Craig Dollase, cited for having few starters, sends out Abby Girl to win Railbird

EDDIE GREGSON and Craig Dollase were annoyed that Hollywood Park's overnight-entry sheet for May 20 singled them out for having few or no starters during the first 16 days of the spring-summer meeting.

Railbird S. (G2)
Hollywood Park, May 20, $150,000, 7 furlongs, fast, 1:22.57
1—ABBY GIRL, f. 3, Meadowlake—Like an Explosion, by Explodent.
2—Cover Gal, f. 3, Falstaff—Video Menu, by Never Tabled.
3—Wired to Fly, f. 3, Flying Victor—Electrofying, by Time Tested.

"I don't think this was a reasonable period of time to do this," Gregson said.

Dollase said, "I've got a lot of horses in classified conditions that have races that aren't filling."

Eual Wyatt Jr., the track's general manager, said the list "is just a reminder to trainers that stalls are a privilege."

After Hollywood Park's third race on May 20, Preakness Stakes (G1) day, Wyatt was in the winner's circle for a presentation to the connections of Abby Girl, winner of the $150,000 Railbird Stakes (G2) over only four other three-year-old fillies. Dollase trains the daughter of Meadowlake.

"Yeah, I was a little insulted to see my name on that list," Dollase said. "I've got some nice horses I was trying to run, but I couldn't get them in races."

Abby Girl was only the fourth starter—and second winner—of the meet for Dollase, who has a 26-horse stable.

Ridden by Corey Nakatani, Abby Girl saved ground while stalking the leaders in the seven-furlong Railbird, went between horses in midstretch, and caught Cover Gal, the 7-to-5 favorite, in the final strides to win by a nose.

The winner, who traveled the distance in 1:22.57, was the 8-to-5 second choice. Cover Gal—whose regular rider, Kent Desormeaux, was at Pimlico riding Fusaichi Pegasus to a second-place finish in the Preakness—was piloted for the first time by Laffit Pincay Jr.

Abby Girl, who has won four of her seven starts including the past two, is owned by Stephan G. Herold of Paradise Valley, Arizona. Herold paid $150,000 for her in a private deal last year with Jim Curipi, who trained some of Herold's runners in Florida and now gets them ready at his farm.

Abby Girl has not been farther than 11/16 miles, finishing third in the Hollywood Starlet Stakes (G1) at that distance behind Surfside and She's Classy on December 19. But Herold and Dollase believe the filly can be effective at a mile or more on turf.

"Del Mar has all those good races for three-year-old fillies on the grass," Dollase said. "She's bred for turf, and I think that's where we're going with her."

Montemiro's Inglewood

At 27.50-to-1, Montemiro (Fr) was the longest shot in the field of eight turf runners in the $110,500 Inglewood Handicap (G3) on May 21. But his rider, Victor Espinoza, felt coming out of the gate that he was on the winner despite meeting such seasoned turf runners as 2.20-to-1 favorite Central Lobby (Ire) and 3.10-to-1 second pick Bonapartiste (Fr).

Inglewood H. (G3)
Hollywood Park, May 21, $110,500, 11/16 miles, turf, firm, 1:40.71
1—MONTEMIRO (Fr), h. 6, =Kris (GB)—=Mira Monte (GB), by Baillamont.
2—Bonapartiste (Fr), h. 6, =Kendor (Fr)—Fab's Melody, by Devil's Bag.
3—Takarian (Ire), h. 5, =Doyoun (Ire)—Takarouna, by Green Dancer.

"This race might have been a surprise to some people, but not me," said Espinoza, a 28-year-old Mexico City native who is emerging as one of the local riding colony's new marquee players. He returned to California on May 20 after riding Hugh Hefner to a sixth-place finish in the Preakness Stakes (G1).

"You have to stand up right away or he wants to run off," Espinoza said. "But when I covered him up behind horses he settled nice. All I had to do with him in the stretch was take him outside and let him run."

Still in fifth position behind leader Bonapartiste at the furlong pole, Montemiro closed resolutely to win by 1¼ lengths. Takarian (Ire) finished third, a neck behind Bonapartiste.

Central Lobby faded to last at the furlong pole but passed tiring Foggy Day (Fr) and Commitisize to finish sixth in the field of eight.

Montemiro, a six-year-old horse by Kris out of the Baillamont mare Mira Monte, is owned by Jed and Roberta Cohen's Red Baron's Barn and is trained by Darrell Vienna. Montemiro, who scored his first graded stakes victory, ran the Inglewood's 11/16 miles in 1:40.71 on firm turf.

Vienna said he had expected Montemiro to win the San Francisco Breeders' Cup Mile Handicap (G2) at Golden Gate Fields on April 29, "but he got loose and ran off," the trainer said, and he finished eighth. The Inglewood increased Montemiro's career earnings to $259,349.

Cavonnier triumphant

Just when you think you have seen the last of Cavonnier, he rises from racing retirement again.

Making his first start since December 27, the 1996 Santa Anita Derby (G1) winner and Kentucky Derby (G1) runner-up led wire to wire and beat six runners in a $71,300 allowance race at a mile on turf on May 20.

It was the seven-year-old gelding's first triumph since December 27, 1998. That race marked his return from a 2½-year layoff recuperating from a bowed right tendon he suffered while running in the 1996 Belmont Stakes (G1).

The May 20 victory came in Cavonnier's first start for Ron McAnally, to whose care owners Robert and Barbara Walter transferred him in March.

Before agreeing to add Cavonnier to his stable, McAnally told the Walters he wanted the horse checked by three independent veterinarians.

"They all said the horse was fine," McAnally said.

Under Alex Solis, Cavonnier covered the mile in 1:35.21 after posting slow early fractions of :25.47 for the first quarter-mile and :49.26 for the opening half.

CLOSERS—John Amerman of Palos Verdes Estates and Robert Frankel already have one of the country's best turf mares in Happyanunoit (NZ), winner of last December's Matriarch Stakes (G1) at Hollywood Park. The game effort of Hello Soso (Ire) in her first American outing suggested Amerman and Frankel could have another top grass distaffer. The four-year-old daughter of Alzao charged between rivals to win a $52,530, one-mile allowance race by a neck under Nakatani. ... Golden Ballet (by Moscow Ballet) won the $92,775 Nursery Stakes for two-year-old fillies, the first added-money event of the meeting for juveniles. Eddie Delahoussaye rode the winner for trainer Jerry Dutton, who has saddled the Nursery winner three times in five years. Dutton won the 4½-furlong test with Starry Ice in 1996 and Wired to Fly last year. Golden Ballet went the first quarter in :21.63 en route to a final clocking of :51.12. ... Desormeaux got a five-day vacation after the Preakness, courtesy of the Hollywood Park stewards, who suspended him for failing to maintain a straight course in the stretch with High Honor in the third race on May 17. The horse was disqualified from fourth to fifth. ... David Copperfield, who until the Preakness was the only horse to finish in front of Fusaichi Pegasus, is being pointed for the Cinema Handicap (G3) at 11/8 miles on turf on June 10. The Halo colt finished a neck in front of the Kentucky Derby (G1) winner in the first start for both runners, a 6½-furlong test for two-year-olds at Hollywood Park on December 11. ... Jockey Emile Ramsammy said he has decided to leave California and return to Woodbine racetrack in Canada. "I tried everything I could to make it work, but my business just didn't pick up," he said. Ramsammy, 37, a two-time Sovereign Award winner as Canada's outstanding rider, tried for two years to crack the Southern California riding colony. He won eight stakes in 1998 and finished fifth at the 1999 spring-summer meet at Hollywood Park with 31 winning rides. But through May 21 he had managed only three winners from 39 starts this season.