Racing at Hollywood Park : Solis Brings Down Curtain on Disappointing Meeting With 5 Winners

Hollywood Park ended its 68-day thoroughbred meeting Monday pretty much as it began last April 26, with attendance on the slide, a major shareholder upset and a broad-shouldered Panamanian in the winner’s circle.

Laffit Pincay, who won his 12th Hollywood Park championship to go along with the Santa Anita title he won earlier this year, was shut out on closing day. But his countryman and devoted protege, Alex Solis, put together a five-winner afternoon that included a sweep of a stakes doubleheader.

“I’ve won five in a day before,” said Solis, 25, who was the regular rider of Preakness winner Snow Chief in 1986. “But that’s the first time I did it in California.”

Solis’ exploits took place in front of a closing-day on-site crowd of 16,819, worst finale in the 51-year history of the track. Still, the season-ending figures gave Hollywood management a few reasons to smile.

“I think even I underestimated the impact that the traffic situation would have on our on-track business,” said Marje Everett, chairman and chief operating officer of Hollywood Park. “And I don’t think we’ve bottomed out yet. Tracks everywhere are faced with the same situation.

“But the satellite wagering sites give us a silver lining. And I don’t think we’ve realized their full potential yet.”

Off-track betting increased by 14% and off-track attendance by 7.7%, taking some of the sting off the disappointing on-track numbers. The live gate at Hollywood this season averaged 19,044, an all-time low for the summer meeting and down 7.9% from last year.

The average daily on-track handle was $4.8 million, an increase of less than 1% from 1988. Combining on and off-track totals, a daily average of $6.3 million was bet throughout the Southern California network.

Meanwhile, Thomas Gamel, Denver businessman and horse owner who holds a 5.6% share in the Hollywood Park operating and realty companies, last Friday sent a letter to fellow stockholders again criticizing management.

Gamel’s primary goal has been the removal of Everett from her position. His letter reiterated what he believes are the problems of the current administration, including a lack of dividends for the past two years, a debt load of nearly $120 million and operating losses over the last nine quarters of $22.7 million.

“His letter contains nothing new,” Everett said. “And he is conveniently forgetting such accomplishments as the Pick Six and Sunday racing, which increased our business dramatically when we instituted them.”

The pending sale of the Los Alamitos Race Course property in Cypress continues to hang over the Hollywood balance sheet. Gamel said from Denver that he anticipates an announcement of a sale agreement within a few weeks. Everett, citing scrutiny by the Securities Exchange Commission, had no comment on the Los Alamitos situation.

“As a major shareholder, I’m hoping they sell it and get a big price,” Gamel said. “Then I would expect them to sell off part of the Hollywood Park property itself for development to reduce the debt load further. After that they’ll probably forge ahead like they have been.

“But that’s the problem. Mrs. Everett has already proven that she should not be in charge.”

Gamel also sent letters to California horse owners and trainers, soliciting opinions as to whether or not Everett should be “removed from any position of authority at Hollywood Park.”

“I’m also interested in getting their opinions about my ideas to close Hollywood Park as a live racing facility and work toward realigning the Southern California racing season with only two major tracks in operation, Santa Anita and Del Mar,” Gamel said.

“I realize the idea may sound a little radical to some people. That’s why I want to get some reaction from the people whose lives are affected.”

The closing-day fans got to see an exciting display by Solis, whose physique and style compares favorably to Pincay’s. Solis always enjoys the compliment.

“He’s the greatest,” Solis said of Pincay, 42. “I only hope I can accomplish half of what Laffit has done. That would be a great career.”

Monday’s tour de force by Solis began in the second race with Gold Decor ($8) and continued in the fifth with Maybe Maybenot ($17.60).

Solis won the next race, the $62,200 Typecast Handicap, by 1 1/4 lengths aboard A Thrilling Moment, who paid $7.60. The 3-year-old filly was winning her fifth consecutive race for trainer Mel Stute and owners Marlo and Robert Cass.

Solis finished fourth in the seventh race, than came back for an upset in the $78,000 Auld Lang Syne Handicap with Ed and Shirley Johnston’s 10-1 shot Quiet Boy, a 4-year-old gelding who was bred by actor John Forsythe, a Hollywood Park director.

A Thrilling Moment and Quiet Boy both are by the Kentucky stallion Lydian, a son of champion Lyphard.

Solis capped his day by winning the ninth race on Novelty ($6.40).

Pincay ended the meet with 84 winners, six more than Chris McCarron, who won with 25% of his mounts. Pincay’s clicked at a 21% pace.

Charlie Whittingham won his fourth Hollywood training title with 25 winners, including the hard luck maiden Bracoy on closing day. The accomplishment, however, was somewhat diluted by the upset of stable star Sunday Silence in the Swaps Stakes the previous day.

“He came out of the race just fine,” Whittingham said Monday. “He wasn’t even tired, didn’t even take a sip of water.”

Whittingham had been critical of Pat Valenzuela’s ride in the Swaps, in which the Derby-Preakness winner was beaten by three-quarters of a length by Prized after taking a commanding lead into the stretch.

However, Whittingham, a 25% owner of Sunday Silence as well, said he did not plan to replace Valenzuela for the colt’s next race. That could come in either the $1-million Molson Challenge at Woodbine in Canada on Sept. 10 or the $1-million Super Derby at Louisiana Downs on Sept. 24.

Horse Racing Notes

Bayakoa was voted horse of the meeting by the media. The Argentine mare with the pronounced overbite won three stakes, including the Gr. I Vanity Handicap. “Her buck teeth have nothing to do with the way she runs,” trainer Ron McAnally said. “But I think I’ll start looking for more horses like that.” . . . There were two stakes records set on the main track at the meeting and four set on the turf course. Charlie Whittingham trained three of them, including Jerry Moss’ Mervyn LeRoy Handicap winner Ruhlmann. . . . The biggest on-track crowd of the meet was the 42,612 on Bill Shoemaker Night, July 21. The smallest gathering was the 11,063 who showed up on a Monday program, July 10. . . . Hollywood Park will again open the Pavilion of the Stars and part of the clubhouse for off-track betting on the Del Mar races, beginning Wednesday. First post is 2 p.m.