HOLLYWOOD PARK : Jones Deals With Weighty Issue Concerning Best Pal’s Next Start

A decision is expected today on whether Best Pal will run in the $500,000 Hollywood Turf Handicap on Monday.

Trainer Gary Jones, unhappy with the gelding’s 122-pound top-weight assignment for the 1 1/4-mile race, said he is going to talk with owner John Mabee and Golden Eagle Farm’s racing manager Gayle Van Leer. “We’ll put our heads together and talk it over,” Jones said Wednesday. “As far as the weights are concerned, I think it’s ridiculous to go, but it is a $500,000 race.”

If Best Pal, winless in three starts this year, runs, Corey Black will ride. Regular jockey Kent Desormeaux is committed to Rainbow Corner, the runner-up in the recent John Henry Handicap.

The Turf Handicap would be the second start on turf for Best Pal, who finished third in the Oaklawn Handicap on April 10 in his last appearance. In a division of the 1991 Citation Handicap at Hollywood Park, the California-bred was second to Notorious Pleasure on grass.

Because the 5-year-old is being pointed to the Hollywood Gold Cup on July 3, it seems odd he would be trying the grass now. The $150,000 Mervyn LeRoy Handicap on June 6 would seem a more logical prep. “It’s because of the distance more than anything,” Jones said. The Mervyn LeRoy is 1 1/8 miles. “(The Turf Handicap) would set him up pretty good for the Gold Cup, and why not try him on the grass for $500,000 (rather) than for $150,000 on the dirt?

“In his first race on the grass, it was the first time Kent rode him and he made some mistakes. He lost ground, and he didn’t change leads and Kent wasn’t certain how to get him to change leads. It wasn’t a bad race.”

Best Pal worked seven furlongs in 1:25 3/5 Wednesday, but it wasn’t exactly what Jones had in mind.

“He got tired,” he said. “It wasn’t one of his better works. He usually finishes a little better than that. It was just OK. They dug this track up on Monday and added sand. It was a little dull and cuppy, and that’s not his kind of track.”

Those who appear definite for the Turf Handicap besides Rainbow Corner are Val Des Bois, Beyton, Lomitas, Bien Bien, Leger Cat, Misty Valley and Corrupt. Jahafil is a possible starter.

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Looking to generate excitement for its $500,000 bonus for anybody who purchases on track the only winning Pick Six ticket on Saturdays, Hollywood Park management had track announcer Trevor Denman tell the crowd before last Saturday’s ninth race that a victory by Momonymomonymomony would result in the bonus being paid. Momonymomonymomony finished a distant fourth at nearly 10-1.

In doing so, Hollywood Park apparently violated a section of California Horse Racing Board Rule No. 1976.9.

The section in question reads: “With the exception of the total amount of the net pool at the close of Pick (n) wagering, the totalisator shall be programmed to suppress all information related to Pick (n) wagering activity until the conclusion of the final race comprising the Pick (n) pool. Providing information to any person regarding covered combinations, amounts wagered on specific combinations, number of tickets sold or number of live tickets remaining is strictly prohibited.”

“We don’t want to overreact to (the announcement) because it was done to generate some fan excitement for that race,” steward Tom Ward said. “I won’t say that it would be us in a bad spot, as far as making a decision (in the case of a possible inquiry), but the follow-up from that decision could be negative (in terms of public perception). We would prefer that it not be done again.”

CHRB Chairman Ralph Scurfield shared the stewards’ view. “Their concern is a genuine concern,” he said. “The question is whether it’s a legal concern or just a good judgment concern.”

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Johann Quatz took a wrong turn on his way to superstardom Wednesday at Hollywood Park.

Bet down to 7-10 on the strength of an impressive victory in his American debut on April 23, the 4-year-old Sadler’s Wells colt had to settle for second Wednesday, beaten three lengths by Tertian.

Able to control matters on the lead under Corey Nakatani, Tertian won in 1:39 3/5 for the 1 1/16 miles on turf and paid $10.80 as the 4-1 third choice.

Last for the first half-mile, Johann Quatz loomed on the outside to get close to the lead, but couldn’t match strides late while finishing half a length in front of 5-2 second choice Prince Ferdinand.

“We haven’t been able to train him the way we wanted to because we’ve entered him three times and each race doesn’t fill,” said Ron McAnally, Johann Quatz’s trainer. “This is the third time, and we had never been over five-eighths of a mile with him twice, so he had to hang a little. He was tired. He’s all right--he’s still a good horse.”

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Chasing a two-day carryover in the Pick Six of $326,671.80, fans at Hollywood Park and the various satellite facilities bet $1,110,013 in the Pick Six on Wednesday.

This was the first time since July 3, 1991, that more than $1 million had been wagered on the Pick Six in a single day. Before Wednesday, Nov. 11, 1992, was the last time Hollywood Park had a total Pick Six pool in excess of $1 million.

On a day when four favorites won--City Streets, Life’s A Banquet, Harris County and Cheta--in the sequence, the Pick Six was worth $30,809.20 and there were 25 correct tickets.

Horse Racing Notes

Corey Nakatani won four races Wednesday and Alex Solis had three winners. This was the second time in four racing days that Nakatani had a quadruple. . . . Thirty Slews, who might be a starter in the Oakland Handicap at Golden Gate Fields on Monday, worked a half-mile in 46 3/5 seconds Wednesday morning at Santa Anita. . . . The California Horse Racing Board will hold its monthly meeting Friday at 9:30 a.m. at Cypress City Hall. . . . Eliza, the beaten favorite in the Kentucky Oaks, will probably make her next start in the Princess Stakes June 19 at Hollywood Park, then come back in the Hollywood Oaks on July 11.