EAST LEADS IN EQUINE TALENT.

Byline: Kevin Modesti Horse Racing 

The Breeders' Cup at Churchill Downs is 100 days away. Do California horses have time to catch up? How far behind the rest of the nation are they really?

Hollywood Park racing secretary Martin Panza, understandably a West Coast partisan, sticks to the attitude that we've got the East Coast horses right where we want them.

``I think we're sitting in a good spot,'' Panza said Wednesday while taking in the opening-day races at Del Mar. ``The only race where it might be an uphill battle is the Classic. And if Dubai Millennium (the world's top horse) comes, it's not West vs. East, it's U.S. vs. Europe.''

Panza blamed ``the New York press'' for underrating the California horses this year.

Nevertheless, the perception that a disproportionate number of the top thoroughbreds are racing in the East this summer is not confined to the New York papers.

``I think it's more than a perception,'' said Joe Harper, Del Mar's president, CEO and general manager.

Of the 27 horses receiving votes in this week's NTRA poll, only three are known to be pointing for races at the Del Mar meet that dominates the scene west of the Mississippi until Sept. 13: General Challenge and Early Pioneer in the Aug. 26 Pacific Classic and Riboletta in the Aug. 12 Clement Hirsch.

Of the seven division leaders in Daily Racing Form national handicapper Mike Watchmaker's rankings, only Kona Gold (No. 1 among sprinters) is scheduled to race at Del Mar (in Saturday's Bing Crosby Handicap).

The NTRA poll is dominated by eastern voters, and Watchmaker is a New Yorker, so maybe there's bias at work. But note that in the NTRA poll exactly a year ago, eight of the 23 ranked horses were running at Del Mar.

``We dance with the partners we have here and let the chips fall where they may,'' said Harper (whose poker games must be quite a sight). ``Obviously, big-name horses draw crowds. You've got to try to develop your local stars and try to attract out-of-town stars.''

Stars are leaving faster than they're arriving. Reopened Arlington racetrack near Chicago apparently will lure Dark Moondancer and Bienamado to the Arlington Million on Aug. 19 and leading West Coast turf mare Happyanunoit to the Beverly D Stakes the same day.

At least Dark Moondancer will warm up for the Million by running as the favorite in Sunday's $400,000 Eddie Read Handicap at Del Mar.

The 17th Breeders' Cup, a program of eight races for all ages and specialties, will be held Nov. 4 at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky., where western-prepped horses haven't done too well on four previous occasions. One hundred days is plenty of time for perceptions to change, for Californians to go on the road and assert superiority (Captain Steve? Cat Thief? Dark Moondancer? Happyanunoit? Honest Lady? Silic?) and for one notable California idler to reemerge (Fusaichi Pegasus).

But for now, California horses are playing catch-up.

--More from Del Mar's opener: This is God's way of saying you've won too many races: Owner Bob Lewis told reporters after Duke of Green's Oceanside Stakes victory Wednesday that ``this might be the first grass stakes we (Lewis and his wife Beverly) have ever won.''

He forgets that Twice the Vice gave the Lewises their very first Grade I victory in the 1994 Del Mar Oaks, a turf race. Twice the Vice was sold later that year to Martin and Pam Wygod.

The Lewises' most memorable victories have come on the main track, including Silver Charm's and Charismatic's Kentucky Derbies.

--Thank you for exposing the younger generation to horse racing: Joe Harper joked that Wednesday was a ``family day'' in the turf club. ``A lot of people brought their nieces,'' the ever-quotable Del Mar boss said with a grin.

--A good-looking crowd in more ways than two: Del Mar reported opening-day attendance of 31,494. That's the third-largest turnout at the seaside track that Bing Crosby and Pat O'Brien founded in 1937.

Del Mar publicists made sure to announce that Saratoga drew 27,810 to its Wednesday opener.

--The best-attended sports event in Los Angeles County took place in San Diego County: The intertrack wagering facilities at Hollywood Park, Santa Anita, Fairplex Park and the Lancaster fairgrounds drew a combined 7,000 fans to bet on the televised Del Mar races Wednesday.

--Be careful not to set too high a standard: The ``News and Notes'' page of the Del Mar program called the opening-day card ``something of a bettors' and racing secretary's dream'' because ``seven of the nine races have at least eight horses.''

After scratches, the card included fields of five, seven, seven and seven. Win payoffs included $3.40, $4.20, $4.40 and $5. Somebody was dreaming, all right, but it wasn't the bettors or the racing secretary.

--Hollywood ending: Hollywood Park management faced two big decisions as its spring-summer season concluded Monday.

One regarded the future of Friday-night racing, which slumped at the turnstiles while sports fans were distracted by the Lakers' NBA-championship run. The other had to do with the future of track announcer Chris Kotulak, who never was going to make fans forget Michael Wrona, the nation's best racecaller.

Hollywood Park president Rick Baedeker indicated last week that the track might open next spring with a Friday night, then return to afternoons until that second half of the meet.

``The question is whether we go head to head with (Friday-night playoff games) next year,'' Baedeker said. ``I think if we do, we'll pretty much guarantee that there will be a (Lakers) dynasty.''

Hollywood Park blundered by letting Wrona get away to a contract at Lone Star Park in Texas after the Inglewood track's fall 1999 season. Baedeker tried to downplay that error.

``For the moderate and certainly for the novice fan, I think Michael is an impediment,'' he said of the Australian announcer, whose calls, Baedeker apparently thinks, are too clever for beginners.

Kotulak, who came from Louisiana Downs, compensated for his general blandness with more-than-occasional errors. But Baedeker praised Kotulak for showing ``a lot of character'' amid criticism, and said he'll be in the booth again at the fall meet.

``We expect that when he comes back in the fall, the fans will accept him,'' Baedeker said. He said track officials will ``continue to work with him.''

OUT OF THE GATE

HOLLYWOOD PARK LEADERS

(Final results)

Jockeys

Victor Espinoza 62 Corey Nakatani 51 Laffit Pincay 42 David Flores 39 Trainers

Bobby Frankel 23 Bob Baffert 22 Clifford Sise 22 Richard Mandella 16 Vladimir Cerin 16 PINCAY UPDATE

Laffit Pincay had no victories on opening day at Del Mar on Wednesday but did finish in the money aboard 16-1, 5-1, 3-1 and 24-1 shots. Pincay struggled at Del Mar in 1999, finishing eighth with 22 wins (11 percent). His record career-wins total is 8,949. He's scheduled to throw out the first pitch at the San Diego Padres game Monday.

THE STAKES SCHEDULE

Del Mar

--Today: $125,000 CTBA Stakes, 2-year-old fillies bred in California, 5 1/2 furlongs

--Saturday: $200,000 Bing Crosby Handicap, 3-year-olds and up, 6 furlongs, and $100,000 fillies and mares 3 and up, 1 1/16 miles on turf

--Sunday: $400,000 Eddie Read Handicap, 3-year-olds and up, 1 1/8 miles on turf, and $100,000 Fleet Treat, Cal-bred 3-year-old fillies, 7 furlongs

--Wednesday: $125,000 Graduation, Cal-bred 2-year-olds, 5 1/2 furlongs

Saratoga

--Today: $150,000 Bernard Baruch Handicap, 3-year-olds and up, 1 1/8 miles on turf

--Saturday: $250,000 Test, 3-year-old fillies, 7 furlongs; $250,000 Go for Wand Handicap, fillies and mares 3 and up, 1 1/8 miles

A WEEK AT THE RACES 

I Wood Be a Winner, a 5-year-old gelding who won on Hollywood Park's closing card Monday, was claimed for the seventh race in a row, moving from trainer Grant Hofmans to Doug O'Neill for $16,000. He has won three races - for Jack Carava, Mike Mitchell and Hofmans - during the unusual streak of barnhopping. . . . Today is the first of Del Mar's ``Four O'Clock Fridays.'' First post is 4 p.m. That might sound redundant, but first post for the ``Four O'Clock Fridays'' on Aug. 25, Sept. 1 and 8 will be at 3:30. Confused yet? . . . New York announced it has changed its weight table to narrow the break that 3-year-olds receive from older horses. The handicap will shrink from nine pounds to six in 1-mile races in July. It remains nine in California. The change should help some jockeys who struggle to make weight. . . . It's a glorious time for the censors: Mufakher, a 2-year-old colt entered for his racing debut at Saratoga on Wednesday, was scratched Tuesday after The Jockey Club decided his name sounded too much like an obscenity. The name, which must be changed before the Shadwell Stable-owned horse can race, is reported to mean ``glory'' in Arabic.

- Kevin Modesti

CAPTION(S):

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Box: Out of the gate (see text)