HOLLYWOOD PARK : Southern Truce Gets Another Shot at Paseana Sunday in Vanity

Even though Southern Truce has lost her last four starts, trainer Roger Stein sees no reason not to run the 5-year-old Truce Maker mare in the $300,000 Vanity Invitational Handicap on Sunday at Hollywood Park.

“She’s beaten virtually everybody in there once already,” Stein said, after looking at the list of probable starters in the 1 1/8-mile race.

“She’s doing extremely well, and if she runs her race, she’ll have a say in the outcome.”

Included among those Southern Truce has defeated is Paseana, the 126-pound highweight who will be a very short price to win the Grade I Vanity for the second consecutive year.

The highlight of Stein’s career was Southern Truce’s victory by a head over Paseana in the Santa Margarita Invitational Handicap on Feb. 28 at Santa Anita. A $16,000 claim by Stein for owner Peggy Johnson in 1991, Southern Truce, a California-bred mare, was getting 10 pounds from the Eclipse Award winner that day and she will getting 11 on Sunday.

Since then, Southern Truce has been able to win only once in five starts and was soundly beaten by Paseana in their rematch in the Apple Blossom Handicap on April 16 at Oaklawn Park.

Most recently, she was beaten by a nose by Screaming Laura in a starter allowance on July 4 at Hollywood Park, three weeks after finishing last in a starter allowance race on the turf. It was discovered after that race that she was suffering from a low-grade viral infection.

Looking back, Stein said he wishes he had done things differently after the Miss America Handicap, a $100,000 race Southern Truce won by a neck at Golden Gate Fields two weeks after the Santa Margarita.

“After that race, I should have waited for Hollywood,” he said. “We went to the Apple Blossom and that was a mistake. She had a very, very rough trip (when finishing seventh of nine). I know on the one hand she’s tough, but she’s also frail. There’s not much substance to her. She weighs maybe 850 pounds and 700 of it is heart.

“But, she seemed to come out of that race OK, and we went to the Sixty Sails (Handicap on May 1 at Sportsman’s Park). She was favored in the race, and it looked like (a good spot) for $300,000. She ran fourth and was lucky to do that.

“In hindsight, it was absolutely ridiculous to run there, and it was my decision. Looking at what she had done already, and not wanting to have the bubble burst, I wanted to grab for the gusto, which has always been a problem of mine.

“Peggy (Johnson) left it up to me. Even after she realized I made a bad error in judgment, she never said anything. Training for somebody like her is what the game’s all about. I’m thankful for her. She’s ridden the wave of Southern Truce about as gracefully as anyone can.”

The Vanity will be Southern Truce’s 10th race of 1993, but there are signs she is starting to come around again. She worked five furlongs in 1:00 3/5 Monday morning at Santa Anita under regular rider Corey Nakatani.

“I realize she’s had a long campaign, but she breezed nicely and Corey said she’s as good as ever,” said Stein.

“She’s earned the chance to run here, and there’s not many places to run her anymore. She’s out of (allowance) conditions, and I don’t really want to ship her. Second (in the Vanity) is $60,000. She’s doing well right now, and she’ll give you everything she has.”

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Santa Anita Derby winner Personal Hope bowed a tendon while galloping on Sunday and has been retired to stud.

Fourth in both the Kentucky Derby and Preakness, Personal Hope had been preparing for his return to racing in the $500,000 Haskell Invitational Handicap on Aug. 1 at Monmouth Park.

Owned by Lee and Debi Lewis, the son of Storm Bird had worked five furlongs in one minute flat last Thursday, but the problem with the tendon was discovered after he galloped Sunday morning.

“We took him out of ice and discovered filling in the tendon,” said trainer Mark Hennig. “We had him ultrasounded and it showed tendon damage.

“The Lewises are good people, and they know and understand the business. They know what the possibilities are anytime you lead one out of the stall. They handled it real well. There was never any question they were going to do what is in the best interest of the horse.”

Hennig said discussion began Thursday about where Personal Hope, who finished his career with four victories in eight starts and earnings of $471,020, will stand at stud. “We talked to some people (Thursday) and we’ll go from there,” the trainer said.

Horse Racing Notes

Laffit Pincay won three times Wednesday and is within 31 victories of 8,000 in his career. . . . Jockey Corey Nakatani was handed a five-day suspension, starting Saturday, for the disqualification aboard Political Figure in Sunday’s 10th race. . . . Dance With Grace, who finished eighth as the 5-2 second choice in the Landaluce last Saturday, suffered a stress fracture in a hind leg and will be sidelined indefinitely. . . . Bertrando, second to Best Pal in the Hollywood Gold Cup, will make his next start in the $500,000 Iselin Handicap on July 24 at Monmouth Park. . . . Jockey Paul Atkinson, who has been out because of a broken collarbone suffered in a motorcycle accident, will probably return next week. . . . Phone Roberto the won 6 1/2-furlong feature Wednesday, his first victory in almost a year. Chris McCarron rode the 4-year-old son of Phone Trick past Rathsallah in the stretch and won by 1 1/4 lengths in 1:14 3/5, paying $4.80.