O'Neill Has Success on Hollywood Stage

By Bill Christine

April 21, 2004 12 AM PT

Times Staff Writer

Doug O’Neill may have finished second, three wins shy of Jeff Mullins, at the Santa Anita meet that closed Sunday, but at first glance he appears to be fully loaded as he aims for a third consecutive training title at Hollywood Park.

O’Neill will saddle five horses today -- at least two of them favorites -- as Hollywood Park begins its 65th season. O’Neill was the leading trainer at this meet a year ago, and also led the standings at Hollywood’s shorter meet last fall. No trainer has won three consecutive Hollywood titles since Bobby Frankel, whose fall title in 1981 was sandwiched by first-place finishes in the summers of ’81 and ’82.

O’Neill won 37 races at Hollywood last summer, the highest total there since Laz Barrera won 37 in 1979. Among O’Neill’s runners today is Hosco, the probable favorite in the Harry Henson Stakes at 5 1/2 furlongs on grass.

Hosco, who will be making his turf debut, broke in while running for an $80,000 claiming price in December at Hollywood, winning by two lengths. He also won his next two starts, including the San Miguel Stakes at Santa Anita, and after a second-place finish behind Imperialism in the San Vicente, his introduction to two turns was a disappointment. After running fifth in the San Rafael, Hosco led early before finishing last in the $500,000 WinStar Derby at Sunland Park.

Of Hosco’s seven opponents, the most formidable is Wimplestiltskin, whose only win, via disqualification, came on grass at Santa Anita. In his last race, Wimplestiltskin was second in the San Pedro Stakes at Santa Anita.

O’Neill has a chance to break on top for at least a day against Mullins, who isn’t running any horses today.

The Henson, named after the track announcer who called Hollywood’s races for 34 years before his retirement in 1982, is a warmup for the main events at the track. Saturday’s card is another Gold Rush Day, 10 races for California-breds worth $1.3 million. The richest races are the American Oaks, for 3-year-old fillies on grass, on July 3 and the Hollywood Gold Cup on the dirt on July 10. They’re worth $750,000 apiece.

“We’re hoping to show some resiliency,” Rick Baedeker, president of the track, said of the business prospects for the meet.

Last summer, overall betting was about the same as the year before, while on-track attendance dropped 6%, to an average of 8,498 daily.

“We’re pleased that workers’ compensation reform is taking place, which should help the horse situation by easing the expenses for our horsemen,” Baedeker said. “I’m usually one to use on-track numbers as a barometer, but our advance deposit wagering showed a big increase last year, and we hope to do well in that area again this time.”

ADW, which is betting by telephone and Internet, averaged more than $500,000 a day at last summer’s meet. The meet total of $32.8 million was up 43% from the season before.

Rare is the year when many riding assignments are still open less than two weeks before the Kentucky Derby. But that was the case this year, until Jerry Bailey made his choice for the May 1 race at Churchill Downs, and then other jockey selections fell into place.

Bailey, who had the pick of several horses, preferred Eddington, the third-place finisher in the Wood Memorial. But Eddington is short on graded-stakes earnings and probably will not run, so Bailey has opted for Wimbledon, even though he was a badly beaten fifth in the Santa Anita Derby.

Bailey has never ridden Wimbledon, whose trainer, Bob Baffert, has bounced Javier Santiago from both of his Derby contenders. Gary Stevens is expected to replace Santiago on Preachinatthebar, who had been on the money bubble but now appears certain to run after trainer Todd Pletcher all but eliminated Value Plus from Derby consideration on Tuesday.

“Value Plus is still in New York,” said Pletcher, who will run Limehouse and Pollard’s Vision in the Derby. “I’m not planning to run, but if there were to be some major defections, that could change. There’s a plane from New York to Kentucky” a week from today.

With Bailey on Wimbledon, the mount on Read The Footnotes came open, and trainer Rick Violette Jr. hired Robby Albarado. Trainer Richard Mandella will use Pat Day on Minister Eric and David Flores on Action This Day in the Derby.

Bailey rode Quintons Gold Rush to victory Saturday in the Lexington at Keeneland, which leaves that colt’s trainer, Steve Asmussen, without a Derby jockey.

In Quintons Gold Rush’s other four races -- when Californian Mike Mitchell was his trainer -- he was ridden twice each by Pat Valenzuela and Corey Nakatani. Valenzuela, suspended by the stewards at Santa Anita for failing to report for a drug test, hasn’t ridden since Jan. 19, but he has been granted a stay of the suspension by the California Horse Racing Board and probably will resume riding Sunday at Hollywood Park.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX)

Meet

at a

Glance

* What: Hollywood Park’s 65-day thoroughbred race meet.

* When: Today through July 18. Racing Wednesday through Sunday, except June 2, July 7. Additional days on May 31, July 5.

* First post: 1:20 p.m.; Fridays at 7:05 p.m. except 1:20 p.m. on April 30; noon on July 3.

* Last season’s leaders: Trainer Doug O’Neill, 37 wins; jockey Pat Valenzuela, 81 wins.

Stakes highlights

SATURDAY

* California Gold Rush Day...10 races for California-breds worth $1.3 million

MAY 8