Stronach’s Los Alamitos Bid Rejected

Frank Stronach did everything Ed Allred asked. He met Allred’s price of $80 million for Los Alamitos Race Course--even making the payout $80 million cash instead of a cash-stock deal--and also agreed to maintain the Orange County track’s dedication to live quarter horse racing.

But there was no deal. About two weeks ago, Allred told Stronach’s Magna Entertainment Corp. thanks, but no thanks.

“The negotiations were completely amicable,” Allred said. “I’ll leave the door open a little. Maybe in a year or two we’ll talk again. But right now, I just don’t feel right about selling the place.”

An official with Magna confirmed that Stronach had made a serious bid for Los Alamitos, which besides its extensive quarter horse program could be a valuable hub for a simulcast wagering network.

Seemingly the man who has everything--racetracks running out his ears, among them Santa Anita and Gulfstream Park; three breeding farms and a racing operation that has produced multiple Eclipse Awards in the U.S. and Sovereign Awards in Canada--Stronach always seems to be sniffing around for more properties.

Sometimes these potential purchases are figments of Stronach’s and/or the press’ imagination, but his bid for Los Alamitos had the “sold” sign written all over it. Stronach had visited the track twice personally, kicked some tires and given the proposal the green light.

National quarter horse leaders were edgy when they heard that Allred was entertaining an offer. As Allred said, “We’re the big apple of our sport.” So when a thoroughbred man invades the quarter horse realm, the incumbent breed has a right to be nervous.

In Magna’s letter of intent, there was a promise that there would be quarter horse status quo.

“I can’t say that I ever doubted that they were sincere about that,” said Allred, also a breeder and owner of quality quarter horses. “But you always wonder if they would have the same commitment long-term. No matter what the language of the deal, it would be difficult to enforce such a clause after the deal has been made.”

On opening day at Del Mar, Wednesday’s fourth race could have been written for 6-year-olds and up and still had a six-horse field. As it turned out, 11 horses were entered and the oldest of the bunch, the 11-year-old Copelan’s Eagle, won the six-furlong sprint for California-breds.

One of the relative youngsters, the 4-year-old Magic’s Flo, finished second, but third went to Argolid, a 10-year-old, and Crimson Policy, a 7-year-old, ran fourth. Also in the field were two 9-year-olds--Destiny’s Venture and Awesome Daze--and the 6-year-old Kelly’s Reward.

Going into the race for $10,000 claimers, the six veterans had won 62 races in 316 starts and earned $2.1 million. The four claims in the race were all for the younger horses.

It was only last year that trainer A.C. Avila claimed Copelan’s Eagle from trainer Eddie Truman for $10,000. Avila has 16 other horses in his barn. What, he was asked, did he need with a 10-year-old that had made the rounds with several trainers?

“He was a sound, healthy horse,” said Avila, the Brazilian-born trainer who has been on the Southern California circuit since 1990. “And he’s been doing super again this year.”

After Wednesday’s one-length score, Copelan’s Eagle has 13 victories in 63 starts and has earned more than $360,000. He has also finished second 16 times and ran third seven times. Last year, he didn’t win a race in 13 starts, but this year he’s two for nine, with three seconds and a third.

Copelan’s Eagle ran a badly beaten sixth at Hollywood Park in late April, then Avila gave him two months off, sending him to a farm. Wednesday marked the gelding’s first start in almost three months.

“He hated those two months at the farm,” Avila said. “He got sad and ugly on me. This is a horse that loves to train. When he came back, he was as frisky as a pony.”

Saturday’s $400,000 Ramona Handicap, the first Grade I race of the Del Mar season, drew six fillies and mares, one of them Tranquility Lake, the 123-pound high weight who’ll make her first start since Happyanunoit beat her by a head in the Gamely at Hollywood Park on May 26.

Also running is Minor Details, who’ll try to give trainer Bob Baffert his third consecutive victory in the grass stake. Baffert won the Ramona last year with Caffe Latte and was first with Tuzla in 1999. Minor Details will make her 2001 stakes debut after notching a victory and two seconds in four starts this year in allowance and optional claiming company. The record for consecutive Ramona victories is held by the late Charlie Whittingham, who won four in a row starting in 1991. Overall, Whittingham won the Ramona nine times.

Jockey Laffit Pincay and trainer Bill Spawr swooped in again Thursday. After hooking up for three victories on opening day, Pincay and Spawr revisited the winner’s circle after Pincay’s late-running, rail-hugging move aboard Coke’s Tribute in the sixth race.

Pincay’s record total stands at 9,188. To show that he doesn’t live by Spawr alone, the 54-year-old hall of famer won Thursday’s third race with Honey Mustard Girl, a filly trained by John Glenney. With other jockeys, Honey Mustard Girl had been beaten by a combined 37 1/2 lengths in her three previous races.

Together, Spawr and Pincay have won four races in nine tries the first two days of the meet. They’re in action twice on tonight’s twilight program, with Yankee Pirate in the sixth and Rogering in the eighth.

Trainer Neil Drysdale saddled the 1-2 finishers of Thursday’s Kobuk King Stakes, with Beat All, the 8-5 favorite, beating Sestino by half a length. . . . Brice Blanc, who suffered back, knee and calf injuries in an opening-day spill, was off his mounts Thursday.

At its monthly meeting Thursday, the California Horse Racing Board approved a rule amendment that clears the way for “appropriate” advertising on owners’ silks, jockey apparel and track saddlecloths. The amendment is subject to the administrative process, which will take several months, and then the board will evaluate the effect of the advertising after a one-year trial.