Coast-to-Coast Tuneups for Cup

About 2 1/2 hours and thousands of mile apart, there will be two preps for the $1-million Hollywood Gold Cup this afternoon.

In Boston, Real Quiet and Behrens head the field in the $600,000 Massachusetts Handicap at Suffolk Downs, and Puerto Madero and Old Trieste head the field in the $300,000 Californian at Hollywood Park.

Three weeks after beating Free House, who was injured in the race and is out for the rest of 1999, in the Pimlico Special, Real Quiet will be favored to win for the second time since last year’s Preakness, and his next stop is supposed to be the Gold Cup on June 27.

After going winless in four starts in 1998, Behrens hasn’t been worse than second in his four outings this year, including victories in the Gulfstream Park and Oaklawn Handicaps in his last two starts. A victory or a narrow defeat probably will earn the 5-year-old son of Pleasant Colony a trip to California for the Gold Cup.

Locally, Puerto Madero, second to Skip Away in last year’s Gold Cup, is the 8-5 favorite against six rivals in the Californian, a Grade II at 1 1/8 miles.

On the brink earlier this year of becoming the top handicap horse in the United States after back-to-back victories in the Native Diver and Donn Handicaps, Puerto Madero disappointed in the Santa Anita Handicap, finishing fifth of six, beaten 10 1/2 lengths by Free House.

Owned by Dwight Sutherland and Hollywood Park Chief Executive R.D. Hubbard, the 5-year-old Chilean-bred has trained well for his first start in nearly three months, and he is fond of Hollywood Park. In addition to his win in the Native Diver and his second in the Gold Cup, he won an allowance race in his U.S. debut here on April 30, 1998.

The 2-1 second choice on Russ Hudak’s morning line, Old Trieste will be making his first start since winning the Del Mar Breeders’ Cup Handicap at 1-5 last Sept. 6 at Del Mar.

Horse Racing Notes

A week before Charismatic tries to complete a sweep of the Triple Crown in the Belmont Stakes, his trainer, Wayne Lukas, will try to win the $500,000 Metropolitan Handicap today with another of his 3-year-olds. Cat Thief, third in the Derby and seventh in the Preakness, will take on older horses in the $500,000 Metropolitan at Belmont Park. Affirmed Success, unbeaten in four starts at Belmont, is the highweight in the field of eight. . . . A.P. Assay is the 8-5 favorite against five rivals in the $100,000 Desert Stormer Handicap today at Hollywood Park.