LOS ALAMITOS : T K’s Skipper Turns In Fastest Mile of Year Before Heading West to Race in Pacing Classic

T K’s Skipper, the leading older pacer in North America, ran a 1:49 1/5 time trial Saturday at Du Quoin, Ill., the fastest mile of the year in harness racing.

But trainer Nick Sodano thought he could have gone faster.

“The first quarter was a little slow and he threw a shoe at the half,” Sodano said this week from his New Jersey headquarters. “I would have been happy to break 1:50, but people were talking world record.”

The record is 1:48 2/5, set by Matt’s Scooter in a time trial at the Lexington (Ky.) Red Mile in 1988.

T K’s Skipper, a 5-year-old son of Governor Skipper, had fractions of 28 1/5, 55 and 1:21 4/5 with regular driver Mike Lachance.

T K’s Skipper will arrive at Los Alamitos today from Illinois to compete in the American Pacing Classic.

“He won’t race this Saturday,” Sodano said. “We’ll catch the second leg. He’ll race again in the third leg and the final.”

The American Pacing Classic, restored to Southern California after a nine-year absence, returns Saturday with the $35,000 first leg. The series continues with $35,000 legs Sept. 15 and Sept. 22. Point leaders qualify for the $150,000 final at one mile Sept. 29.

T K’s Skipper has won 16 of 23 starts this year and earned $488,362. He won the U.S. Pacing Championship at the Meadowlands in East Rutherford, N.J., Aug. 17 in 1:50 3/5, the fastest standardbred mile this year in a race.

The Los Alamitos track record is 1:53 2/5.

Lou Guida’s Keystone Raider, winner of the American-National Pace in 1:53 2/5 Saturday at Sportsman’s Park in Chicago, is also scheduled in today for Classic competition.

Already on the grounds are J.A. Bedford from Maryland, B. Crafty from Toronto, Tiger Pilot from British Columbia and Dare You To from New Jersey. Dare You To raced at Los Alamitos last spring.

T K’s Skipper is probably the best standardbred to visit California since Forrest Skipper won the 1986 Breeders’ Crown at Los Alamitos en route to horse-of-the-year honors.

The $15,000 invitational pace capped a bizarre Saturday night during a nightmarish week at Los Alamitos.

First, a virus hit the stable area during mid-week, resulting in wholesale scratches that devastated fields. There were 10 scratches on Thursday and 15 each on Friday and Saturday.

The invitational was reduced to four horses because of three scratches, including co-favorites Speedy Alba and Vance Lobell.

Two of the starters, Riviera Hanover and Winning Night, were trained by Rick Plano and coupled in the betting. The other starters were Power and Glory and Absolute Gem.

Riviera Hanover, driven by Gene Vallandingham, led all the way. In the stretch, however, he veered off the rail and into the path of Power and Glory. Power and Glory stepped into Riviera Hanover’s right wheel, stumbled, went into a break just before the wire and fell after the finish. Winning Night, driven by Plano, came up along the rail to cross the wire second. Power and Glory was third.

Power and Glory lay motionless on the track for several moments, tangled in his lines, before regaining his feet.

A furious Jim Todd, 57, the horse’s driver-trainer, went after Vallandingham on the track when Vallandingham, 49, brought Riviera Hanover back to the winner’s circle, but several horsemen stepped in before any punches were thrown.

After reviewing films, stewards disqualified both Riviera Hanover and Winning Night and moved Power and Glory up to first. The horse was taken to the winner’s circle for a picture, minus sulky and saddlecloth.

“Riviera Hanover drifted into Todd’s horse and let the other half of the entry come up on the rail, thus aiding the other half of the entry,” steward Jack Williams said.

“I wasn’t that mad in a long time, maybe years,” Todd said the other day. “It was obvious Gene was trying to bear out from the rail to let Plano go up and get the stablemates 1-2.

“I was concerned that my horse was hurt. Luckily, he appears to be OK. He cut his foot a little and got the wind knocked out of him but I walked him the day after the race and I hope to make the first leg of the American Pacing Classic Saturday.”

Power and Glory, a 7-year-old gelding, was running for only the second time this season, having been sidelined since May because of a broken knee.

Because Power and Glory broke stride shortly before the wire and was more than a length ahead of fourth-place Absolute Gem, he was not disqualified.

Later on the Saturday card, a three-horse chain-reaction spill marred the seventh race.

Mighty Buster broke stride in mid-pack at the top of the stretch with Donald Dancer. West Side Story, with Steve Desomer, and Pasadena Phantom, handled by Jim Butler, were unable to avoid the breaking pacer. All escaped unhurt.

Meanwhile, horsemen were hopeful that their ailing horses would recover quickly from the virus, which primarily struck New Zealand imports. The barns of Ross Croghan, Bob Johnson and Bob Gordon were especially hard hit.

“It’s just a new bug that hit,” Gordon said. “Five of the 18 in my barn got it. The first two were horses that had been here a year from New Zealand. It’s an upper respiratory problem, a cough that sounds like it’s down deep. I’ve been using antibiotics to get the temperature down and an old cold remedy with honey and lemon to lessen the cough.”

“I hope within a week to have the barn rolling again. This is really bad for a horse like Speedy Alba. I wanted to race him in that $35,000 race (the first leg of the American Pacing Classic), but even if he makes it back Saturday, he won’t be sharp.”

Harness Racing Notes

The Pacesetter yearling sale is scheduled for Sunday at 1 p.m. at Los Alamitos. A total of 66 horses are scheduled to be sold. Of particular interest will be So Fast, a son of Hunter’s Star and Soso. He is a full brother to Supernal, who earned $232,000; Oso Speedy, who won $151,000, and SoSo Beach, who won a $16,712 California Breeders’ Stake for 2-year-old filly trotters last Wednesday.

Oso Speedy, a 9-year-old gelding, raced for the first time in three years last week, finishing second in a $6,000 claiming race. “I bought him for $850 at a 2-year-old sale and he made $150,000,” said owner-trainer-driver Paul Keays. “He’s had suspensory problems, and this is the third time we’ve tried to bring him back.” At least he knows he will always have a good home. “I had been riding him on the trails and swimming him in a lake,” said Keays’ wife, Joanne. “If he breaks down again, he will be my permanent riding horse.”

A win payoff that was worth more than the triple occurred on Friday night. Heavily favored Lepton won the first race and paid $2.10. Two in a Teepee won the second and returned $2.60. Gee Gee Gem won the third race and paid $8.20. The triple was worth only $7.00. . . . Donald Dancer, recently arrived from the East, won his first two races in California Friday.