Trainer Scores in His Return

Trainer Steve Asmussen had one hit and another miss big on Saturday with the first horses he ran at Hollywood Park in nearly six years.

Five races after the barn’s Sequoia King had finished last as the 7-10 favorite in the $68,210 Willard L. Proctor Memorial Stakes, Richwoman, the 17-10 second choice, saved the day with a 2 1/4 -length score in the $71,765 Cinderella.

Ridden by Shaun Bridgmohan, the 2-year-old daughter of Successful Appeal is now two for two for owner-breeder Bill Heiligbrodt after running the 5 1/2 furlongs in 1:04.39. Before shipping to California, Richwoman had defeated maidens by seven lengths on April 9 at Keeneland.

This was the first win in Inglewood for Asmussen, who had finished fourth with Vergennes in the 2000 Hollywood Turf Cup the last time he shipped horses here.

“She ran really professional,” said Bridgmohan, who was making his Hollywood Park debut. “She was comfortable the whole way and was just waiting for me to ask her to go.

“Once I did she just went on about her business. She galloped out really, really well. I think she just enjoys what she is doing.”

Sharoana, a 26-1 longshot who had won at first asking at Golden Gate Fields on May 4, finished second, two lengths in front of 15-1 outsider Lost On Champagne.

Maria’s Quest, the 8-5 favorite, finished seventh. Unable to get clear early, as she had in her easy victory in an April 27 debut, she resented the dirt hitting her in the face down the backstretch and wound up nearly 12 lengths behind the winner.

“She is definitely a much better horse than that,” jockey David Cohen said. “We expect a big turnaround in the future.”

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In the Proctor, trainer Danny Velasquez ended a long stakes drought for his barn at Hollywood Park when 13-1 longshot Genuine Talent defeated 16-1 longshot Gran Tenor and four others.

A former jockey, Velasquez hadn’t won a stakes in Inglewood since Wicked Wit took the Eloquent in 1992. Genuine Talent, a 2-year-old son of Gibson County, remained unbeaten in two starts.

He was ridden by Paul Atkinson, who had won four stakes previously at the track. Genuine Talent had won a two-furlong race at Santa Anita in a spiffy 21 2/5 in his debut on April 13 and prevailed in 1:06.13 for the 5 1/2 furlongs Saturday.

A Florida bred owned by Jocelyn McKathan, Genuine Talent, who raced on Lasix for the first time Saturday, dueled with Sequoia King early and went on to whip Gran Tenor, who had some trouble entering the stretch, by 2 1/2 lengths.

“The thing I liked about him when he broke his maiden at Santa Anita was that he was fast,” said Velasquez, whose other Hollywood Park stakes victory as a trainer before the Eloquent was with Truffles in the 1985 Track Robbery. “He’s nice and relaxed.”

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Honey Ryder, who had failed to win in her first five starts on the Belmont Park turf, changed things with a one-length victory as the 7-5 favorite in the $150,000 Sheepshead Bay Handicap.

Never far off the slow early pace set by longshot -- and eventual runner-up -- Noble Stella, Honey Ryder, a 5-year-old Lasting Approval mare, angled out for room into the stretch and went on to win for the 10th time in 23 starts.

Garrett Gomez was aboard the winner for owner Glencrest Farm and trainer Todd Pletcher. She ran the 1 3/8 miles on turf in the Grade II race in 2:12.98.

Noble Stella, who was the third longest shot in the field at nearly 15-1, finished a neck in front 9-2 third choice Angara, then came Asi Siempre, Serendipitous, Latice and Tisket A Tasket.