrera Handicap, look for the trainer to be out of town that day.

Why mess with a good thing?

While at a wedding last year, Stute heard track announcer Trevor Denman’s call over the phone as his College Town won.

On Thursday, he called from his daughter Gail’s home in Santa Fe, N.M., and heard Score Quick roll to victory in the $107,300 race.

Proficient at just about anything he has been asked to do and certainly an iron horse, the 3-year-old son of Northern Score made it seven victories in 18 1995 starts with a four-length victory over Adams Trail and four others.

Sent immediately to the front by jockey Goncalino Almeida, the 1-1 favorite put away Profit Margin after 22 4/5, 46 and 1:10 1/5 splits, then came away to win in 1:41 4/5 for the 1 1/16 miles.

“I was a little nervous when [Denman] said he was going clear,” said Stute, who listened to the race on a press box line. “I thought that maybe he had gone too fast early. But this horse is a tiger . . . he wants to win. Every once in a while you get one like that.”

Off the board only three times this year while sprinting and routing on both the turf and dirt, Score Quick was also considered for Sunday’s Hollywood Derby, but Stute and owner Bill Thomas decided to run Thursday.

“The Derby’s going to be a big field on turf and I think that maybe this horse’s future is on dirt and that’s the direction we’re probably headed,” Stute said.

“That means running against horses like Cigar, and I know that’s asking a lot. But this horse, he’s pretty special, and I think he can keep on going and going.”

The Barrera was the third win in a row for Score Quick, who could have a five-race victory streak if not for a neck loss in the Pomona Derby at Fairplex Park on Sept. 30.

“This horse is like a machine,” Almeida said. “He’s so professional. He goes along and relaxes himself. You drop the reins, he puts his head up and he just gallops. This horse is a money machine for Mr. Stute.”

The longest shot in the field at nearly 25-1, Adams Trail finished nearly two lengths ahead of Oncefortheroad, who had beaten Score Quick in the Pomona Derby, then came Farofino, Spingold and Profit Margin.

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Looking to conclude his 18-race career with his eighth victory, Pembroke is the 9-5 favorite in the $200,000 Hollywood Turf Express today at Hollywood Park.

The Turf Express is the second of two stakes on the program as the three-day Autumn Turf Festival begins. Two races earlier, Like A Hawk is the 5-2 choice against nine other 2-year-old fillies in the $200,000 Miesque Stakes.

Set to be shipped to Kentucky to begin life as a stallion after today’s race, Pembroke returns to the turf course where he set a world record for 5 1/2 furlongs last July 15. In beating Lit De Justice by three lengths in the Hollywood Budweiser Breeders’ Cup, he completed the distance in 1:00 2/5.

Since then, Pembroke has twice tried the dirt unsuccessfully, finishing third in the Pat O’Brien and fourth in the Crazy Kid at Del Mar. Owned by Darley Stud Management and trained by Gary Jones, Pembroke has trained well for his final start and will be ridden by Kent Desormeaux.

In the Miesque, a mile race on the grass, Like A Hawk will be looking for her second victory in six starts. She has finished second three times in races in England and France. Rene Douglas will ride for trainer Elliott Walden.