Nakatani Gets Hollywood Park Meeting Off to Fast Start

Jockey Corey Nakatani was supposed to begin Hollywood Park’s spring-summer season on the bench.

Disqualified from second to last on Destiny’s Venture in Sunday’s San Simeon Handicap at Santa Anita for an incident that led to Debutant Trick and Chris McCarron falling in the stretch, Nakatani was handed a seven-day suspension by the stewards.

However, he appealed the ruling and continues riding, pending a California Horse Racing Board hearing.

Obviously, he was happy to be working Friday night because he began the track’s 66-day season by sweeping the first three races with Burch’s Baby, Barrier Breaker and Kristilar in front of a crowd of more than 30,000.

Second to Alex Solis at the spring-summer meeting last year, Nakatani, who did not have a mount in the fourth race, had his streak ended in the fifth when 4-1 second choice Moonjay finished last in the $76,700 Blaze O’Brien Stakes.

Reality Changes, the longest shot in the field of seven at 19-1, gamely held off 9-10 favorite Gastown through the stretch to win by three-quarters of a length in 1:33 2/5 for the mile on turf.

Corey Black rode the 6-year-old gelding, who was winless in three previous tries on the grass, for trainer Doug Peterson and owners Ron and Susie Anson.

Claimed by his current connections for $25,000 last Oct. 3, Reality Changes has three victories in four starts for the Ansons and has won eight of his 23 races.

There was an upset in the evening’s other stakes as 17-1 shot Kentucky Kaper outfinished 7-2 shot Ascutney, then withstood a stewards’ inquiry to capture the $111,300 Senorita Stakes. Ridden by Rene Douglas for trainer Mike Smith, the 3-year-old daughter of The Prime Minister paid $37.40 and covered the mile on turf in 1:34 1/5.

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Toga Toga Toga, who hasn’t lost around one turn in nearly eight months, will try to win her sixth consecutive sprint race today at Hollywood Park against six opponents in the $100,000 A Gleam Handicap.

Owned by Stanley Bell and trained by Eduardo Inda, the 5-year-old Saratoga Six mare won two allowance races at six and seven furlongs last fall during the Oak Tree meeting at Santa Anita, took the 6 1/2-furlong Pine Tree Lane in Inglewood Dec. 1, then won the only Grade I of her career, the Santa Maria Handicap at Santa Anita in February. She scored her latest sprint victory in the six-furlong Bay Meadows Dash on March 15.

Gary Stevens, who has had success with Toga Toga Toga, will be back aboard today and they have the outside post in the field after the scratch of longshot Ardana.

Despite Toga Toga Toga’s streak, Cat’s Cradle is the 2-1 favorite on Russ Hudak’s morning line. She has two victories in six tries over this main track and has won two of five at the A Gleam distance of seven furlongs. Alex Solis, who will be looking for his sixth consecutive local riding title at this meeting, will be aboard for trainer Dave Hofmans and owner Georgia Ridder.

From the rail out, the rest of the field consists of Stop Traffic, Finite E.F., Radu Cool (fresh off an easy victory in the Santa Lucia Handicap), Our Summer Bid and Flying In The Lane.

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Jockey Corey Black will be at Churchill Downs today, hoping Latin Dancer can stretch his win streak to three against seven other 3-year-olds in the $100,000 Derby Trial.

None of the competitors in the one-mile race will return in the Kentucky Derby a week from today, including the Wayne Lukas-trained pair of Partner’s Hero and Trafalger.

First and second in three previous starts at Churchill Downs, Latin Dancer won the Baldwin Stakes at 14-1 on the turf, then proved the race was no fluke with a win on the main track in the San Pedro nearly a month later at Santa Anita.

The other California invader is Precocity, who was fourth, beaten by less than a length, in a recent allowance race at Santa Anita. He will be ridden by Joe Steiner for trainer Bob Baffert.

Horse Racing Notes

Julio Canani, who has been away from training for four years, has returned and this week claimed his first horse, Pic O Them All, for owner Larry Gleason.