GENTLEMEN SETS GOLD STANDARD; SIPHON OVERTAKEN IN STRETCH AS MANDELLA EARNS SWEEP.Byline: Brad Nelson Brad Nelson (born December 23, 1982 in Algona, Iowa), is a minor league baseball player in the Milwaukee Brewers organization. He has played first base and outfield. He was acquired by the Brewers in the fourth round of the 2001 amateur draft. Daily News Staff Writer It might not have happened as quickly as some people thought it would, but Gentlemen labeled himself as the nation's top horse Sunday in the $1 million Hollywood Gold Cup The Hollywood Gold Cup is a Grade I stakes race for thoroughbred horses inaugurated in 1938 at Hollywood Park Racetrack in Inglewood, California. It was run as a handicap race until 1997 when it was switched to weight-for-age conditions. . In a familiar position - chasing defending champion Siphon siphon (sī`fən, –fŏn), tube through which a liquid is lifted over an elevation by the pressure of the atmosphere and is then emptied at a lower level. - Gentlemen responded at the top of the stretch with a powerful run to the finish, winning by four lengths in the 58th renewal of the race at Hollywood Park before 24,421 fans, the largest crowd since opening night. Except for the order of finish, the result should look familiar. In the Santa Anita Handicap The Santa Anita Handicap is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually in the late winter at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California. It is a Grade I race for horses three years old and up, and is considered the most important race for older horses in North America during in March, it was Siphon, Sandpit, Gentlemen. On Sunday, it was Gentlemen, Siphon, Sandpit, meaning trainer Richard Mandella has pulled off an unprecedented sweep of both races. In reality, Mandella couldn't lose in this race, saddling five of the six starters. As Gentlemen swept past Siphon in the stretch, however, Mandella did miss out on one thing - the $3 million bonus that would have come if Siphon had swept the Santa Anita Handicap, the Gold Cup and Del Mar's Pacific Classic in August. Gentlemen, partly owned by Hollywood Park chairman R.D. Hubbard, has now won seven of his past eight races after taking this one in 1:59 1/5 for the 1-1/4 miles. His reputation grew with a track record at Hollywood Park in December for 1-1/8 miles. He beat Breeders' Cup Classic The Breeders' Cup Classic is a Grade 1 Weight for Age thoroughbred horse race for 3 years old and older run at a distance of 1¼ miles (2012 m) on dirt. It is held annually at a different racetrack in the United States or Canada as part of the Breeders' Cup. winner Alphabet Soup at Santa Anita in February . . . then came the Santa Anita Handicap. ``I feel he was unlucky to lose the Santa Anita Handicap,'' said jockey Gary Stevens. ``He came back and won the Pimlico Special and I felt like he could go another sixteenth of a mile and Skip Away would never get by him.'' The fact it came down to Gentlemen and Siphon in the Gold Cup was no surprise. But, considering the slow early fractions in the race (:23 2/5, 47 2/5), it appeared front-runner Siphon had things going just his way - again. ``Today was not the day,'' said jockey David Flores Flores, town, Guatemala Flores (flōrəs), town (1990 est. pop. 2,200), capital of Petén department, N Guatemala. Flores was built on an island in the southern part of Lake Petén Itzá and on the site of the , who had won four of six aboard Siphon. ``The first part of the race was perfect. Then at the half-mile, we started picking it up. When I saw Gentlemen up next to me, it was time to let my horse run a little. He made a run, but he got a little tired today.'' Despite being the winning trainer, Mandella was in the odd position of also having to explain Siphon's defeat. The horse had not raced since April 3 in the Dubai World Cup The Dubai World Cup is a Thoroughbred horse race held annually since 1996 at the Nad Al Sheba Racecourse in the city of Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The race is operated through the Emirates Horse Racing Authority (EHRA) whose Chairman is Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, because he had to drop out of the June 1 Californian when Mandella felt he just wasn't ready. ``I thought I had him as good as he could be going in (to the Gold Cup),'' Mandella said of Siphon. ``By the time they got to the quarter pole, I could tell it was starting to tell on him a little bit, the time between (races). I'm not ashamed of the job I did. He ran well.'' The other four horses? Sandpit was four lengths back of Siphon in third and was followed to the finish line by Marlin, Region and Talloires. Marlin, trained by D. Wayne Lukas Darrell Wayne Lukas (born September 2, 1935 in Antigo, Wisconsin) is a former educator who became one of the most successful horse trainers in American Thoroughbred horse racing history and a U.S. Racing Hall of Fame inductee. , was the only non-Mandella horse. He ran third behind Gentlemen and Siphon most of the way before fading. ``I don't think he handled this track as well as he handled it at Santa Anita,'' Lukas said. ``This was one of the question marks we had and we had to answer it. This is where the Breeders' Cup will be. . . . We'll go back to the grass and do what he does best.'' Mandella expects the Gentlemen-Siphon rivalry to continue in the Pacific Classic, and Flores is looking for Looking for In the context of general equities, this describing a buy interest in which a dealer is asked to offer stock, often involving a capital commitment. Antithesis of in touch with. a shot at redemption. ``That should be exciting,'' said the jockey. Undercard un·der·card n. The event or events coming before and supporting the main event, as of boxing matches. : Windsharp and jockey Corey Nakatani survived a jockey's claim of foul to win the $300,000 Beverly Hills Handicap The Beverly Hills Handicap is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually in late June at Hollywood Park Racetrack in Inglewood, California. The Grade II un over a distance of 1 ¼ miles on turf, the race is open to fillies and mares three years of age and older. by 3-1/2 lengths on the Hollywood Park turf course. Stevens, who finished third aboard Donna Viola, lodged an objection, but it was disallowed by the stewards. ``She's just a tough mare,'' said Nakatani, who had three winners on the day. CAPTION(S): Photo Photo: (color) Gentlemen, ridden by Gary Stevens, wins the Hollywood Gold Cup by four lengths. Phil McCarten / Daily News |
|
||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion