Expelled Surprises Top Field, Trainer

The outcome of Sunday’s $300,000 Eddie Read Handicap was a welcome surprise for trainer Bobby Frankel.

In the midst of what he called “his worst year in 25 years,” Frankel--who became a member of racing’s Hall of Fame in 1995--saw 23-1 shot Expelled lead every step of the way and win the Grade I Eddie Read by a length over El Angelo and five others.

A full brother to Exbourne, a recently deceased horse who held a special place in Frankel’s heart, Expelled had won three of six starts in America before Sunday. However, two of those victories came in allowance races and the other in a high-priced claiming race at Hollywood Park.

Ridden by Julio Garcia, who also has found victories difficult to come by of late, the 5-year-old set a slow pace while stalked by 3-2 favorite Marlin, then repelled all challenges through the stretch to win in 1:48 3/5 for the 1 1/8 miles on turf.

“We figured out that he needed to be on the lead, so we started sending him [to the lead],” said Frankel, who won the Eddie Read for the seventh time. “I thought he was beat in the middle of the stretch when they came to him, but he found another gear and finished very well. It was surprising because he’d never been over a mile before.

“I needed this badly. I’ve had a lot of horses get injured and the ones that were running haven’t been running well. This makes me feel really good.”

El Angelo, a 5-1 shot who won the Inglewood and American handicaps at Hollywood Park, finished a length ahead of Marlin, then came Smooth Runner, the runner-up in the 1996 Eddie Read, Naninja, Labeeb and Perim.

*

Del Mar stewards Ingrid Fermin, David Samuel and George Slender will hold a hearing today regarding an on-track incident in Sunday’s seventh race involving jockeys Corey Nakatani and Ryan Barber.

Nakatani, riding Boldly Ruhl, was apparently angry after being bothered at the start and shut off in the stretch by Barber, aboard heavily-favored Policy Maker. After the horses crossed the wire, Nakatani galloped up alongside Barber, and with his left forearm, shoved Barber off his mount.

Barber wasn’t seriously hurt, but took off his remaining two mounts. He will begin a seven-day suspension on Friday after being cited for an incident while riding Lissitki in last Friday’s fifth race, a mishap that caused Finder’s Fortune to clip heels, leading to David Flores going down. Flores will be sidelined for up to two months with back and shoulder injuries.

On June 26 at Hollywood Park, Nakatani and his mount, Beau Bachelor, were, according to the footnotes of Daily Racing Form trackman Mike Schneider, “pushed into and through the rail” by Biddy Biddy, a tiring 72-1 shot who was ridden by Barber.

Nakatani, who was reported to have been in a jockey’s room altercation with Alex Solis after Sunday’s incident when Solis came to Barber’s defense, declined comment on the incident.

*

With Flores sidelined, Chris McCarron has picked up the mount on Siphon in Saturday’s $1-million Pacific Classic.

Entries will be taken for the 1 1/4-mile Classic on Wednesday morning and only four others--Gentlemen, Crafty Friend, Percutant and River Keen--are expected to be entered.