Hofmans’ Barn Tries to Get a Running Start on 2001

The best 24 months of David Hofmans’ 27-year training career have been followed by three lackluster years, but Hofmans appears to be quietly loading up, setting his sights on a breakout season in 2001.

The Hofmans barn includes Cindy’s Hero, the Del Mar Debutante winner and fourth-place finisher in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies; Millennium Wind, an untested but promising $1.2-million yearling; Follow The Money, winner of the Dahlia Handicap last Saturday at Hollywood Park, and what might be a secret weapon--Mandola, a fast 2-year-old who broke his maiden in September at Del Mar.

Half of that quartet steps up to the plate this weekend at Hollywood Park, Millennium Wind making his stakes debut Saturday in the $200,000 Hollywood Futurity and Cindy’s Hero trying to regain her winning form Sunday in the $200,000 Hollywood Starlet.

“Things are looking up,” Hofmans said. “We should be all right heading into the Santa Anita meet [opening Dec. 26]. I’m very satisfied with the group of owners that I’m working for.”

Just a few years ago, Hofmans emerged from national anonymity with a couple of shocking wins: Alphabet Soup, at 19-1, beat Cigar, Louis Quatorze and other highly regarded rivals in the 1996 Breeders’ Cup Classic at Woodbine, then seven months later, Touch Gold, a colt with a serious foot problem, knocked off Silver Charm in the Belmont Stakes, depriving racing of its first Triple Crown champion since 1978.

For the Hofmans outfit, those were the days. Alphabet Soup anchored a year in which the stable earned $5.5 million, good for a sixth-place national ranking, right up there with such perennial heavy hitters as Wayne Lukas and Bill Mott, and $1.1 million ahead of Bob Baffert, the nascent kingpin. Then in 1997, Hofmans returned to pile up $4.4 million in purses, which ranked him ninth on the money list.

Frank Stronach, the quixotic co-owner of Touch Gold, disbanded his California stable in 1998, leaving Hofmans scrambling for new clients. The 1998 Breeders’ Cup Classic was a heart-wrencher for Hofmans, who watched on TV in California as Stronach’s Awesome Again, trained by Patrick Byrne, collected the $2.6-million purse by beating Silver Charm. Hofmans had given Awesome Again his foundation, and won the 1997 Queen’s Plate at Woodbine with the colt.

Hofmans, who’ll be 58 next month, still trains for Georgia Ridder, who raced Alphabet Soup and owns Mandola. Hofmans’ clients also include David and Jill Heerensperger, partners in the Emerald Downs track near Seattle, and the couple that went to seven figures to buy Millennium Wind at auction.

Sired by Cryptoclearance, Millennium Wind is out of the mare Bali Babe, which makes him a half-brother to Charismatic, horse of the year in 1999 after winning the Kentucky Derby and Preakness. They are far from look-alikes--Charismatic is a chestnut and Millennium Wind is a dark bay--but Hofmans will settle for more of what he saw in Millennium Wind’s debut, which was a rousing three-length sprint win, at 11-1, against maidens at Hollywood Park on Nov. 18.

Moving from maidens to a Grade I stake is a 12-league leap for a young colt, but Hofmans has measured the task and is comfortable with the move.

“The horse has apparent ability and the pedigree going for him,” he said. “And we’re getting a short field.”

There are only four others entered, and one of them, Palmeiro, might not run if Point Given does. Point Given, trained by Bob Baffert, is one of the future-book favorites for next year’s Kentucky Derby. Winner of the Kentucky Cup Juvenile, Point Given missed by a nose against Stronach’s Macho Uno in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile.

Here’s Saturday’s field, in post-position order, with jockeys:

Palmeiro, Victor Espinoza; Millennium Wind, Chris McCarron; Golden Ticket, Corey Nakatani; Bank Street, David Flores, and Point Given, Gary Stevens.

A field of seven is likely for the Starlet. Cindy’s Hero will be making her first start since she went off the second choice in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies. Caressing, who won at 47-1, beat Hofmans’ filly by 3 1/2 lengths. Cindy’s Hero, ridden by Stevens, was last in the 12-horse field after the opening half-mile, trailing by more than eight lengths.

“She had the inside post, and she had a bad start,” Hofmans said. “To do what she did after that, I thought she overcame a lot.”

Notes

A Ransom, undefeated in four starts this year, is the 2-1 morning-line favorite for Sunday night’s $400,000 Champion of Champions at Los Alamitos. The Champion of Champions usually decides the world champion--that is, horse of the year--in the quarter horse ranks. Separatist is next on the morning line at 7-2, followed by Deelish at 9-2. This is the field, in post-position order: A Delightful Dasher, A Ransom, Deelish, Willie Wanta Dash, Separatist, Jakes Jockmo, Corona Kool, Runaway Wil, Chicks First Policy and Hes My Dasher. A Delightful Dasher and Hes My Dasher will run as a betting entry. . . . Dashing Knud, unbeaten in his last seven starts, drew the outside post and is the 4-5 favorite in Saturday night’s $1.2-million Los Alamitos Million Futurity. Here’s that field: First Down N Surfin, Make It Anywhere, Tiny First Effort, Pecos Chicks, Thru Rebas Eyes, Heza Motor Scooter, Lady Tenaya, Shady Shenanigans, Corona Cocktail and Dashing Knud. . . . Tiznow, winner of the Breeders’ Cup Classic, may not make his 2001 debut in the San Fernando Breeders’ Cup Stakes at Santa Anita on Jan. 15. The colt’s training has been affected by an abscess on his left front foot.