Caller One Gains Momentum

No matter when the epic rematch between Caller One and Kona Gold takes place, jockey Corey Nakatani expects his horse to give a better account than last time.

After riding Caller One to a 2 1/2-length win Sunday in the $107,300 Los Angeles Handicap at Hollywood Park, Nakatani apologized for his ride on the 4-year-old gelding last November in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint. Caller One finished fourth at Churchill Downs, three lengths behind Kona Gold, who was then voted champion sprinter in the Eclipse Awards balloting.

“The Breeders’ Cup was part my fault,” Nakatani said. “Instead of me letting him do it, I tried to nurse it a little bit, and he bobbled and I couldn’t keep him going.”

This year’s Breeders’ Cup will be run at Belmont Park on Oct. 27. Kona Gold’s next start may be in the Bing Crosby Handicap at Del Mar on July 22. Jim Chapman, who trains Caller One, didn’t say Sunday when his horse would run next, allowing only that he’d make two more starts before the Breeders’ Cup.

Since last year’s Breeders’ Cup, Caller One has finished second in the Malibu at Santa Anita, won the $2-million Dubai Golden Shaheen and then Sunday he ran six furlongs in 1:08 1/5 as he earned $63,380, sending his purses over the $1.8-million mark.

“I think he’s the best sprinter in the world,” Nakatani said. “He’s an awesome horse.”

Freespool, ridden by Isaias Enriquez, battled Caller One early, running the first quarter-mile in a blazing :21 2/5. Caller One, racing on the inside after breaking from the No. 1 post, had gone ahead by one length after half a mile, in a torrid :43 3/5. He pulled away at the quarter pole and had plenty left to hold off Stormy Jack, who finished second, 3 1/2 lengths ahead of Rapidough. Freespool wound up fifth in the six-horse field. Lake William, who was scratched, will run today in the Shoemaker Breeders’ Cup Mile.

“The winner is one of the best horses in the world,” Enriquez said.

Paying $3.20 to win, Caller One won for the ninth time, along with two seconds, in 14 starts. His win came on the heels of Chapman’s win Saturday with Expected Program, a 2-year-old, in the W.L. Proctor Memorial Stakes.

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Brahms, who won the Hollywood Derby after the disqualification of Designed For Luck in November, is back in California and has been made the 5-2 morning-line favorite in the Shoemaker. The Neil Drysdale-trained entry of Irish Prize and Touch Of The Blues is 3-1.

Pat Day, who usually rides Brahms, is at Belmont Park, to ride Traditionally in the $750,000 Metropolitan Handicap, so Nakatani inherits the mount for the Shoemaker.

Day rode three winners Sunday at Churchill Downs, reaching the 7,999 mark as he strives to join Laffit Pincay and Bill Shoemaker as the only riders to pass 8,000. Traditionally is Day’s only mount on today’s Belmont card.

One of Day’s wins Sunday came aboard Buckle Down Ben, whose win by a neck in a one-mile allowance race set him up for the Belmont Stakes on June 9. With Day riding Dollar Bill in the Belmont, trainer Wayne Lukas said that Nakatani gets the mount on Buckle Down Ben, whose win at Churchill was his first in almost seven months.

Two other Belmont riding assignments have been confirmed, with Jerry Bailey taking over on Thunder Blitz and Edgar Prado, the rider he replaced, picking up Dr Greenfield.

Riding Sunday at Belmont, Bailey rode Affirmed Success to a half-length win over Texas Glitter in the $100,000 Jaipur Handicap, a race reduced from 10 to three horses when it was moved from grass to the muddy main track. This was Affirmed Success’ first start since November.

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Hawksley Hill, an 8-year-old gelding, has been retired with 14 wins in 46 starts and earnings of $1.7 million.