Desormeaux Starts Off With an Upset

Hollywood Park began the way Santa Anita concluded for jockey Kent Desormeaux.

The leading rider at the meeting that ended Monday in Arcadia and tops in stakes victories with 14, Desormeaux opened things in Inglewood with a 7-1 surprise aboard Dancing Rhythm in the $108,200 Senorita Stakes before an estimated 30,500 Friday night.

Successful in four of the final seven stakes contested at Santa Anita, Desormeaux helped Dancing Rhythm win for the third time in as many starts on turf in her California debut.

A winner on the grass at both Calder and Hialeah before coming west, the 3-year-old Flying Pidgeon filly won in 1:35 1/5 for the mile in beating Phone Alex and five others.

Earlier on the card, jockey Corey Nakatani got off to another fast start locally when he won the first two races in which he participated.

Nakatani, who finished with four victories on opening night last year, went virtually gate-to-wire on 9-1 outsider Angelinahalo in the second, then coming from behind to win the third by a nose aboard 7-2 shot Shorten Sail. The much-talked-about new surface appeared to be fair.

As he did at Santa Anita, trainer Ted West won the first race of the meeting, but he needed the help of Hollywood Park stewards Pete Pedersen, George Slender and Tom Ward.

Solana Beach, the odds-on favorite in the field of five, finished second, but was placed first after original winner Pillary, who was ridden by Matt Garcia, was disqualified for interference right near the wire.

West opened the meeting in Arcadia last Dec. 26 with a win from Gingerbob and also took the second race that day when It Matters Not was disqualified and his Cassidy Star was moved up.

*

Looking for her third consecutive victory, Corona Lake is the 8-5 favorite against five other fillies and mares in the $100,000 Desert Stormer Handicap today.

Trained by Richard Mandella for owners Ann and Jerry Moss, the 4-year-old Storm Cat filly overcame trouble to win an allowance sprint on the grass at Santa Anita, then returned to win the Morgaise Handicap by two lengths on the main track in Arcadia.

Stabled at Hollywood Park, she broke her maiden in her debut here last June 22. She will be ridden by Eddie Delahoussaye.

*

Idle since finishing fifth in the Citation Handicap last Nov. 29, El Angelo will try to defend his title in the $100,000 Inglewood Handicap on Sunday.

Trained by Jenine Sahadi for C.N. and Carol Ray’s Evergreen Farm, the 6-year-old El Gran Senor horse easily beat his four opponents in the Inglewood last year and also had graded stakes victories in the American Handicap and the Bay Meadows Handicap.

He tailed off in his final two starts of the year and will probably be no better than the fourth choice on Sunday in the 1 1/16 mile grass race.

The 120-pound high weight in the Grade III is Rajpoute, who beat five allowance rivals by seven lengths in his 1998 debut last month at Santa Anita.