Espinoza Steps to the Front

Not only did Victor Espinoza take the lead in the jockey standings with three victories Saturday at Hollywood Park, he has now won more stakes races than any other rider at the meet.

Espinoza, the leading rider in the Inglewood track’s spring-summer season, capped his triple with an 8-1 upset aboard Follow The Money in the $150,000 Dahlia Handicap.

It was the fourth stakes victory of the 24-day-old meet for Espinoza, putting him one ahead of Chris McCarron.

With earlier wins on 9-2 shot Flying Rudolph in the second race and 7-1 outsider Horse Camp in the fifth, Espinoza has 24 victories, three more than Corey Nakatani with 11 racing days left.

Owned and bred by Christopher and Patricia Elia and trained by Dave Hofmans, Follow The Money won for the sixth time in 12 starts, rebounding from a troubled last-place finish in the Las Palmas Handicap a month ago at Santa Anita.

Smooth Player, the Las Palmas winner and the 17-10 favorite in the Dahlia, was second, a head in front of Beautiful Noise, who finished a neck in front of Janet.

Taken off the pace set by Smooth Player and Coracle, Follow The Money, a 4-year-old daughter of Pine Bluff, got the lead in midstretch and went on to score by a half-length in 1:40 3/5 for the 1 1/16 miles on turf.

“I rode another filly in the Las Palmas, but I saw this one and she had a lot of trouble in that race,” said Espinoza. “She relaxed very nicely and I sat right behind the two leaders. When it was time to go, she took off and I didn’t think there was anybody that could catch me then. She was very strong at the finish.

“David has done a very good job with her. She was a little bit rank when I rode her before [earlier this year], but she was much more professional today.”

*

Straight Man, who made a successful return to the races with an allowance victory at Churchill Downs on Nov. 24, is the 2-1 favorite against six other sprinters in the $100,000 Vernon O. Underwood Stakes today at Hollywood Park.

Trained by Bob Baffert for owner William Schettine, Straight Man, a 4-year-old son of Saint Ballado, had been away for nearly six months. It was the fifth victory in 14 starts for the colt, who will again be ridden by David Flores.

Full Moon Madness, who would have been the starting highweight in the field at 124 pounds, was scratched Saturday morning, leaving Lexicon, the 4-1 fourth choice, as highweight at 122.

The sharpest horse in the field for the Grade III race is Love All The Way, the 5-2 second choice. Claimed in five consecutive races earlier this year, the 5-year-old gelding has won two in a row and seven of 11 at six furlongs, the distance of the Underwood. He has also won three times in a row when ridden by Nakatani, who will be aboard today for trainer Bob Hess Jr.

Rounding out the field are Men’s Exclusive, Tavasco, Son Of A Pistol, who was third in the race last year, and Rampaging Alf.

*

Stokosky, a 31-1 shot, won the $100,000 Tropical Turf Handicap at Calder Race Course.

The 4-year-old son of Stack completed the 1 1/16 miles on a yielding course in 1:48 3/5. Stokosky, who has won five of 18, is owned by Santa Cruz Ranch and trained by Juan Rizo.

Special Coach and The Band Is Passing finished in a dead heat for second, three-quarters of a length behind the winner, and In Frank’s Honor was fourth.

Earlier at Calder, Wild Heart Dancing was moved up to first by the stewards after being bothered by original winner--and race favorite--Megans Bluff in the $100,000 My Charmer Handicap.

Wild Heart Dancing was ridden by Jorge Chavez and completed the 1 1/8 miles on turf in 1:47 2/5.

Halo Reality, the 3-1 second choice, rolled to a four-length victory in the $100,000 Three Ring Stakes under jockey Rene Douglas.

Radical Riley, a 13-1 shot, won the $100,000 What A Pleasure Stakes, holding off favored Outofthebox.

*

Notes

There is a Pick Six carryover for today of $134,934.59. . . . Jockey Laffit Pincay will be honored by Hollywood Park today on the one-year anniversary of his becoming the world’s winningest rider. On Dec. 10, Pincay earned his 8,834th victory aboard Irish Nip, pushing him past Bill Shoemaker, who retired with 8,833. . . . The $1 Pick Four payoff on the four stakes races run at Calder was $6,678.60.