LOS ALAMITOS : Harness Racing Looks Brighter in California

One year ago, California harness racing faced difficult times.

The circuit had finished a lackluster six-month season in July of 1991 that left horsemen with no local racing until January. Consequently, many had to travel to other regions or wait through the winter on local farms.

This year, California racing has enjoyed a more stable atmosphere, which officials hope to maintain through the 54-night summer-fall season that begins Friday at Los Alamitos. Both the spring meeting at Los Alamitos and the summer meeting at Sacramento impressed track officials, even though the handle from Sacramento--an average of $479,940--was considerably lower than the spring’s figure at Los Alamitos--$933,320.

“The revival couldn’t have come at a poorer time in terms of the economic climate,” said Alan Horowitz, executive director of the California Harness Horsemen’s Assn. “But to see it happen in this time frame is a considerable success. I think we’d see an even more bullish picture in a better climate.”

Sacramento’s handle was a significant improvement over 1990’s average of $278,551, and the credit goes to intertrack wagering. Two years ago, Sacramento’s signal was not sent to Los Alamitos and Hollywood Park, which this year accounted for an average of $172,215 of Sacramento’s daily wagering.

“Sacramento was above our expectations,” said Lloyd Arnold, president and general manager of the Los Alamitos Racing Assn., which conducts harness racing in California.

Los Alamitos will offer the best harness racing of the year. Highlights include the $150,000 American Pacing Classic on Sept. 26, the $75,000 California Pace for fillies on Oct. 2 and the $150,000 California Pace for colts and geldings on Oct. 3, as well as the frequent California-bred Sire Stakes events.

This fall’s meeting also will include simulcast wagering from the New Jersey and Chicago circuits, which was approved in late July by the California Horse Racing Board. As many as two simulcasts could be held each evening, depending on how much luck Los Alamitos has in filling its races.

Last year’s long break between meetings gave track officials plenty of time to travel East and lobby large stables to relocate to California during the winter. Those efforts resulted in several new barns transferring to California last spring. This fall, Nick Sodano, the leading trainer in earnings at New Jersey’s Meadowlands in 1990, has brought a 25-horse stable to Los Alamitos instead of shipping to Garden State Park in New Jersey.

One hour before his 33rd birthday, jockey Bruce Pilkenton gave himself a birthday present Sunday night in the form of First Hi Hope’s victory in the $150,000 Governor’s Cup Futurity.

The race was the closing-night feature of the spring-summer quarter horse meeting.

First Hi Hope was part of a three-horse entry owned by Jens List of Westminster and trained by Caesar Dominguez. List’s horses also finished third (Tacfully) and eighth (Kipta Lou My Darlin).

The Governor’s Cup Futurity, the richest race for 2-year-olds at the meeting, gave List his first futurity victory in six years as a horse owner. He became interested in quarter horse racing in the mid-1980s, after joining friends for a day at the races, and is now one of the Southland’s biggest quarter horse owners.

“I don’t know how much better it can get,” said List, who credited his ranch manager, Jerry Schvaneveldt, for the horse’s preparation.

List came close to winning a major futurity last November when Bandobeduino ran second in the Pacific Coast Quarter Horse Racing Assn. Futurity. He started four horses in the Governor’s Cup Futurity trials on July 26, and watched three qualify for Sunday’s final.

Pilkenton said that First Hi Hope, who earned $65,250, improved in the Governor’s Cup Futurity, the gelding’s second victory in four starts. “I think this race was better than the trials because he handled himself better on the front end.”

Two of the leading contenders for world champion, the 4-year-old gelding Refrigerator and the 3-year-old filly Corona Chick, ended the Los Alamitos summer quarter horse meeting with unbeaten records. Refrigerator won two major stakes, the Vessels Maturity and the Los Alamitos Championship, and Corona Chick’s biggest success came Saturday in the $222,000 Governor’s Cup Derby, her 12th consecutive victory.

Corona Chick’s neck victory over Holland Ease marked the first time during her winning streak that a photo was required to verify placings. Ridden by Kip Didericksen, Corona Chick led throughout the race, but couldn’t manage the length-or-more margin that was common last year. She was timed in 19.76 seconds while winning for the 14th time in 16 starts.

Her streak includes five stakes and puts her on a collision course with Refrigerator sometime later this year. The filly, trained by Frank Monteleone and owned by Bob Etchandy of Anaheim Hills, has been shipped to Hollywood Park and could start several times there in the next few months.

A probable rendezvous at Hollywood Park with Refrigerator could come in the Breeders Championship Classic on Oct. 3, a race that awards an automatic berth for the winner to the Champion of Champions on Dec. 19 at Los Alamitos. The Champion of Champions has seen 13 of 20 winners crowned world champion.

Monteleone also mentioned the Southern California Derby on Sept. 12 as a possible start for Corona Chick, as well as the California Derby in late October.

Los Alamitos Notes

The spring-summer quarter horse meeting ended with somewhat higher figures than the 1991-92 meeting, which ran five nights a week instead of four. Average attendance was 6,458 fans, who wagered an average of $996,482. The first week of the meeting was called off because of the riots, but because of the cancellation of the Orange County Fair, two weeks were added in late July and early August. . . . Kip Didericksen and Blane Schvaneveldt were the leading quarter horse jockey and trainer, and Dominick Giacobbe and Garland McAlester led the Arabian jockey and trainer standings at Los Alamitos. . . . Quarter horse racing begins at Hollywood Park on Aug. 21, with simulcast betting at Los Alamitos. . . . Friday’s post time at Los Alamitos is 6:40 p.m. to accommodate the simulcast of the $778,800 Woodrow Wilson final from the Meadowlands at East Rutherford, N.J. Post time for the rest of the meeting will be 7 p.m.