Stronach Is a Man of Action

Frank Stronach might be in Austria, playing captain of industry to his worldwide automotive-parts business, but his far-reaching racing net still has the U.S. covered.

At Del Mar today, Stronach will be represented by Euchre, an 8-1 longshot, who’ll try to prevent General Challenge from winning the $1-million Pacific Classic for the second straight year.

About two hours earlier, at Saratoga in upstate New York, Stronach will try to win another $1-million race, the Travers, with his Ohio Derby winner, Milwaukee Brew, who’s the 3-1 second choice on the morning line.

For all but 15 minutes of a two-hour, 45-minute meeting of the California Horse Racing Board here Friday, Stronach executives argued that his racing company, Magna Entertainment, should be allowed to buy the Bay Meadows Operating Co., which has the lease to conduct racing at the track in San Mateo. After the commission hemmed and hawed--the future of racing in the Bay Area after 2002 was at issue--Stronach’s purchase was approved by a 4-0 vote.

Stronach, having added Bay Meadows to a six-track racing empire that includes Santa Anita, was on the phone from Oberwaltersdorf earlier, confirming more changes in the hierarchy of Magna Entertainment. He said that top executives at Santa Anita--Lonny Powell--and Golden Gate Fields--Peter Tunney--will report to Jack Liebau, who is becoming, in effect, general manager of Magna’s California racing operations.

Liebau, 61, is an attorney and horse owner who has been running Bay Meadows since 1992. He is expected to remain at the helm of Bay Meadows, while overseeing the operations of Santa Anita and Golden Gate.

“I’ve very much impressed with Jack Liebau,” Stronach said. “He’s a good man. Our activities are too big out there to be handled by just one man. Jack will coordinate what the California tracks do.”

Stronach also said that he is naming Donald Amos as chief operating officer of Magna Entertainment. He joins Mark Feldman, a former executive at E! Entertainment Network, who was hired as chief executive officer last month. Powell, besides being responsible for the day-to-day operation of Santa Anita, will remain as the vice president for racing operations of Magna.

Amos has been executive vice president for administration and human resources at Magna International, the parent company of Magna Entertainment.

“He’s been with me for 18 years, so I know what he can do,” Stronach said. “He breeds and owns horses and knows the racing business.”

As for today’s $1-million races, Stronach suggests that he’s got a better chance with Milwaukee Brew in the Travers than he does with Euchre in the Pacific Classic. Milwaukee Brew, who ran third as Dixie Union, the Travers favorite, won the Haskell Handicap at Monmouth Park three weeks ago, will be ridden by Jerry Bailey, a two-time Travers winner. Bailey won the 21st million-dollar race of his career a week ago when he rode Chester House to victory in the Arlington Million.

Bobby Frankel, the trainer of Chester House, trains Euchre and Skimming, the 5-2 second choice on the Pacific Classic’s morning line.

“We’re going to try to sneak in the back door,” said Frankel, who did just that while winning the race four straight times in 1992-95. Missionary Ridge was 24-1 in 1992 and Tinners Way was 7-1 in 1994. Frankel’s other Pacific Classic winners were Bertrando in 1993 and Tinners Way for a reprise in 1995. They were shorter prices, though neither was favored.

Both of Frankel’s hopes today won their last races, Euchre winning a stake for the first time with a victory in the Bel Air Handicap and Skimming blowing the doors off the opposition with a front-running, eight-length victory in Del Mar’s San Diego Handicap.

Before his win in the San Diego, the European import Skimming had won a couple of optional claiming races, but had been third and second in his only stakes tries.

“Skimming surprised the hell out of me the last race,” Frankel said. “He just freaked out and he blitzed them. He did it in a good time, too (1:41 for 1 1/16 miles). Some horses just like this track, and it looks like he’s one of them. Remember Wickerr, that horse I had? He was super tough most every time he ran at Del Mar.”

Garrett Gomez, who rode Skimming for the first time in the San Diego, will be expected to have the 4-year-old colt running on the lead. They’ll give the other jockeys in the seven-horse field something to think about.

“I think my horse will be two or three lengths in front, turning for home,” Frankel said. “Then it will depend on whether he can get the mile and a quarter.”

David Flores will ride Euchre for the first time. The Stronach homebred has won three in a row, the first two in optional claimers.

“I owed David the mount, after Chester House,” Frankel said.

Flores had finished second with Chester House in the Eddie Read Handicap on July 30, then Frankel replaced him with Bailey, the Hall of Famer, for the Arlington Million.

“I think Euchre’s got a chance,” Frankel said. “He’s been doing well since the Bel Air. General Challenge deserves to be favored, but he’s coming in off a race that wasn’t very good (second to Early Pioneer in the Hollywood Gold Cup). But he does like this track.”

Notes

Trainer Bobby Frankel and Juddmonte Farms, the owner of Skimming, started off the weekend by winning Friday’s Harry F. Brubaker Stakes with Auction House, a British import who had run last in the Shoemaker Breeders’ Cup Mile at Hollywood Park on June 18. . . . Uncharted Haven, winner of the San Clemente Handicap, and Kumari Continent, winner of the Hollywood Oaks, are both entered in Sunday’s $250,000 Del Mar Oaks. Here’s the nine-horse lineup, in post-position order: Queenie Belle, No Matter What, Velvet Morning, La Gandilie, Premiere Creation, Mary Kies, Theoretically, Kumari Continent and Uncharted Haven. . . . In his first workout since running second in the Preakness, Kentucky Derby winner Fusaichi Pegasus went three furlongs in :39 1/5 Thursday at Hollywood Park. . . . Early Pioneer’s next start will be in the $500,000 Kentucky Cup Classic at Turfway Park on Sept. 16. . . . At Saratoga Friday, Beautiful Pleasure, ridden by Jorge Chavez, scored a five-length win in the $400,000 Personal Ensign Handicap. Back In Shape, ridden by Jerry Bailey, came out in the stretch and was disqualified to fourth place in the five-horse field after finishing second. Heritage Of Gold, co-high weight with Beautiful Pleasure at 124 pounds, was moved up from third to second and Pentatonic, the horse Back In Shape bothered, was moved from fourth to third. Beautiful Pleasure, running 1 1/4 miles in 2:03 3/5, paid $3.80 for $2, ending Heritage Of Gold’s five-race winning streak.

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Pacific Classic Field

The field, in post position order, for today’s Pacific Classic at Del Mar:

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Horse Jockey Odds River Keen Victor Espinoza 15-1 General Challenge Corey Nakatani 9-5 Euchre David Flores 8-1 Tiznow Chris McCarron 5-1 Skimming Garrett Gomez 5-2 Ecton Park Kent Desormeaux 7-2 Forty One Carats Eddie Delahoussaye 12-1

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Purse: $1 million. Race conditions: 3-year-olds and up. Weights: All will carry 124 pounds except Tiznow, who will carry 117 as the only 3-year-old in field. TV: Fox Sports Net, 3:30 p.m.