LOS ALAMITOS : Controversy to Follow Aubin West

A cloud of controversy will follow driver Marc Aubin when he rejoins the Los Alamitos colony later this month from Chicago.

Aubin is fifth in the standings at Hawthorne Park, which closes next Monday. Chicago harness racing shifts the next night to Maywood Park, where Aubin might be ineligible to race.

Last month, Aubin was excluded from racing at Balmoral Park, a third Chicago-area harness track. Track President John Johnston excluded Aubin and trainer Ed Holdeman, saying he had taken the action “because of conduct and reputation that would call into question the honesty and integrity of racing at Balmoral and would interfere with the orderly conduct of racing.”

Balmoral and Maywood have common ownership, and court action in the next few days is expected to determine the status of the pair for Maywood. No action was taken by Hawthorne or the Illinois Racing Board.

Aubin will apparently be able to drive at Los Alamitos. Lloyd Arnold, track president and general manager, said he has had a long and satisfactory relationship with Aubin and considered the exclusion a matter between an individual and the management of another track.

“He knows we will be watching him, though,” cautioned Arnold, who has emphasized driver integrity since buying the track in 1989.

Aubin, 57, a native of Quebec, was a leading driver on the California circuit during the 1970s and early ‘80s before moving to Chicago in 1984. He returned to Los Alamitos for the first time last winter. Aubin, who has won nearly 2,300 races and earned more than $11 million in purses, was the leading percentage driver at Los Alamitos in 1977, ‘78, ’79 and ’81.

Holdeman, the leading trainer at Balmoral last fall, used Aubin as his driver. Holdeman has been in trouble with Chicago authorities for “milk-shaking,” a controversial practice in which a mixture of baking soda, confectioners’ sugar, electrolytes and water is tube-forced into a horse’s stomach to enhance his performance.

Drivers Joe Anderson and Rick Plano returned for the opening weekend of the 123-night Los Alamitos meet with tales of foreign adventure. Anderson visited Australia and New Zealand, and Plano took a trip to Italy.

“I was over there for about a month right after the fall meet ended,” said Anderson, leading driver of that session. “I drove in Australia at Gloucester Park in Perth in three top races over a two-week period. All the races were at 1 5/8 miles over a half-mile track, and I finished fifth all three times.”

Anderson was able to compete against Village Kid, one of the all-time stars in the sport.

“He’s a 10-year-old who recently passed Rambling Willie as the sport’s all-time leading gelding in earnings with more than $2 million,” Anderson said.

“Fans over there call him ‘the Kid’ and he won two of the three races. He was incredibly impressive every time. The first time we raced, I was in front and had him parked the whole way, ‘sitting in the death seat,’ as they say over there. At the head of the stretch, he just lifted the lines and drew away.”

Anderson also bought six horses in New Zealand in partnership with Bob Kent, a new owner and former neighbor from Chino Hills.

“I really like a 6-year-old horse named Areba Areba, who will qualify this week and race next week,” said Anderson. “He’s about 16-3 or 16-4 hands high.”

“I also bought an 8-year-old horse, Black Print, and two mares who are coming this week: Fay’s Chance, 5, and Com’on Marion, 3.”

Plano also settled for fifth last November with California-bred Los Alamitos track record-holder Divine Spirit in a rich trot in Milan.

“We were handicapped by the eight hole in a 12-horse field, but she went a real good trip,” Plano said. “She was sold after the race to Italian interests for more than $100,000.”

Australian-born drivers Ross Croghan and Pete Foley also visited their homeland during the break.

“I just surfed for seven weeks in Brisbane and stayed as far away from horses as I could,” Croghan said. “I did buy a bunch of fresh horses to bring back.”

Foley said, “I was back for five weeks and visited five states and, for the first time, New Zealand. I drove twice at tracks in Queensland and Gulf Coast.”

New Zealand-bred pacers Cool Charm Girl and Vance Lobell may soon be seeking new competition after authoritative victories in opening-weekend invitationals. Cool Charm Girl dominated the distaffers in 1:56 4/5 Friday, and Vance Lobell overpowered the males in 1:56 Saturday.

“If she wins impressively again this week, I may take her to the Meadowlands,” said Tim Maier, driver of Cool Charm Girl. “The Overbid Series is there the next three weeks with purses of $20,000, $20,000 and $70,000. We bought her last year for $60,000 and think she’s worth $125,000.”

The 8-year-old mare is trained and co-owned by Maier’s wife, Denise.

Trainer Bob Johnson hopes to keep Vance Lobell, a 7-year-old gelding, at the track a little longer.

“I hope he can race here every week, but I’m afraid of running out of competition,” Johnson said. “I’ve got to go to the stakes book and look around the country.”

Vance Lobell was purchased last year in New Zealand for $35,000.

Driver Abe Stoltzfus, who had a 50-horse stable at Del Mar, hopes to race stars Till We Meet Again and Lexie later at the meet.

“Till We Meet Again should be ready in about a month,” Stoltzfus said of the 1989 2-year-old national champion pacer. “He just didn’t get any better last year but he’s put on a little weight and acts good.”

Stoltzfus said that Lexie, a filly pacer who was unbeaten in 11 starts last year, was about six weeks away from her 3-year-old debut. Stoltzfus also has trotter Sherbie’s Lady and pacer Good Girls Don’t approaching their returns.

Los Alamitos Notes

Western Standardbred Assn. has been renamed California Harness Horsemen’s Assn. “to prevent confusion between Western Standardbred and Western Harness,” according to Executive Secretary Alan Horowitz.

A special holiday program originally scheduled next Monday has been canceled.