Runners previously based in England score in Senorita Stakes and Fastness Handicap

Hollywood Park opened its 61st spring-summer meeting on the weekend of April 28 with Islay Mist (GB) and Senure in starring roles as the winners of the meeting's first graded stakes races.

The meeting is the first spring-summer session under the new ownership and management of Churchill Downs Inc., which purchased the Inglewood, California, track for $140-million last September from a corporation headed by R. D. Hubbard.

The track's media guide featured some new faces with William S. Farish, Tom Meeker, John Long, and Rick Baedeker occupying the top four executive spots. Other prominent newcomers included Chris Kotulak, who is the fourth track announcer in as many years, retired jockey Julie Krone as a television department analyst, and Allen Gutterman as vice president of marketing.

Gutterman, Racing Secretary Martin Panza, and Doug Burge, executive vice president and general manager of the California Thoroughbred Breeders' Association, were the three primary figures responsible for creating the California Gold Rush day, a program of ten stakes worth a total of $1.26-million for California-breds that highlighted opening weekend on April 30.

The track had sought a better way to jump-start the meet, and borrowing from the successful format of the California Cup that has become a major staple of the Oak Tree meeting at Santa Anita Park since 1991, modified that program.

The fields were mostly large, the track lured Eastern riding stars Jerry Bailey, Mike Smith, and Jorge Chavez with appearance fees, and the turf club was sold out for the first time since the 1997 Breeders' Cup was conducted at Hollywood.

Runners formerly based in England accounted for the first two graded stakes of the meet. Islay Mist won the $111,800 Senorita Stakes (G3) for three-year-old fillies on opening night, while Senure captured the $106,700 Fastness Handicap (G3) on April 29.

Senorita Surprise

Jim Vreeland, a Ford dealer from Solvang, California, had owned Thoroughbreds for 35 years without a graded stakes winner. After the Senorita, he found himself with his second Grade 3 winner in two weeks.

Senorita S. (G3)
Hollywood Park, April 28, $111,800, 1 mile, turf, firm, 1:34.16
1-ISLAY MIST (GB), f. 3, Distant Relative (Ire)-=Finlaggan (GB), by Be My Chief.
2-Fire Sale Queen, f. 3, In Excess (Ire)-Queen Vic, by Victorious.
3-Miss Pixie, f. 3, Petersburg-Miss Manito, by Black Mackee.

Islay Mist rallied strongly from seventh under David Flores to overtake pacesetter Fire Sale Queen in deep stretch for a one-length victory in 1:34.16 for a mile on firm turf.

The script was virtually identical to April 15 at Santa Anita Park when Vreeland's Evening Promise (GB), a four-year-old filly purchased in England through bloodstock agent Richard Duggan and trained by Kathy Walsh, produced an upset victory in the $106,400 Las Cienegas Handicap (G3) for fillies and mares on the hillside turf course.

"That's the sixth win in my last seven starts with three horses," said Vreeland in joyful disbelief.

"The family can go a mile and a half," said Duggan of the versatile and game Islay Mist, who has won on grass and dirt. The bay daughter of Distant Relative (Ire) gained her second triumph in three United States starts and her fifth in nine career outings to more than double her earnings to $125,120.

"She's not very big, but she had run mainly against the boys over there (in England) and done just about everything they had asked her," said Walsh. "She's just coming around now, and the farther they go, the better she's going to get."

Duggan bought the filly last August after she won 3-of-6 starts for trainer Sir Mark Prescott. She was dismissed as the 8-to-1 fifth choice in the Senorita.

Miss Pixie, the second-longest shot at 35.20-1 in the field of ten, finished third, another 11Ú2 lengths behind Fire Sale Queen. Millie's Quest, the tepid 2.50-to-1 favorite for trainer Bobby Frankel, rallied belatedly to dead-heat for fourth with Burning Hope.

Senure's Fastness

While Frankel was in New York bemoaning the premature move made by beaten favorite Chester House in the Excelsior Breeders' Cup Handicap (G3) at Aqueduct, Juddmonte Farms' homebred Senure provided some much-needed consolation by winning the Fastness.

Fastness H. (G3)
Hollywood Park, April 29, $106,700, 1 1/8 miles, turf, firm, 1:47
1-SENURE, c. 4, Nureyev-Diese, by Diesis (GB).
2-Bonapartiste (Fr), h. 6, =Kendor (Fr)-Fab's Melody, by Devil's Bag.
3-Hook Call (Brz), h. 5, Exile King-Yarrow, by Icecapade.

Ridden confidently by Brice Blanc, Senure saved ground along the rail while fourth in a five-horse field, found a sliver of daylight along the fence in the stretch, took command inside the eighth pole, and drew off for a 11Ú2-length victory over Bonapartiste (Fr), the defending champion and 7-to-10 favorite. Pacesetter Hook Call (Brz) finished third, another two lengths back.

Senure, a four-year-old colt by Nureyev out of the Diesis (GB) mare Diese, covered 11Ú8 miles in 1:47 as the 2.40-to-1 second choice.

"I knew he was ready," said assistant trainer Humberto Ascanio, who deputized for Frankel. "He worked seven furlongs on the turf here six days before the race, the last quarter in :23. He showed talent after he came here in November. He could be a serious horse later in the year."

Senure won his American debut in January at Santa Anita in allowance company after capturing 2-of-9 starts the last two years for Roger Charlton in England. He raised his earnings to $147,763 with the Fastness triumph.

Senure carried 114 pounds, five fewer than Bonapartiste. "He just got outrun," said Chris McCarron, rider of Bonapartiste. "He wasn't hanging, so I can't be mad at him."

Panning Gold

Grey Memo, a stretch-running son of Memo (Chi), collared favored Hugh Hefner in deep stretch and went on to a 11Ú4-length victory in the $250,000 Snow Chief Stakes for three-year-olds, the feature on California Gold Rush day on April 30. Ceeband finished third, another 31Ú2 lengths back.

Bred and co-owned by Pat Thompson of Ridgeley Farm in Hemet, California, Grey Memo covered 11Ú8 miles in 1:50.24. Matt Garcia rode the 6.50-to-1 third choice for trainer Warren Stute, 78, older brother of Mel Stute, who trained Snow Chief. Grey Memo won the seven-furlong Hollywood Prevue Stakes (G3) in November.

Memo also is the sire of La Feminn, a four-year-old filly who remained unbeaten with her victory in the $150,000 B. Thoughtful Stakes for fillies and mares at seven furlongs. Other winners of stakes on the Gold Rush day program were Here's to You in the $175,000 Fran's Valentine Stakes, Spineless Jellyfish in the $175,000 Khaled Stakes, Wired to Fly in the $150,000 Melair Stakes, and Dexter Drive in the $100,000 Quicken Tree Stakes.

Handle up, attendance down in rainy Santa Anita meet

Santa Anita Park concluded an 87-day winter-spring meeting on April 24 with a variety of handle records, but the Arcadia, California, track suffered declines in both on-track attendance and handle after being plagued by rainy weather during the winter.

Despite major expenditures by the Frank Stronach-led Magna Entertainment Corp. in opening a gourmet restaurant, building an infield video display board, and renovating the trackside apron, on-track average daily attendance fell 12.8% from 12,482 to 10,880. On-track average daily handle slipped 2.6% from $2,574,1222 during 1999's 84-day meeting to $2,507,565.

Southern California Inter-Track Wagering attendance was down 6.9%, from 13,446 to 12,516.

Total average daily handle (all sources) was up 1% to a record $11,949,188, eclipsing the 1999 mark of $11,830,468.

The meeting was plagued by rain, especially in February, when more than seven inches fell compared with 6.6 inches during the entire previous winter-spring meeting. The heavy downpours resulted in 21 days of racing over off tracks, compared with nine in 1999.

San Simeon H. (G3)
Santa Anita Park, April 24, $132,400, about 6 1/2 furlongs, turf, firm, 1:12.66
1-EL CIELO, g. 6, El Prado (Ire)-Only Above, by Great Above.
2-King Slayer (GB), h. 5, Batshoof (Ire)-=Top Sovereign (GB), by =High Top (GB).
3-Scooter Brown, g. 5, Fly Till Dawn-Ring Again, by Timeless Moment.

When the weather co-operated, the track enjoyed success on major days: on-track attendance figures of 44,018 on opening day compared with 42,535 last year; 30,507 compared with 27,788 on Santa Anita Handicap (G1) day, and 41,537 versus 35,179 on Santa Anita Derby (G1) day. In addition, Santa Anita Derby day total handle of $25,782,789 set an all-time track and California record for a non-Breeders' Cup day.

Santa Anita Derby (G1) winner The Deputy (Ire) edged General Challenge and Fusaichi Pegasus for horse of the meet honors in a media vote.

Bob Baffert won his fourth straight Santa Anita training title with 40 winners, 11 ahead of Bill Spawr and 15 more than Bobby Frankel.

Corey Nakatani captured his second Santa Anita riding title with 82 winners, 11 in front of Kent Desormeaux and 20 better than Victor Espinoza. Laffit Pincay Jr. finished fourth with 59.

El Cielo continued his love affair with the hillside turf course, capturing the closing-day $132,400 San Simeon Handicap (G3) for his first career stakes victory. The six-year-old El Prado (Ire) gelding won for the sixth time in nine starts over the unique course, covering about 61Ú2 furlongs in 1:12.66 for a length victory over King Slayer (GB). Jose Valdivia Jr. rode the 1.10-to-1 favorite.

"I wish I could move the hill course to Hollywood Park," said trainer Craig Dollase. "He's been a gem of consistency. It was a great way to top the meet off." The win was El Cielo's eighth in 13 starts and raised his earnings to $306,675.

-Steve Schuelein