Mandella to Gentlemen: Stop Your Engine

The inevitable became fact Sunday.

Gentlemen, who came down with a fever last week, was declared out of the $4-million Breeders’ Cup Classic on Nov. 8 at Hollywood Park by trainer Richard Mandella.

A decision on his status had to be made because $267,000, a third of the $800,000 needed to supplement him to the Classic, was due at noon today and that money is nonrefundable.

“He’s better now, but we missed too much time with him,” Mandella said.

Gentlemen, owned by Hollywood Park CEO R.D. Hubbard and three South American businessmen, won the Pimlico Special, Hollywood Gold Cup and Pacific Classic earlier this year. He had a fever of 102 degrees Thursday, a couple of degrees higher than normal for a horse.

An impressive winner of the Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont Park for the second consecutive year in his most recent start, Skip Away will be supplemented to the 1 1/4-mile Classic. Others scheduled to run include Touch Gold, Formal Gold, Deputy Commander, Anet, Behrens and Whiskey Wisdom.

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A field of 10 fillies and mares could start in the $500,000 Yellow Ribbon on Sunday, the last major stakes race of the Oak Tree meeting.

Heading the lineup for the 1 1/4-mile grass race is Ryafan, an impressive winner of the Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup earlier this month at Keeneland in her American debut. The 3-year-old daughter of Lear Fan will be saddled for the last time by John Gosden in the Yellow Ribbon, then will be turned over to Bobby Frankel. She has won five of eight for her owners, Juddmonte Farms.

Eastern invaders Memories Of Silver and Maxzene are also expected, along with Europeans Dance Design and Squeak. Other probable starters are La Soberbia, Luna Wells, Real Connection, Golden Arches and Clodora.

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In his second work since returning to training after illness forced him to the sideline this summer, Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner Silver Charm went an easy three furlongs in 38 2/5 Sunday morning at Santa Anita.

“It’s going to be a slow process bringing him back,” said Bob Baffert, who trains the son of Silver Buck for Bob and Beverly Lewis. “But we’re right on track with him. We’ll slowly gear him up and put him on a steady six-day work schedule. We’ll start working him more quickly.”

Silver Charm, expected to return to racing in the seven-furlong Malibu Stakes on Dec. 26, the opening-day feature for Santa Anita’s winter-spring meeting, will have another three-furlong work Saturday. After that, the distance of his drills will increase.

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Former trainer Buddy Hirsch, elected to racing’s Hall of Fame in 1982, died Saturday in Bal Harbour, Fla. after a lengthy illness. He was 88.

The son of Max Hirsch, who was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1959 and who won the Kentucky Derby three times and who won a Triple Crown with Assault in 1946, Buddy Hirsch is survived by Sandy, his wife of 49 years, two sons and a daughter and his sister.

The burial service will be private in Westbury, N.Y., and a memorial service will be conducted later this year.

Hirsch earned a degree at Georgetown and went to work at a Wall Street brokerage firm before getting his trainer’s license in 1932. He spent part of his career in California, where he won the 1939 Santa Anita Derby with Cicencia, the San Juan Capistrano with Intent in both 1952 and 1953 and the Santa Anita Handicap with Rejected in 1954. A year later, he won the Hollywood Gold Cup with Rejected.

In 1972, he upset Kentucky Derby and Belmont winner Riva Ridge in the Stymie Handicap in New York with Canonero II, who a year earlier, had won the first two legs of the Triple Crown before being derailed in the Belmont.

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Making his first start in California and first for trainer Wally Dollase, Reality Road, the longest shot in the field, scored a $31.60 upset in the $100,000 Morvich Handicap Sunday at Santa Anita.

Ridden by Corey Nakatani for owners Peter and Dorothy Pelegrino, the 5-year-old Believe It horse defeated 2-1 favorite Latin Dancer by a length in 1:13 3/5 for the about 6 1/2 furlongs on turf.

Closest to pacesetter Rotsaluck early, Reality Road got the lead in the stretch and went on to his first victory in three tries on grass. He has eight wins in 28 starts.

Latin Dancer, looking for his second stakes win on Santa Anita’s hillside course after winning the Baldwin in March, finished three lengths clear of Torch Rouge, Lavender, Rotsaluck, Troysend and Kupe.

Horse Racing Notes

In a surprising move, jockey Kent Desormeaux has changed agents with Tony Matos taking over for Brian Beach. Desormeaux, who was represented for most of his career by Gene Short before hiring Beach last year, was the leading rider at Del Mar this past summer and, through Sunday, had 16 victories, one fewer than Gary Stevens, who tops the standings at Oak Tree. . . . Eddie Delahoussaye was off his mounts for a second consecutive day because of illness.