Hofmans Can Look but Not Touch Gold

The first thing you notice when you walk into trainer David Hofmans’ barn office at Del Mar is the picture on the far wall. It’s a shot of Touch Gold winning last year’s Belmont Stakes, scotching Silver Charm’s bid for the Triple Crown.

Hofmans and Touch Gold made a triumphant tour of the U.S. a year ago. They won races at Santa Anita and Keeneland, might have won the Preakness at Pimlico with better luck and then scored break-out victories in the Belmont and the Haskell Handicap at Monmouth Park.

Rain fell on their parade in the fall, when Touch Gold’s recurring foot problem contributed to disappointing results in the Pegasus Handicap at the Meadowlands and the Breeders’ Cup Classic at Hollywood Park, but the colt still finished the year with four wins in seven starts and winnings of $1.5 million.

Now Touch Gold is at Del Mar to run in another signature race, Saturday’s $1-million Pacific Classic, but the well bred son of Deputy Minister and Passing Mood can’t be found at Hofmans’ barn. He’s several barns away, in the care of trainer Patrick Byrne, who has reversed roles with Hofmans. Last year, Byrne was the fan, vicariously enjoying Touch Gold’s success; this year, Hofmans is watching while Byrne has taken charge.

The change was made at the end of last year, when Frank Stronach, the Toronto industrialist with more horses than Baltimore has crabcakes, decided that he didn’t want to run a California division anymore. Stronach, watching as Byrne won the horse-of-the-year title with Favorite Trick and saddled horses that earned $3.7 million, signed the former Londoner to a private contract that would give him the pick of hundreds of horses.

Hofmans made an 11th-hour try at renewing Stronach’s interest in California. They looked at a farm property that Stronach might add to his collection. But Stronach didn’t buy and his horses--a group that included Touch Gold, Awesome Again and Relaxing Rhythm--went east to Byrne.

Touch Gold is the second choice on the morning line for the Pacific Classic, Awesome Again just won the Whitney Handicap at Saratoga and Relaxing Rhythm, undefeated before her recent loss at Delaware Park, is on a course that could take her to the Breeders’ Cup Distaff at Churchill Downs on Nov. 7.

“I’ll have mixed emotions when Touch Gold runs Saturday,” Hofmans said. “Awesome Again’s a good one, too, and I’m not sure which one of those horses is the best. If Touch Gold wins Saturday, I’ll be happy for the outfit and a man like Stronach, who’s been good for the game. I’ll be pulling for Touch Gold. But if he does win, I’ll be depressed at the thought that I no longer have him.”

Hofmans had good horses before Touch Gold. He won the Breeders’ Cup Classic in 1996 with Alphabet Soup, knocking off Cigar at Woodbine. Since 1975, he has won 18 stakes at Del Mar. But after a signal year in 1997--purses worth $4.4 million, a national rank of ninth--the 55-year-old horseman is regrouping.

Byrne, who has a job that any trainer in the country would envy, has been in the game almost as long as Hofmans and is better versed on the downside. As recently as 1994-95, his stable won only 11 races.

“I don’t know David Hofmans, but I saw that he did a good job with Touch Gold last year,” Byrne said. “Your fortunes can turn around quickly in this game. Back in New York, you look at trainers like LeRoy Jolly [a member of the Racing Hall of Fame] and John Veitch [who may be on the Hall of Fame ballot next year] and see where they’re struggling. All you can do is the same thing you’ve always done: Bust your butt and work eight days a week.”

Hofmans won 17 races at the Santa Anita and Hollywood Park meets this year and was tied for 15th in wins at the Hollywood season that ended last month.

“Losing the 22 Stronach horses wiped us out,” he said. “Now I’m back to training Cal-breds.

“The thing that hurts the most when you get good horses is not cashing in on the potential stallion shares down the line. You get a few of those, and that’s your retirement fund. That’s what you work for, so you can take it easy one of these days.”