W•E•E•K•E•N•D RESULTS "FREE" AT LAST: FREE HOUSE TAKES SWAPS Sunday, Hollywood Park He set the pace but weakened to be third in the Ken­ VANITY H.-GI, $400,000, HOL, 7-20, 3yo/up, f/m, tucky Derby ... ran his heart out but had to settle for 1 1 /Sm, 1 :46 2/5, ft. second in the Preakness ... and put in yet another gallant 1--TWICE THE VICE, 121, m, 6, Vice Regent--Double effort to be third in the grueling mile-and-a-half of the Set, by Resurgent. ( $34,000 yr! '92 KEESEP; Belmont S. But the eyecatching grey Free House $130,000 2yo 1993 KEEAPR). 0-Wygod Mr & Mrs (Smokester) was back in the winner's circle after a Martin J; B-Maclean Angus M (KY); T-Ronald W Ellis; stakes record-setting performance in yesterday's Gii J-K J Desormeaux; $240,000. Lifetime Record: Swaps S. at Hollywood Park. Without Silver Charm or 22-12-5-1, $1,412,063. *1/2 to Burgandy Dancer Touch Gold to contend with, the unfashionably bred (Marshua's Dancer), SW, $122,532. Californian had the field at his mercy, pursuing paceset­ 2--Real Connection, 114, m, 6, Vigors--Right ters Deputy Commander (Deputy Minister) (second) and Connection, by Unconscious. 0-Thomas Bill M; Wild Rush (Wild Again) (third) for six furlongs before B-Hawn W R (KY); $80,000. pouncing as they headed into the stretch and racing 3--Jewel Princess, 123, m, 5, Key to the Mint--Jewell away to a 3 1 /2-length victory. The time for the nine Ridge, by Melyno (Ire). 0-Stephen & Stephen & the furlongs was 1 :45 4/5, just three ticks off the track T'Bred Corp; B-Farnsworth Farms (FL); $48,000. record. "This guy was ready," said winning jockey Kent Margins: HD, 4, 6HF. Odds: 1.60, 15.40, 0.90. Desormeaux. "(Trainer Paco Gonzalez) had him condi­ Also Ran: Listening, Biltmore Breeze. tioned to perfection. This was his easiest win. I was Twice The Vice ended her 1 996 campaign with a very confident. He was in the bridle--he led me to be­ fourth-place finish to eventual champion Jewel Princess lieve that he was just waiting on the call, and he got the in this race, but turned the tables in this edition. Runner­ call." Free House could ship to Saratoga for his next up in the GI Hempstead H. at Belmont last out after start, the -.:11 Travers S. August 23. The Swaps was opening the season with a win in the Gii Hawthorne H. marred when Hello (Ire) (Lycius) broke down just past May 25, the six-year-old came away from the gate with the eighth pole. The colt suffered a compound fracture the lead and set the pace under pressure, then held off of the left front cannon bone and had to be put down. the hard-knocking Real Connection at the wire to take His jockey, Chris Mccarron, was taken to Centinella the photo. "She was just in a high gallop, traveling so Medical Center complaining of pain in his left shoulder comfortable," said jockey Kent Desormeaux, who picked and collar bone. up his second graded win of the afternoon after picking up the mount from the very unlucky Chris Mccarron, ATTENDANCE AND HANDLE UP AT BELMONT who was injured when Hello (Ire) broke down in the The daily average for both on-track attendance and total Swaps and so lost out on three graded stakes wins on handle showed improvement at the Belmont Park spring­ the card. (See Sunset H., Hollywood Juvenile Champion­ summer meeting which concluded Sunday. Daily aver­ ship S.) "She's got that stride from here to kingdom come. It was just a horse race from the half-mile pole on age attendance rose 7.3 percent, from 8,707 in 1996 to 9,339 this year, while total daily average handle was up and I felt I was on the best one." As for the future, 4.4 percent, from $9,094,922 in '96 to $9,489,536 in trainer Ron Ellis said, "We may run her at Del Mar or wait until Oak Tree. Our focus is the Breeders' Cup." '97. On-track, the daily average handle was $2, 135,644, down 1.4 percent from a year ago. "We're Jewel Princess, the 4-5 chalk, ran an even third. "We're going to turn her out a while and we'll bring her back in pleased with the upturn in attendance and total handle the fall," said trainer Wally Dollase. "We'll probably get and hope that this meet's number is evidence that the downturn in on-track handle in recent years has leveled her one or two races before the Breeders' Cup." off," said New York Racing Association President and Chief Operating Officer Terry Meyocks. "It is something STAKE.S CLOSINGS we plan to continue to build on. We've been trying to TODAY, MONDAY, JULY 21: provide a better product and environment for our cus­ 8-2 $150,000 Spirit of Fighter, Crc, 3yo/up, tomers ... we want to reach more people with our mes­ f/m, 5fT ( $100) sage that Thoroughbred racing can be enjoyed by the entire family and at a reasonable cost." • "PAGE 2 •THOROUGHBRED DAILY NEWS• 7-21-97 ~ Sunday, Hollywood Park Sunset H. cont. SWAPS S.-Gll, $500,000, HOL, 7-20, 3yo, 1 1 /Sm, Marlin was a well-beaten fourth in the GI Hollywood 1 :45 4/5, ft. Gold Cup on the dirt last out but was even-money with 1--FREE HOUSE, 122, c, 3, Smokester--Fountain lake a return to the turf and did not disappoint. Already (SW), by Vigors. O/B-John Toffan & Trudy McCaffery winner of the Gii San Luis Rey and GI San Juan (CA); T-J Paco Gonzalez; J-K J Desormeaux; Capistrano H. this year, the Florida-bred bay wasted no $300,000. lifetime Record: 13-5-3-2, $1,417,711. time taking the lead and was never headed, holding off 2--Deputy Commander, 118, c, 3, Deputy Minister-­ longshot Flyway (Fr) down the lane for a decisive score. Anka Germania (Ire), by Malinowski. ($120,000 wing Jockey David Flores picked up the mount from the '94 KEENOV; $205,000 2yo '96 BESAPR). 0-Jarvis & injured Chris Mccarron. 11 This is a horse I've always Horizon Stable & Mandysland Farm; B-Crystal Springs wanted to ride," said Flores. 11 1 worked him, and he was Farm, Robert Moore, & EC Alfred (KY); $100,000. so nice, such a pro--just one of those classy horses that 3--Wild Rush, 122, c, 3, Wild Again--Rose Park, by comes to run. And the farther this horse goes, the Plugged Nickle. ($430,000 yrl '95 KEESEP). better he gets." Trainer D. Wayne Lukas said the colt 0-Stronach Frank H; B-Pitfield Ward C (KY); $60,000. could go next in the GI Arlington Million August 24. Margins: 3HF, 2 1 /4, 1. Odds: 0.40, 4.40, 8.50. Also Ran: Precocity, Activist, Hello {Ire). Sunday, Arlington International Looking for his first win since taking the GI Santa PRIMECO AMERICAN DERBY-Gii, $200,000, APX, Anita Derby April 5 but coming off a Triple Crown cam­ 7-20, 3yo, 1 3/16mT, 1 :55 4/5, gd. paign that saw him on the board in every jewel, Cal-bred 1--HONOR GLIDE, 120, c, 3, Honor Grades--Becky Free House was the overwhelming favorite to celebrate Branch (Ire), by Run the Gantlet. ( $31,000 yrl '95 his return to his home state with a return to the win­ FTKJUL). 0-Schaedle Robert G; B-Bonnie Heath Farm ner's circle. Three-wide while rating just off the pace, (FL); T-James E Day; J-G K Gomez; $120,000. the crowd's choice picked up the leaders at the top of Lifetime Record: 6-5-0-0, $248, 139. the stretch and galloped home. "What a Cal-bred," said 2--Worldly Ways (GB), 120, c, 3, Generous--Fantastic trainer Paco Gonzalez. "This is a wonderful horse. These Ways, by Secretariat. 0-Golden Eagle Farm; 8-Mabee seven weeks after the Belmont, he was doing really John C Mr & Mrs (GB); $40,000. good. This race is going to do even more for him. He's 3--Daylight Savings, 114, c, 3, Sky Classic-­ going to get his confidence back." The colt is likely to Wortheroatsingold, by Naskra. 0-Pin Oak Stable; B-Pin head East again for the GI Travers at a mile and a quar­ Oak Stud (KY); $22,000. ter August 23. As for not facing Silver Charm again this Margins: NK, 2 1 /4, HD. Odds: 3.60, 1.80, 10.80. year, Gonzalez said, "It's too bad. It's bad for the busi­ Also Ran: Brave Act (GB), Shaka (GB), Play Waki for ness. For (Free House, Silver Charm and Touch Gold) to Me, Crimson Classic, Air Power. get together again would've been great for the crowd." Honor Glide, a winner over the turf at the Fair Grounds, Keeneland and here at Arlington, suffered his Sunday, Hollywood Park only career loss when fourth in a May 1 8 Churchill SUNSET H.-Gll, $400,000, HOL, 7-20, 3yo/up, allowance event. Bidding for his third straight over this 1 1 /2mT, 2:25 1 /5, fm. course, the bay followed victories in a June 1 2 allow­ 1--MARLIN, 120, c, 4, Sword Dance (lre)--Syrian ance and the first leg of the Mid-America Triple, the Gii Summer, by Damascus.