Ian Jory

The sponging of three horses at Santa Anita, believed to be the first incidence of this illegal practice in California in at least 50 years, has some trainers on edge. "It's scary," Ian Jory said. "You wonder how somebody could gain access to do something like this." Two 3-year-old fillies were scratched Wednesday from a race for $40,000 claimers after sponges were discovered in their noses.

Since only 55 horses were entered Sunday morning for today's card at Hollywood Park, something was needed to spice the program. The track got its wish when nobody was able to isolate all the winners in Sunday's pick six, meaning there is a carry-over of $128,253 for this afternoon. This is the second pick six carry-over in the first five days of the meet and there was only one winning ticket on Saturday.

After losing in photo finishes in his two previous appearances in graded stakes at Santa Anita, Continental Red deserved to have his picture taken after Saturday's $250,000 San Luis Rey Handicap. A nose loser to Irish Prize in the San Marcos on Jan. 21 and a neck behind Nazirali in the San Luis Obispo nearly four weeks later, the 6-year-old gelding and 5-2 second choice prevailed in a blanket finish with three longshots.

The venue may be Pimlico, but the saddling area will look more like Hollywood Park or Santa Anita today when the Preakness Stakes is run for the 116th time. This is the Palm Tree Preakness. The middle race in the Triple Crown series has been won by California-connected horses in four of the last six years--Tank's Prospect, Snow Chief, Alysheba and Sunday Silence--and numerically, at least, that trend might be expected to continue today.

Best Pal's groom, Jose Vera, needs to be on his toes when the 8-year-old gelding is paraded before the crowd on Santa Anita Handicap day Saturday. "There's always the chance," trainer Richard Mandella said, "that he'll think we're bringing him over there to run a mile and a quarter." He might be the last to know, but Best Pal's racing days are over, after three Santa Anita Handicaps--one of them a victory, in 1992--and 44 other races. He won 18 times, earning $5,668,245.

Two of the four solid favorites for Saturday's 117th Kentucky Derby appeared to have their chances compromised Thursday when the post-position draw left Fly So Free on the inside and Best Pal in the No. 15 spot in a 16-horse field. Ian Jory, the transplanted Englishman who trains Best Pal, tried to keep a stiff upper lip, still predicting victory; and Jose Santos, who rides Fly So Free, didn't think his colt's No. 1 position would matter.

FLY SO FREE Post Position 1 Jockey Jose Santos Trainer Scotty Schulhofer Odds 5-1 Career Starts 10 First Place 7 Second Place 1 Third Place 1 Earnings $1,382,004 Has the champion 2-year-old of 1990 peaked too soon? Or can his second-place finish to Strike The Gold in the Blue Grass be dismissed because of a wet track and jockey Jose Santos perhaps overreacting to trainer Scotty Schulhofer's prerace instructions?

REMARKS: When Frank Stronach finds horses he wants, he knows how to go after them. Stronach, a 57-year-old Canadian industrialist, leads with his strength, which is an open checkbook. It's a method that doesn't always work. Early this year, Stronach sent owner-trainer Ron McAnally a contract, offering about $2 million for a 75% interest in Silver Ending.

Because the favorites have been falling, the Pick Six hasn't yet at Del Mar. There were no perfect tickets in the Pick Six for the fourth consecutive day, so there will be a North American record carryover awaiting this afternoon. The pot was a Del Mar record $533,917.23 going into Saturday and it swelled to $1,117,973.55 after longshots dominated once again. The previous record carryover was $1,018,498 in November of 1983 at Bay Meadows in San Mateo, Calif.

Amid ads for casinos and break-the-bank racing tips in the Daily Racing Form is trainer Bob Marshall's call for 2-year-olds: "This year ALL of the 2-year-olds in my barn won," Marshall's small ad says. "And NONE had shin problems. . . . If you have yearlings turning two on Jan. 1, give me a call now."