Frankel Has Fond Murray Memories

Bobby Frankel has been the dominant trainer in the Jim Murray Handicap since the race was first run in 1990.

A member of racing’s hall of fame since 1995, Frankel has won the Murray six times, but all of those victories came before the purse for the race, named in honor of The Times’ Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist, was increased substantially.

Hoping to entice a better field of turf specialists, the Murray, which is run at 1 1/2 miles again after being 1 1/4 miles for two years (1999 and 2000), had its purse increased to $400,000 -- from $75,000-added -- in 2003. The purse for this year’s race, which is one of three stakes on Saturday’s card, is $350,000.

This year’s edition of the Murray, eligible to become graded in 2005, lured a field of seven, including the Frankel-trained Gassan Royal, a 4-year-old Royal Academy colt who will be making his first stakes appearance after two impressive allowance victories at Santa Anita.

“I met Jim a few times,” Frankel said. “He was a nice fellow and a great writer. He wrote some nice articles about me, so I got to like him.”

The Murray also attracted Continental Red, Gene De Campeao, Rhythm Mad (runner-up in last month’s San Juan Capistrano), Right Proof, Ballingarry (third in the 2003 Murray) and Runaway Dancer.

Ballingarry, owned by a partnership that includes Sidney Port and trained by Laura de Seroux, is the 119-pound highweight as he seeks his third victory in his ninth start in North America. The Sadler’s Wells horse won three of nine in Europe.

After finishing third in the Murray, Ballingarry won the Stars and Stripes Breeders’ Cup Handicap at Arlington Park, then finished his year with subpar performances in three graded stakes in New York and California. Mike Smith will ride.

The 2003 Murray was won by Storming Home, who was one of the best turf horses in the country and is best remembered for unseating jockey Gary Stevens near the wire before being disqualified from a victory in the Arlington Million last summer.

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The race before the Murray is the $150,000 Los Angeles Times Handicap, a Grade III at six furlongs. Among the 11 who were entered Wednesday morning is defending champion Hombre Rapido, who went wire-to-wire at 6-1 last May 10.

Owned by Granja Vista Del Rio Stable and trained by John Sadler, Hombre Rapido hasn’t run since his victory in the L.A. Times but has trained well for his comeback, including a 58 3/5 work five days ago.

Sadler also entered Hasty Kris and the field is completed by Pohave, Revello, Seattle Shamus, Cayoke, Summer Service, Our Bobby V., T S Eliot, Marino Marini and Kewen.

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Olmodavor, who won the Native Diver Handicap the last time he ran at Hollywood Park, heads a field of eight in the Mervyn LeRoy Handicap, the last of the day’s stakes races and a prep for the $750,000 Hollywood Gold Cup on July 10.

Scheduled to add blinkers for the first time since Oct. 26, the 5-year-old A.P. Indy horse has won two of three starts at Hollywood Park for Alain and Gerard Frere. He will carry a topweight of 121 pounds and is reunited with jockey Smith, who has been aboard for three of his five victories.

A Grade II at 1 1/16 miles, the LeRoy also attracted Gift Of The Eagle, The Eden, Even The Score, Star Cross, Ender’s Shadow, Buckland Manor and Total Impact.