A Road Warrior Cuts Back on Travel

Smartly spotted by trainer Doug O’Neill last year, Excessivepleasure traveled the country and earned more than $800,000. While the 4-year-old gelding trains at Hollywood Park, he seldom runs close to home, but one of those occasions will be today at Santa Anita, where he might be favored in the San Fernando Handicap.

This will be Excessivepleasure’s first race at Santa Anita since the California-bred won the California Breeders’ Champion Stakes on opening day there in 2002. That was the liftoff for the Excessivepleasure road show, which featured stakes wins in three derbies -- the WinStar at Sunland Park in New Mexico, the Iowa at Prairie Meadows and the Indiana at Hoosier Park. Excessivepleasure was tripped up in his bid for a fourth derby win when he ran second -- but beaten by 10 lengths -- in the Oklahoma at Remington Park in November.

That was Excessivepleasure’s last start -- almost two months ago -- but he has run strong races off layoffs before. His October win in the Indiana Derby came after a two-month hiatus.

With five wins and four seconds in 11 starts, Excessivepleasure could hit the $1-million mark with a win in the San Fernando, which was won by his sire, In Excess, in 1991. Of the nine horses Excessivepleasure must beat, three are trained by Bob Baffert, who won the San Fernando, the middle leg in the three-race Strub series, with Silver Charm in 1998.

One of Baffert’s trio, Senor Swinger, races for Bob and Beverly Lewis, who also campaigned Silver Charm. Senor Swinger is returning to dirt after five straight losses on grass. He last main-track start was when he finished fifth in the Preakness.

Baffert’s other contenders are During, who tackled better horses than Excessivepleasure while winning five of 13 starts last year; and Spensive, who’s been away since May. Spensive has been close, but never won, in four Santa Anita starts.

*

Southern Image, who won the opener in the Strub series, the Malibu, on opening day, is skipping the San Fernando and will probably run in the $1-million Sunshine Millions Classic on Jan. 24. The second Sunshine Millions day will feature eight races, worth $3.6 million, that are restricted to California- and Florida-breds. Four of the races will be run at Santa Anita and four at Gulfstream Park, one of Santa Anita’s sister tracks.

*

Seven 3-year-olds, including The Herc, who has won two stakes since trainer Gary Stute claimed him for $50,000 in October, are entered in the six-furlong San Miguel Stakes on Sunday. Another stake for 3-year-olds, the $100,000 Golden Gate Derby, drew only five horses today at Golden Gate Fields. The field includes Merv Griffin’s Skipaslew, who won an ungraded stake for trainer Doug O’Neill at Golden Gate in December; another Southern California shipper, Gwaihir; and Dixieland Heater, up from the $40,000 claiming ranks for trainer Jerry Hollendorfer.

*

Jockeys here and there:

* Ryan Fogelsonger, who tore a shoulder muscle in a spill at Hollywood Park on Dec. 12, is due back at Santa Anita this month, perhaps as soon as next weekend.

* Pat Valenzuela, limited to riding in designated stakes races early in the meet, comes off a 13-day suspension for full-time action Sunday. Valenzuela has spotted Alex Solis a 17-win lead as he shoots for his sixth consecutive Southern California riding title. Solis is serving a three-day suspension this weekend, but rides Domestic Dispute in the San Fernando and favored Megahertz in the San Gorgonio Handicap on today’s card.

* Pat Day, who had shoulder surgery in December, is expected back at Gulfstream later this month.

* Gary Stevens, who has been on the receiving end at the Eclipse awards dinner, winning the trophy for best jockey in 1998, will host the banquet -- when horse of the year and the other winners are announced -- in Hollywood, Fla., on Jan. 26.