Islay Mist Claims Her Turf

Trying two turns on the turf for the first time in her career, Islay Mist, an 8-1 longshot, rallied past 4-1 longshot Fire Sale Queen in the final yards to win the $111,800 Senorita Stakes in the opening night feature race of Hollywood Park’s spring-summer meet.

Before an estimated 23,000 Friday night, Islay Mist, an English-bred owned by James Vreeland and trained by Kathy Walsh, won for the fifth time in nine starts, completing the mile in 1:34 under jockey David Flores. She paid $18.

Fire Sale Queen, who set the pace in her first start on turf, finished in front of Miss Pixie, the second longest shot in the field of 10 3-year-old fillies. Millie’s Quest, the 5-2 favorite, and Burning Hope, a 5-1 longshot, finished in a dead heat for fourth.

Kent Desormeaux, who finished second to Corey Nakatani in the jockey standings at Santa Anita, won two of the first three races at Hollywood Park.

In the opener, he scored with Lucky Sandman, a 6-1 longshot, then gave Housekeeper, a 2-1 second choice, an excellent ride in tight quarters to win the third, the meet’s first turf race.

Trained by Vladimir Cerin for owners David and Holly Wilson, Lucky Sandman won for only the second time in 33 starts. His other victory had come in Inglewood in 1998.

Nakatani also had two winners Friday night. He won the fifth with Kirsteena, then came back with favored I’m Persuaded in the sixth.

*

Caller One, a winner of his first two starts of the year for trainer Jim Chapman, leads a field of nine in today’s $100,000 Derby Trial, the opening-day feature at Churchill Downs.

A winner of two of four starts in California in 1999, the son of Phone Trick rolled to a 10-length victory in the Hansel at Turfway Park in his first start as a 3-year-old on March 25, then won the Lafayette at Keeneland 18 days later by four lengths.

Owned by Carolyn Chapman, the trainer’s mother, and Theresa McArthur, Caller One, who will not run in next week’s Kentucky Derby, will be trying a mile for the first time. Robbie Davis will again ride.

A colt who could be entered in the Derby if he fares well in the Trial is True Confidence. Owned by Satish Sanan’s Padua Stables and trained by Wayne Lukas, True Confidence will be trying to rebound from a horrible effort in the Arkansas Derby.

After finishing second in the El Camino Real Derby at Bay Meadows on March 11, True Confidence, a son of Storm Cat, was 13th in a field of 14 at Oaklawn Park, beaten 24 lengths by Graeme Hall.

Completing the field, from the inside out, are Littleexpectations, Pilgrim Creek, Sun Cat, Settlement, Valiant Halory, Performing Magic and Cosine.

*

Trainer Bobby Frankel, who won the Bewitch Stakes with The Seven Seas Thursday at Keeneland, will try for another stakes win today in New York when Chester House makes his second start of 2000 in the $200,000 Excelsior Breeders’ Cup Handicap at Aqueduct.

After finishing third as the 8-5 favorite in the Explosive Bid Handicap last month at the Fair Grounds, Chester House will start if the track is fast, according to Frankel.

A 5-year-old son of Mr. Prospector out of the stakes-winning mare Toussaud, Chester House will be making his second start on the main track in the nine-furlong Excelsior. In his only other dirt appearance, he was fourth at 63-1 in the Breeders’ Cup Classic last Nov. 6.

*

Hollywood Park’s answer to Oak Tree’s successful California Cup, the $1.26 million California Gold Rush, will have its debut on Sunday.

If nothing else, the 10 races restricted to California-breds drew large fields. A total of 100 horses were entered, including 13 in the $250,000 Snow Chief Stakes, the day’s richest race.

*

Bonapartiste, who has won only once in eight starts since the beginning of 1999, is the 3-5 favorite to end his recent dry spell in today’s $100,000 Fastness Handicap at 1 1/8 miles on the grass.

Owned by Fabien Ecurie Ouaki and trained by Ron McAnally, who is one stakes victory away from 100 at Hollywood Park, the 6-year-old French-bred hasn’t won since a nose victory in last year’s Fastness. He overcame a troubled trip that afternoon to win as the even-money favorite.