It’s a Beautiful Day for O’Neill

When trainer Doug O’Neill claimed Areyoutalkintome off Mike Mitchell for $32,000 at Hollywood Park in December of 2003, he thought he was getting a California-bred gelding who might be a steady winner in allowance company.

But Areyoutalkintome, after running seven times for O’Neill and never failing to earn a paycheck, won a couple of stakes for state-breds late in 2004, and then Sunday at rain-splattered Santa Anita he got dirty in the name of an encore. Areyoutalkintome became an open-company winner when he won the Grade III El Conejo Handicap by 1 3/4 lengths.

Areyoutalkintome was O’Neill’s third winner of the day, prompting the trainer to recall that he had done that once before, at Hollywood Park. Then O’Neill quickly excused himself from post-race interviews to saddle a horse in the last race. That horse, Garland Of Love, gave O’Neill his fourth win. He has eight wins through the first seven days of the meet.

O’Neill will point Areyoutalkintome to the $300,000 Sunshine Millions Sprint at Santa Anita on Jan. 29. The 4-year-old’s win in the $110,500 El Conejo was worth $66,300. He has five wins, five seconds and one third in 12 starts since O’Neill claimed him, earning $334,652.

“If you saw him in the morning, you wouldn’t believe he could become a Grade III winner,” O’Neill said.

“He’s very lazy. He doesn’t want to do anything.”

Run over a track labeled wet-fast, the Conejo produced a winning time of 1:02 2/5 . Hombre Rapido finished second, 1 1/2 lengths ahead of Woke Up Dreamin, the early leader, and McCann’s Mojave, the 19-10 favorite and 118-pound high weight, was fifth. Areyoutalkintome, who carried 114 pounds, most of it jockey Tyler Baze, paid $11.80.

Baze got the winning mount after the 30-day suspension of Corey Nakatani, who had ridden Areyoutalkintome ever since O’Neill’s claim.

“Looking at the [Daily Racing Form], it looked like this horse should love the mud,” Baze said. “It didn’t bother him that he was head and head all the way.”

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Trainer Todd Pletcher ended Bobby Frankel’s streak and jockey John Velazquez stopped Jerry Bailey’s, as Equibase announced the official North American money leaders for 2004.

Pletcher saddled 240 winners from 948 starters as his barn posted an earnings total of $17.5 million. Frankel, who led the previous three years, finished second with $15.6 million.

Velazquez, based in New York like Pletcher, rode 1,327 horses, won with 335 of them and had mounts who earned $22.2 million. It was the first time in four years, and only the third time since 1995, that Bailey hadn’t been No. 1.

Bailey finished fifth in 2004 with $14.5 million. Edgar Prado, another New York jockey, finished second to Velazquez with $18.3 million and California-based Victor Espinoza was next with $15.9 million.

Steve Asmussen, breaking Jack Van Berg’s record of 496 in 1976, trained 555 winners. Asmussen started 2,293 horses.

The jockey leader in wins was Rafael Bejarano with 455 wins. Bejarano rode in 1,922 races and had a 24% win rate. Russell Baze, with 321 wins, ranked fifth and was the leading California rider. Baze failed to win 400 or more races for only the second time in the last 13 years.

Mike Gill led the owners by winning 487 races, seven fewer than the record set by Dan Lasater in 1974. Gill, who had 2,885 starters, also led in earnings with $10.8 million.

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Neither Fusaichi Samurai nor Roman Ruler will run in next Sunday’s San Miguel Stakes.... Fusaichi Samurai, off a maiden win in his only start, is listed at 8-1 in the Kentucky Derby future book at Paris Las Vegas. Roman Ruler is 15-1. The favorite is Declan’s Moon at 6-1.