Stakes Slump Is Finally Over for Solis

Jockey Alex Solis’ first stakes win of the Hollywood Park meeting was a long time coming.

Fifty-one days into the 67-day season, Solis ended the drought with favored Son Of A Pistol in the $240,000 Triple Bend Breeders’ Cup Invitational Handicap Sunday at Hollywood Park.

Making his first start since winning the Potrero Grande Breeders’ Cup Handicap on April 4 at Santa Anita, the 6-year-old Big Pistol gelding tracked the pace in a good position down the backside, came outside for the stretch and prevailed by 1 1/4 lengths over 9-1 shot The Exeter Man in 1:20 4/5 for the seven furlongs.

Owned by Luis Asistio, James Davenport, Charles and George Bolton and Richard Coons and trained by Bruce Headley, Son Of A Pistol doesn’t run often, but he certainly makes his presence felt when he does. He now has seven wins in 11 lifetime starts and has been worse than third only once in his career.

“He’s just a very special horse,” Solis said. “He’s all guts. “I had a great trip.

“He broke cleanly and right away I got my position and I just had to be patient. I got him outside at the three-sixteenths pole and when I asked him, he just exploded, like he usually does. He’s just a sweetheart and very tough down the stretch.”

After winning in his Hollywood Park debut, Son Of A Pistol, who paid $6.20, will head for Del Mar, which offers two sprint stakes--the six-furlong Bing Crosby and the seven-furlong Pat O’Brien.

“He’s a horse with a lot of little injuries,” Headley said. “He had a fractured shoulder before we started back this year. He’s always been a runner.”

The Exeter Man, on the pace throughout, finished a head in front of Benchmark, making his first start since winning the Goodwood Breeders’ Cup Handicap on Oct. 11. Gold Land, the 7-2 second choice, was fourth.

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Starting for the first time in a graded stakes, A.P. Assay, a 10-1 shot, dominated her six rivals in the $250,000 A Gleam Handicap.

Providing owners John Toffan and Trudy McCaffery and trainer Paco Gonzalez with their second winner of the afternoon, the 4-year-old A.P. Indy filly went right to the front under Eddie Delahoussaye and was never seriously challenged in the Grade II event.

At the end, she had 4 1/2 lengths on 1-2 favorite Exotic Wood and completed the seven furlongs in 1:20 2/5, tying the track record first set by Memo on July 2, 1994 and later matched by Hal’s Pal last autumn and Another Star earlier in the meeting.

An impressive winner of her lone start as a 2-year-old in 1996 before being sidelined because of injury, A.P. Assay has won three of four since coming back to the races four months ago.

In her first start for trainer Dave Hofmans, Exotic Wood outfinished Closed Escrow by a head in what was only her second loss in six tries at seven furlongs.

Horse Racing Notes

Making his first start since finishing last in the Breeders’ Cup Classic last Nov. 8, Touch Gold toyed with five outclassed opponents in a $67,800 allowance race Sunday at Churchill Downs. Now trained by Pat Byrne for owner Frank Stronach and Stonerside Ltd., the 4-year-old Deputy Minister colt engaged for the lead soon after the start under jockey Pat Day, took the lead for good early in the stretch and drew off to win by nearly three lengths. He completed the mile in 1:34, only a tick off the track record set by Evasive Action on Nov. 15, 1969. The schedule now calls for Touch Gold to go on to Saratoga with the ultimate target the $4-million Breeders’ Cup Classic at Churchill Downs on Nov. 7.

Eddie Delahoussaye was honored in a brief winner’s circle ceremony Sunday on the 30th anniversary of his first career victory. The Hall Of Famer’s initial win came aboard Brown Shill on June 28, 1968 at Evangeline Downs in Louisiana. . . . Besides the Gold Cup, jockey Jerry Bailey won two others on the card Sunday at Hollywood Park. He captured the fourth with Lazy Lode and the 10th with Distant Venture. . . . Trainer Jenine Sahadi ended an 0-for-70 slump when first-time starter Dixieland Sham rallied from far off the pace to post a $28.20 surprise in Sunday’s fourth race at Hollywood Park. . . . The total mutuel handle exceeded $18-million and was a Gold Cup Day record.