HOLLYWOOD PARK : Answer Do Pulls Fast One on Turf

The ride home to Phoenix will be a pleasant one for trainer Lyman Rollins and Answer Do.

After four second-place finishes and one third, Answer Do picked the right time to win his first race on the turf.

The second longest shot in the field at 30-1, the 4-year-old To-Agouri-Mou gelding found room along the rail under Russell Baze and defeated 14-1 shot Waterscape by a half-length to win the $84,950 Hollywood Turf Express Saturday at Hollywood Park.

In winning for the eighth time in 25 career starts, Answer Do completed the six furlongs in 1:07, a North American record for the distance on turf. The previous record was 1:07 2/5, set by Zany Tactics in this race four years earlier.

“Every time he’s run they’ve had to either break a track record or equal it to beat him,” said Rollins, cowboy hat firmly in place. “This might have been his first win on the grass but every time, he’s gotten over a 100 speed rating (in the Daily Racing Form).

“He ran three times at Remington Park (in Oklahoma) and they knocked about four seconds off the track record every time he got photoed out.”

After Answer Do won a dirt sprint stakes at Turf Paradise, Rollins brought him to Santa Anita for the California Cup. He showed he could compete on this circuit that day when he finished third, beaten by less than two lengths by Valiant Pete and Sensational Star.

“He ran a winning race that day,” Rollins said. “We should have beaten Valiant Pete that day and he looked like one of the horses to beat in this race. They didn’t give us much of a chance in here, but I felt we had a real good chance.

“We’ll have to come back for the Santa Anita meeting and try ‘em again, I guess. For now, we’ll go home. I’ve got my pickup and trailer waiting.”

Having the rail certainly didn’t hurt Answer Do’s cause Saturday.

“The plan was to save ground and run them down at the end,” Baze said. “That’s exactly what happened. Mr. Rollins did an excellent job with this horse. He ran a big, big race.”

For the second consecutive time, Waterscape, who was claimed for $40,000 late last year, ran too good a race to lose. He set extremely fast fractions in the Morvich Handicap Oct. 27 at Santa Anita only to be overhauled by Yes I’m Blue in the closing yards.

Saturday, he disposed of Valiant Pete and Summer Sale, drew a half-length clear midway through the stretch, only to be frustrated by Answer Do. He saved second place by a nose over Yes I’m Blue with Earn Your Stripes, the 3-1 favorite, a non-threatening fourth.

“That other horse was fortunate enough to save ground and come through the hole,” said Rafael Meza, Waterscape’s rider. “I can’t complain, though, that’s racing.”

Yes I’m Blue’s pilot, David Flores, says the outcome might have been different if his horse had been outside.

“He likes to run outside, but with all the horses (11) in this race, we had to come through the middle,” he said. “He lugged in on the turn and he never switched leads. Had he done that, he may have gotten up.”

Hollywood Park linemaker Russell Hudak has established Itsallgreektome a 7-2 favorite in today’s $500,000 Hollywood Turf Cup.

Making his first start at 1 1/2 miles, the 3-year-old gelding drew the rail in the Grade I race, which is expected to have a full field of 14.

The Clover Racing Stable entry of Nediym and Eradicate is the 9-2 second choice, then comes Fly Till Dawn, who is seeking his third Grade I victory of the year, and Oak Tree Invitational winner Rial at 5-1.

Live The Dream, who bombed in the Citation as the 6-5 favorite, is 6-1. He’s followed by Missonary Ridge (10-1), Silver Ending (12-1), Hodges Bay and Mashkour (15-1), Silver Medallion and Vaguely Hidden (20-1). Double Wedge, Athenia Green and Big Warning are 30-1 as the mutuel field. Big Warning is an also-eligible who will need a scratch to get into the race.

Trainer Roger Stein picked up the biggest victory of his career when Robinski upset Sekondi and 10 others in the $250,000 Bay Meadows Handicap Saturday.

The 7-year-old New Zealand-bred gelding, making his second start in the United States, found the soft turf to his liking. He ran down Sekondi, who had opened up two lengths a furlong from the finish, in the final yards and won by a half-length in 1:50 4/5 for the 1 1/8 miles.

Robinski, ridden by Jorge Velasquez, paid $37.20 at Bay Meadows and $27 at Hollywood Park, where the race was simulcast.

Rushing Raj, another longshot, was third, then came Chief Terra Cotta, Variety Road, Torjoun, Courtesy Title, Pleasant Variety, Exclusive Partner, Rouvignac, Blair’s Cove and Shining Steel.

For jockey Frank Olivares, who rode Pleasant Variety, it was his final ride of a 22-year career that saw him collect 1,775 victories. Olivares plans to become a trainer.

Horse Racing Notes

Martin Pedroza will again team with agent Rich Silverstein, whom he last employed in 1987. Silverstein, who replaces Vic Lipton, will continue to handle Rafael Meza’s book, as well. . . . The California Horse Racing Board still hasn’t received the report from Dr. Joe Takamine, who examined Pat Valenzuela on Dec. 7, so there still is no hearing set for the jockey, who hasn’t ridden since Nov. 2.

A hearing is scheduled for Jan. 5 at Santa Anita regarding the Del Mar Derby. Tight Spot, who won the race, then was disqualified by the stewards, was moved up to first after hearing officer Steve Schwartz advised the CHRB to overturn the stewards’ decision. The owners of Itsallgreektome, who was the winner after the disqualification, appealed the reversal, so there will be another hearing before Schwartz.