Real Win Comes in Ohio for Mandella

This isn’t the best of Christmases for the Richard Mandella family, and even though one of the veteran trainer’s fast fillies won a stake at Hollywood Park Saturday, there was better news coming out of Columbus, Ohio.

“My sister is out of intensive care,” said Gary Mandella, the trainer’s son, who deputized at Inglewood as their Stop Traffic won the $82,950 Safely Kept Handicap. “She’ll be coming home to California in six or seven days.”

Richard Mandella’s daughter, Andrea, was seriously injured in an automobile accident last week. A freshman at Kenyon College, Andrea Mandella was a passenger in the car and underwent eight hours of surgery at the Ohio State University Hospital.

Richard Mandella and his wife, Randi, have been in Ohio with their daughter. Mandella will return to Hollywood Park today, to saddle Refinado Tom in the Native Diver Handicap.

The Safely Kept was run on dirt instead of grass, one of three races switched to the main track after jockeys said the turf course was hazardous. It didn’t make much difference to Stop Traffic, who has run well on a variety of surfaces and finished 1997 with six wins and three seconds in 10 starts.

Stop Traffic, ridden by Corey Black, beat Iza Bon Bon by 1 1/2 lengths, running 5 1/2 furlongs in 1:02 3/5, three-fifths of a second slower than Track Gal’s record, set earlier in the year. Earning $49,050 for banker Gerald Ford, favored Stop Traffic paid $3.60.

Kent Desormeaux came off Iza Bon Bon in the gate after the filly mashed his foot before the start. “It just throbbed for a little while,” Desormeaux said.

Iza Bon Bon finished 1 1/4 lengths ahead of Raw Gold in the six-horse field.

Gary Mandella said that the plan is to run Advancing Star, Stop Traffic’s stablemate, at Santa Anita in the $100,000 Monrovia Handicap on Jan. 3 and the $200,000 Santa Monica Handicap on Jan. 24.

Nine minutes before the fifth race, it was announced that the three remaining grass races would be run on dirt. There were seven scratches in two of the grass races and pick-six bettors were sent scrambling with their selections.

After the fourth race, which was run on the turf, Corey Nakatani told the stewards that his mount came back lame. Goncalino Almeida said that his mount bobbled several times in the race.

“We had an inch and a half of rain Thursday,” said Eual Wyatt Jr., Hollywood Park’s general manager. “[After the fourth race], the jockeys said it was too slick out there. They’ve been very cooperative as we’ve dealt with inclement weather throughout the meeting. We respect their decision.”

Horse Racing Notes

Kukulcan, winner of the Laz Barrera Handicap on Nov. 9, is the 5-2 favorite in today’s Native Diver Handicap. Refinado Tom is 3-1 and Old Chapel is 7-2. . . . Surachai, third behind Advancing Star and Latin Dancer in the Hollywood Turf Express Handicap, is one of six horses entered for Monday’s $90,000 Dayjur Handicap, the closing-day feature. . . . Grand Slam, who suffered deep cuts in a hind leg in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, will return to training in mid-January and might be back at the races in March.