Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Hollywood threatens to shut out LV books

TODAY, Santa Anita will bring down the curtain on its winter-spring session with implications of a curtain-closer on simulcasting from Southern California as well.

As this 59th meeting rolls to an end, there are only days before the racing scene shifts down the famous southland freeways to Inglewood from Arcadia. But as late as Sunday night, racing officials from the next stand on the circuit, Hollywood Park, and this city's race book representatives are still at an impasse on a simulcast agreement that will bring the opening day card on Friday evening into our town uninterrupted.

Money, as is the snag in most negotiation stalemates, is the stopper here, and each side seems to be standing firm on its position. Now is not the time to dissect who should or shouldn't budge, but the two parties should keep in mind that the old adage, "the customer is always right," should apply and provide the signal for the players, who ultimately pick up the tab anyway.

Legitimate points

Each side has legitimate points, and we can only hope cooler heads prevail in 11th-hour talks, and simulcasting continues without a blackout.

So, as we wait to be descrambled on the great racing satellite, let's look back at some moments from this season at the "Great Race Place."

Much anticipation, caution and criticism surrounded the "new" Santa Anita turf course. After all, this was Round 2 in efforts for an all-weather safe and durable grass course, and the early returns were not flattering. After the first month of use on a limited basis, it was clear that the surface would not take the wear needed to support the kind of grass program the track had intended to present.

Trainer Bobby Frankel had threatened to ship his star turf runners to Gulfstream, but decided to stick it out when track officials allowed stickers to be work by runners, for better traction, and will now try round three in an attempt to find that elusive super carpet grass course.

It is also ironic that Frankel, who has a stable full of top grass performers, will wind up the meet with the highest percentages on the green. Through today, he has saddled 42 grass starters and won with 156 of them for a high total of 35.7 percent. In addition, his Tyconic will probably be voted Turf Horse of the Meet.

Jockeying for title

The real race today will not be for top honors in the winner's circle but, instead, comes down to an 87-day photo finish between two of the top jockeys in the country. Corey Nakatani and Alex Solis will take their battle for the Santa Anita rider championship right down to the 10th and final race of the meet.

The leader, Nakatani, who has never won a Santa Anita winter-spring title, has six mounts on the closing day card, and three are the morning-line favorites. Solis, who trails his younger rival by just one winner, 72 to 73, has eight chances, but the '91-92 champion has only one early favorite on the program.

Nakatani has been plagued by suspensions that have taken him out of action for 20 days of the meet. His woes began early in the session when, on Dec.29, he was reprimanded by officials for an over-zealous use of his whip after the running of a race that resulted in his mount, Tillie's Joy, breaking down and ultimately being humanely destroyed. His penalty by the stewards was nothing compared to the outcry of animal-rights activists and subsequent damaging publicity and exposure for the sport and his reputation.

Solis, on the other hand, quietly and without fanfare, continues to ply his craft with skill and talent. His instinctive ability to ration front-runners to victory was exemplified with an exclamation point in Sunday's San Juan Capistrano Handicap. Covering the entire 1-3/4 miles of the sprawling European-type El Camino Real turf course, Solis managed to nurse his Bobby Frankel-trained partner Raintrap to a gate-to-wire victory that was vintage.

Honorable mention should go out to Gary Stevens, third in the standings with 67 wins, who missed 21 days due to corrective surgery and out-of-town riding engagements. Stevens, who is a three-time Santa Anita title winner, will take consolation as the leading stakes rider of the meet with a lucky 13.

The ageless Laffit Pincay Jr. keeps adding to his record as the all-time leading Santa Anita jockey with a Sunday three-bagger. With more than 25 percent of his lifetime total victories coming at the Arcadia oval, the 49-year-old reinsman reached the 8,400-winners plateau during the season.

Jockeys Paul Atkinson (500) and apprentice Brice Blanc (100) also hit milestones at the meet. Joy Scott said the record at eight for the most wins in a season by a female rider, and another female, Julie Krone, rode the meet for the first time in a losing cause during a match race won by Stevens.

Trainer Wallace Dollace concludes an outstanding meet with eight stakes wins, the tops of the category, while Ron Ellis tops the best percent at 40.4 and, when it came to the money bets, Ellis conditioned 10 of 11 favorites to win. Trainer Gary Jones ended an illustrious career on Saturday, going out a winner with his Santa Barbara Handicap victress Auriette.

Top race

Antespend's trio of stakes wins and Windsharp's matching turf stakes tallies are also highlights of the stand. And who could forget the much-anticipated first meeting of Serena's Song and Exotic Wood in the Santa Maria Handicap? Very few races ever live up to their billing, but that one did and, as a result, will probably be voted Race of the Meet. The blue-collar award has to unanimously go to Bit of Petrone who, with five victories for a tag, has to be voted Claimer of the Meet.

At the end of wagering today, Santa Anita will be the first track in history to break the $1 billion handle mark. That's right, with a B, and a daily average handle of more than $11.5 million.

You would have to think that those records were helped along by the players of Nevada. Wouldn't it be a shame if we couldn't help Hollywood Park as well?

Let's hope that Friday night the stars come out in Hollywood -- the turf stars, of course -- and that it's televised to Las Vegas.

RALPH SIRACO is turf editor of the SUN. His column appears Mondays and his Southern California selections run Tuesday-Friday.

archive