Real Quiet Tops List at Hollywood Park

Heading into the final five days of Hollywood Park’s spring-summer meet, here is one man’s opinion on the best of the season:

* Horse of the meet, handicap horse--Real Quiet. Returning to Inglewood for the first time since he won the 1997 Hollywood Futurity, the 1998 Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner asserted his superiority late--under patient handling by jockey Jerry Bailey--and won the Hollywood Gold Cup. Even though the meet’s biggest race had only four starters, it was a thriller. Of course, it would have really been something if Old Trieste hadn’t been knocked out because of an injury and Victory Gallop and Behrens had come west.

* Older filly/mare--Manistique. She remained unbeaten in California with a clever victory in the Vanity, but the Unbridled filly still has to show she can win on the road. She’ll get her opportunity later in the year when she heads to Gulfstream Park for the Breeders’ Cup Distaff.

* Three-year-old--General Challenge. The gelded son of General Meeting won the Affirmed Handicap in fine style in his first start since the Kentucky Derby and he figures to win the $500,000 Swaps Stakes at a mini mutuel Sunday. Just once, however, we’d like to see General Challenge win with something less than a perfect trip.

* Three-year-old filly--Excellent Meeting. Back in with her own sex after getting treated roughly in the Kentucky Derby and especially the Preakness, owner John and Betty Mabee’s filly showed her class with a gutty win in the Princess Stakes last month. Trainer Bob Baffert’s filly looked beaten at a couple of different points in the race, but managed to get up and defeat longshot Colorado Song. If she didn’t lose that day, it’s hard to imagine anybody beating her in the $200,000 Hollywood Oaks on Saturday.

* Two-year-old filly--Magicalmysterycat. The Storm Cat filly is unbeaten in three starts and won both the Cinderella and Landaluce stakes for owner Satish Sanan’s Padua Stables and trainer Wayne Lukas.

* Two-year-old--The winner of Sunday’s $100,000 Hollywood Juvenile Championship. The top two contenders are Dixie Union and Exchange Rate.

* Grass horse--River Bay. Trainer Bobby Frankel’s 6-year-old continued to show his fondness for this turf course when he won the Charles Whittingham on May 31 and he deserves the honor if he scores again in the $300,000 Sunset Handicap on Sunday. If River Bay is beaten, a logical alternative would be Silic. The 4-year-old beat the best grass field assembled at the meet in the $350,000 Shoemaker Breeders’ Cup Mile on June 13 and helped trainer Julio Canani to a 1-2 finish in the Grade II as his Ladies Din ran second.

* Female grass horse--Virginie. Tranquility Lake looked like a slam dunk in this category after her win in the Gamely Handicap early last month, but a funny thing happened to her on her way to another victory in the Beverly Hills Handicap 12 days ago--she lost. Using a powerful stretch run, Virginie, who has now won nine of 10 lifetime, got up to beat the heavily favored Tranquility Lake in the Grade I.

* Sprinter--Mazel Trick. The 4-year-old made a splashy comeback for Frankel, setting a stakes record (1:19 4/5) in winning the Triple Bend Breeders’ Cup Invitational on June 27. The race lost some of its luster when Reraise was knocked out for the rest of the year because of an injury, but neither he nor any other sprinter in the country would have beaten Mazel Trick that afternoon.

* Claiming horse--Goldfame and Bold Capital. The former will shoot for his fourth win of the season today while the latter, a true horse for the course, has won three for trainer Jack Carava. Bold Capital is now 11 for 21 lifetime at Hollywood Park and three for 30 everywhere else. Also worthy of mention is Cambria Heights, who has won three in a row for trainer Barry Abrams.

* Trainer--Ron McAnally. He wrapped up the title weeks ago as he flew out of the gate and heads into the final weekend with four stakes victories, two fewer than leader Baffert.

* Jockey--Alex Solis. He’s on his way to his seventh riding title and his fourth in a spring-summer meet. He has been consistent and will have a chance to add to his total of four stakes wins this weekend.