Favorite Out of Sight; Winner Is Out Of Mind

For the third time in his training career, Richard Mandella won the $150,000 Mervyn LeRoy Handicap--the first race in a series leading to the $1-million Hollywood Gold Cup.

Only Mandella didn’t win with the horse the public expected. While his Puerto Madero--the 11-10 favorite--finished last in the Mervyn LeRoy, Out Of Mind--a 13-1 longshot--saved the day for the barn Saturday at Hollywood Park.

Rallying from well off the pace under jockey Eddie Delahoussaye, Out Of Mind overtook Early Pioneer in the final yards to win by half a length in 1:41 4/5 for the 1 1/16 miles.

Out Of Mind, no better than fourth in his first five starts in America after winning three times in Brazil, has won two in a row. Nearly a month ago at Santa Anita, he came from last place to win at 7-1 odds in an optional claimer.

“In his two wins, Eddie has taken him way back,” Mandella said. “The key is not to hurry this horse and let him finish. It’s taken awhile for this horse to come around. He came here as a nice horse, but he had some problems and we’ve had to be patient. He’s working through them, and now it’s paying off.”

As for Puerto Madera, who finished 11 lengths behind Out Of Mind, Mandella said, “I’m devastated. . . . [He] didn’t run at all.”

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The second Saturday in May was also kind to jockey Kent Desormeaux.

A week after riding Fusaichi Pegasus to victory in the Kentucky Derby, Desormeaux won aboard 9-2 shot Golden Missile in the $750,000 Pimlico Special in Baltimore.

Golden Missile, who had not won in his previous five races, took the lead with a quarter of a mile to go and went on to beat 35-1 shot Pleasant Breeze by two lengths in 1:54 3/5 for the 1 3/16 miles.

Lemon Drop Kid was third, a nose behind Pleasant Breeze. K One King, the 19-10 favorite on the strength of his win in the Oaklawn Handicap last month, was sixth, ahead of only Budroyale, who turned in his second consecutive poor effort, and Allen’s Oop.

Golden Missile has six wins in 19 starts and the Pimlico Special was his first Grade I victory.

Horse Racing Notes

NBC, which will televise the three Triple Crown races beginning next year, wants to start the races an hour later to place them between NBA playoff games. NBC wants the post time of the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness and the Belmont Stakes to be moved from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m., PDT, according to the Thoroughbred Times. . . . For the second consecutive day, there were no winners in the Pick Six at Hollywood Park, so there is a carryover for today of $410,488.96. . . . Tout Charmant, who will be making her first start of the year and first for trainer Ron McAnally, is the 2-1 morning-line favorite in today’s $100,000-added Wilshire Handicap. The rest of the field in the mile turf race: Penny Marie, Connate, Perfect Copy, La Madame and Coracle. . . . Mervyn LeRoy winner Out Of Mind could next run in the $600,000 Massachusetts Handicap on June 3 at Suffolk Downs in Boston, then in the $250,000 Californian at Hollywood Park eight days later. . . . Performing Magic followed his victory in the Derby Trial two weeks ago with a win as the 2-1 second choice in the $500,000 Illinois Derby at Sportsman’s Park in Cicero, Ill. Performing Magic, ridden by Shane Sellers for Prince Ahmed Salman’s Thoroughbred Corp. and trainer Alex Hassinger Jr., won for the fourth time in 12 starts, beating 13-10 favorite Country Only by a head in 1:50 4/5 for the 1 1/8 miles. . . . The Bobby Frankel-trained Imperfect World won the $150,000 Genuine Risk Handicap at Belmont Park. Imperfect World, ridden by Robbie Davis, paid $11.80 and ran six furlongs in 1:10 in beating 35-1 shot Gold Princess by half a length. . . . Mr. Doubledown won the $100,000 Oakland Handicap at Golden Gate Fields, running six furlongs in 1:07 3/5 to tie the track record.