Smile Again Wins Bel Air

There was no storybook conclusion to the $100,000 Bel Air Handicap Saturday at Hollywood Park.

On a day when Richard Mandella was honored for his upcoming induction into horse racing’s Hall of Fame, it would have been fitting had the trainer won his fourth Bel Air.

Instead, jockey Laffit Pincay Jr., who has ridden many winners for Mandella through the years, won the Grade II race for a record fifth time, urging 8-1 shot Smile Again to a neck victory over 13-10 favorite Freedom Crest.

Out Of Mind--Mandella’s entrant who was making his first start since last year’s Hollywood Gold Cup--finished fourth.

Winning for the first time since Nov. 26, 1999, Smile Again--a 6-year-old Wild Again horse owned by Sid and Jenny Craig and trained by Ron McAnally--was in front most of the way. He put away Lesters Boy, then gamely came back after being headed by Freedom Crest. He completed the 1 1/16 miles in 1:41 3/5.

Smile Again was purchased by the Craigs from Prince Ahmed Salman’s Thoroughbred Corp. before finishing sixth in the the 1999 Pacific Classic at Del Mar. He had raced only five times after the Pacific Classic, plagued by various physical setbacks.

He looked plenty healthy in the Bel Air and McAnally indicated afterward Smile Again may take another crack at the Pacific Classic next month.

If the horse does run in that Grade I, McAnally and the Craigs would be wise to land the services of Pincay again because the world’s winningest rider certainly helped the cause Saturday.

“Laffit is tough to get by,” said McAnally, who also saddled fifth-place finisher Penamacor. “He’s a master and still unbelievable. He’s still one of the great riders of all time.”

Making his first start since finishing last in the San Antonio Handicap at Santa Anita on Feb. 4, Freedom Crest wound up two lengths clear of 11-1 shot Dig For It.

Able to get a sizable jump on her six rivals at the start, Georgia’s Storm won for the third time in four starts at Hollywood Park with a 1 1/4-length victory in the $108,400 Landaluce.

Beating the field of 2-year-old fillies by nearly a length out of the gate, the even-money favorite went on to hold off 7-1 shot Respectful, running the six furlongs in 1:10 2/5.

It was the second consecutive stakes victory for the California-bred daughter of Illinois Storm, who is trained by Eduardo Inda for owner Reinaldo Martinez and was ridden by Chris McCarron. She had won the Cinderella a month ago.

“She got a real flyer at the start,” said McCarron. “That was a big advantage because there were two or three other [horses with early speed] . . .in the race. When I was able to secure an easy lead like that, it allowed me to get her to relax in a nice fashion.”

McCarron and McAnally teamed up for another stakes win when Kalatiara, a 9-2 shot making her first start in the United States, outfinished 2-1 favorite Dianehill by a head to win the $100,000 Royal Heroine Stakes.

Owned by Robert and Janice McNair’s Stonerside Stable, Kalatiara won for the eighth time in 12 starts. The 4-year-old completed the mile on turf in 1:34 2/5.

It was a meet-high 14th stakes victory for McCarron, who began a three-day suspension Friday due to his disqualification from first to third on Futural in the $750,000 Hollywood Gold Cup last Sunday. He rode in all three graded races Saturday because they were designated races--those that are exempt under state rules for jockeys serving disqualification suspensions.