HORSE RACING : NOW, IT'S A CLASSIC GUESSING GAME.

Byline: KEVIN MODESTI

The first round of major prep races for the Breeders' Cup Classic produced two big upsets and one sure thing.

The sure thing is that it's going to be an interesting month and a half for anyone trying to pick the winner of the $4 million Classic, the richest of the seven Breeders' Cup races Nov. 8 at Hollywood Park.

Last week, the Daily Racing Form rankings of the nation's Classic contenders had Gentlemen No. 1, Touch Gold No. 2 and Will's Way No. 3. At least for the first two, Saturday's races were supposed to be easy steppingstones.

But Gentlemen finished fifth (behind Geri) as a 2-5 favorite in the Woodbine Mile in Toronto; Touch Gold was fourth and last (behind Behrens) as a 2-5 favorite in the Pegasus Handicap at the Meadowlands in New Jersey; and Will's Way was third (behind Formal Gold) in the Woodward Handicap at Belmont Park.

Will's Way fractured his left front cannon bone, and although surgery Monday in New York was pronounced a success, the Travers and Whitney winner certainly is out of the Breeders' Cup and probably will have to be retired.

The post-race news was more ambiguous for 5-year-old Gentlemen, the dominant handicap horse from here to Maryland, and 3-year-old Touch Gold, the Belmont Stakes winner.

Touch Gold may have felt the sting of the hard-packed Meadowlands track in his left forefoot, which has been patched since he stepped on himself at the start of the Preakness in May. Gentlemen was found to have an ulcerated epiglottis (in the throat), which had to have affected his performance.

``I just wish he'd left a note under my door that he had a sore throat that day,'' said trainer Richard Mandella, who sent Gentlemen to the mile turf race in Toronto because it looked like a safe, easy prep for a horse who can't take a lot of hard racing.

Mandella said Thursday from Hollywood Park that he thinks Gentlemen's illness was brought on by the stress of travel.

To make the Argentina-bred Gentlemen eligible for the Classic, majority owner R.D. Hubbard must decide to put up an $800,000 supplemental nominating fee. Because Hubbard is chairman of Hollywood Park, he has extra incentive to get the popular horse in the race.

Fortunately for him, he has a few weeks to figure out if the fifth-place finish and the ulcer mean Gentlemen is off form. One bad omen: No horse has won the Classic after finishing worse than fourth in his previous start.

Gentlemen is being treated with antibiotics and his throat is being flushed with a solution of hydrogen peroxide and water. Mandella said a second endoscopy Wednesday showed the horse is recovering surprisingly swiftly.

``It's still our plan to go to the Breeders' Cup, but, as you know, that doesn't mean it'll all work out,'' Mandella said. ``In a week, I'll probably have a good idea if it's going to be a quick fix, as it looks.''

Touch Gold, unlike Gentlemen, is scheduled tentatively to race again before the Breeders' Cup, so handicappers will have a better chance to gauge his fitness.

His handlers can only guess the trouble in the Pegasus was his foot - or feet - because they've ruled out other physical problems.

``The foot was a little tender, and he was leaning out (to the right) during the race,'' said Grant Hofmans, who assists his father, trainer David Hofmans. ``There doesn't seem to be anything wrong with him.''

Depending on ``how he's doing,'' Hofmans said, Touch Gold could tune up in the Goodwood Breeders' Cup Handicap Oct. 11 at Santa Anita or go straight to the Classic.

``That's horse racing,'' Hofmans said of the defeat. ``That's the way this game is played. You've just got to learn to take the bad with the good.''

Enjoying the good these days are the handlers of Formal Gold and Behrens.

Four-year-old Formal Gold, ridden by Kent Desormeaux, won by 5-1/2 lengths over Skip Away in the Woodward - four weeks after winning by 5-1/4 over the same rival in the Iselin Handicap at Monmouth Park. If the Breeders' Cup Classic were held today, Formal Gold would be favored.

Three-year-old Behrens, with Classic master Jerry Bailey aboard, won by 5-3/4 over Anet in the Pegasus. Behrens should be no match if Touch Gold is on his game - but now that's a big ``if.''

Fairplex leaders: Jockeys (through Wednesday): Martin Pedroza, 17 wins; Victor Espinoza and J.C. Gonzalez, 15; Matt Garcia, 13; Scott Stevens, 12; David Flores, 10. Trainers: Mel Stute, 5; Jack Carava, Caesar Dominguez, Sherrie Monroe, Jeff Mullins, Phil Oviedo, Clifford Sise, 4.

Handicapper helper: The front-runners' advantage in Fairplex Park sprints has been even stronger in 1997 than in '96. Horses who led after one-quarter mile have gone on to win 44 percent of 6-furlong races and 34 percent of 6-1/2-furlong races. Horses starting from middle to outside posts have had the edge at every distance.

Upcoming: $100,000 Pomona Derby (with High Gun Ryder), Saturday; $100,000 Ralph M. Hinds Pomona Invitational Handicap (Region, Awesome Daze) and $50,000 Governor's Cup (Larry the Legend is nominated), Sunday; $250,000 Vosburgh (Tale of the Cat, Northern Afleet), Belmont Park, Saturday; $100,000 William P. Kyne Handicap (Refinado Tom, Lykatill Hil), Bay Meadows, Saturday; $500,000 Super Derby (Free House, Awesome Again, Deputy Commander), Louisiana Downs, Sunday; Fairplex wraps up its 18-day meet Sunday; the Oak Tree meet at Santa Anita opens Wednesday.

Milestones: MGM Grand withdrew after two years as sponsor of the $3 million bonus for sweeping the Santa Anita Handicap, Hollywood Gold Cup and Pacific Classic, saying the benefits didn't match the cost. No horse did sweep the series, but $500,000 in bonuses to top points earners were paid out. . . . Kentucky Derby winner Silver Charm is scheduled for a guest appearance on the Fairplex track about 4 p.m. Saturday. . . . Pilsudski was bought for a reported $7 million-8 million by the Japan Racing Association, making the 1996 Breeders' Cup Turf winner the latest top thoroughbred ticketed for stud duty in Japan. . . . Prince Ahmed Salman's Thoroughbred Corporation was reported to be planning to honor Diana by giving the names England's Rose and People's Princess to two good fillies. . . . An October or November comeback is expected for Pulpit, fourth as the hype horse in the Kentucky Derby. . . . Los Alamitos raised quarter-horse purses 12 percent - to the highest level in track history. . . . Former Calumet Farm president J.T. Lundy was ordered by a judge to pay $67 million to the creditors who accused him of mismanaging and misappropriating money from the Kentucky farm. . . . Gentlemen, despite his defeat, remained No. 1 in the Daily Racing Form rankings. Touch Gold slipped to No. 4 behind Formal Gold and Siphon.

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