HORSE RACING NOTEBOOK: TRAINER CERIN LOOKS AHEAD HE PUTS DISQUALIFICATION IN PAST.

Byline: Daily News Staff and Wire Services

Trainer Vladimir Cerin, whose 58-1 long shot Designed for Luck was disqualified from first to fifth for interference near the finish of the $500,000 Hollywood Derby last weekend at Hollywood park, will try again Sunday with Casey Griffin and Saint Wynn in the $100,000 Native Diver Handicap.

``The Derby is ancient history,'' Cerin said Wednesday. ``Look forward. Don't look back.''

Cerin had been considerably less philosophical in the minutes after Designed for Luck and jockey Laffit Pincay were disqualified, making winners of Brahms and rider Pat Day. Cerin called the stewards ``morons'' in a brief phone conversation following the ruling.

Casey Griffin won the Pomona Invitational Handicap at Fairplex Park on Oct. 1 and finished second to Saint Wynn in the Skywalker Handicap at Santa Anita on Nov. 3. Casey Griffin worked a half-mile in 47 4/5 seconds Wednesday morning at Santa Anita.

A field of seven to nine is probable for the 1 1/8-mile Native Diver.

Listed as probable starters are California Cup Classic winner Sky Jack, with Pincay, assigned 118 pounds; Casey Griffin, Eddie Delahoussaye, 117; 1999 Native Diver runner-up Moore's Flat, Victor Espinoza, 116; Saint Wynn, Gary Stevens, 116; Lethal Instrument, Corey Nakatani, 114; Literal Prowler, Chris McCarron, 114; Estio, Alex Solis, 113, and Grey Memo, Matt Garcia, 113.

The Native Diver, named for the three-time winner of the Hollywood Gold Cup (1965-66-67), is the Hollywood Park fall meet's major main-track race for 3-year-olds and up. It is rated only Grade III, but the names of some of its champions in the past dozen years suggest it's bigger than that: Ruhlmann, Twilight Agenda, Sir Beaufort, Slew of Damascus, Best Pal, Alphabet Soup, Gentlemen, Puerto Madero and General Challenge all were Native Diver winners.

--Also this weekend: The $400,000 Hollywood Turf Cup on Saturday is expected to draw Lazy Lode, winner of the 1 1/2-mile race in 1998 and 1999, and seven or eight other horses.

The lineup: Res Judicata, Solis; Binn Tin Tin, Nakatani; Lazy Lode, Brice Blanc; Perssonet, Delahoussaye; Bienamado, McCarron; Lord Flasheart, Espinoza; Single Empire, Pincay; Vergennes, Garrett Gomez; Northern Quest, Stevens.

Older horses carry 126 pounds, 3-year-olds 122.

--Great sire dies: Halo, who sired Kentucky Derby winners Sunny's Halo and Sunday Silence, died this week at 31.

Halo died Tuesday in his paddock at Arthur Hancock's Stone Farm in Paris, Ky., apparently of a heart attack.

``He had a great life and a wonderful career,'' Hancock said. ``His sons are carrying on, and he didn't suffer at all.''

Halo, a son of Hail to Reason, was a Grade I stakes winner but became better known as a sire of racehorses, sires and broodmares. He twice was North America's leading sire - in 1993 with Sunny's Halo and in 1989 with Sunday Silence. He also sired Kentucky Oaks winner Goodbye Halo.

Among his other top offspring were champions Devil's Bag and Glorious Song, who are full siblings, as well as Derby runner-up Saint Ballado, Southern Halo, Lively One and Jolie's Halo.

OUT OF THE GATE

HOLLYWOOD PARK LEADERS

(Through Wednesday)

Jockeys Wins

Corey Nakatani 19

Victor Espinoza 13

Laffit Pincay 11

Alex Solis 11

Trainers Wins

Bobby Frankel 9

Mike Mitchell 6

Vladimir Cerin 5

Doug O'Neill 5

PINCAY WATCH

Laffit Pincay received a five-day suspension for allowing Designed for Luck to drift out in the Hollywood Derby, causing interference and leading to his disqualification. The suspension would begin Wednesday and run through Dec. 10, which happens to be the anniversary of Pincay's record-breaking 8,834th career winner. His current total is 9,023.

ON THE STAKES SCHEDULE

Hollywood Park

Saturday

--$400,000 Hollywood Turf Cup, 3-year-olds and up, 1 1/2 miles on turf; and $70,000 Corona Handicap, fillies and mares 3 and up, 6 furlongs.

--$100,000 Native Diver Handicap, 3-year-olds and up, 1 1/8 miles.

A WEEK AT THE RACES 

Television producer and racehorse owner Alan W. Landsburg has been appointed to the California Horse Racing Board by Gov. Gray Davis. Landsburg, 67, is a director and founding member of Thoroughbred Owners of California. Two vacancies remain on the seven-seat CHRB. . . . Bobby Frankel and David Flores weren't close in their bids for major wins on both sides of the international dateline Sunday. Timboroa finished 11th behind local winner T.M. Opera in the $4.3 million Japan Cup. And - after the two men made a long flight home - Frankel-trained Happyanunoit was third in the Matriarch, and a Frankel trio and Flores-guided New Advantage were off the board in the Hollywood Derby. . . . Frankel's busy weekend netted onevictory, by Fantastic Filly in the Miesque Stakes at Hollywood Park, and boosted his barn's 2000 earnings over $9.8 million, still third nationally behind Bob Baffert ($11.2 million) according to Daily Racing Form figures. . . . Kent Desormeaux will miss the weekend at Hollywood Park for an international jockey competition in Osaka, Japan. . . . More Than Ready, who won his first five races as a 2-year-old but never fulfilled his promise, has been retired to stud at the Vinery, in Lexington, Ky. More Than Ready retires at age 3 with earnings of $1 million and seven wins in 17 starts.

- Kevin Modesti

CAPTION(S):

photo, box

Photo: no caption (Laffit Pincay)

Box: OUT OF THE GATE (see text)