Early Pioneer Up to Challenge Again

Vladimir Cerin was the only trainer with a horse in the $1-million Sempra Energy Hollywood Gold Cup who attended the pre-race party Saturday night at the Beverly Hills Hotel. So one more handicapping angle has surfaced: Bet the trainer who goes to the party.

Sunday, Cerin’s Early Pioneer--a refugee from the $62,500 claiming ranks--beat favored General Challenge by one length in one of the biggest upsets in the 61 years of the Gold Cup before 29,151 at Hollywood Park.

The longest shot at 24-1 odds in the nine-horse field, Early Pioneer’s $51 payoff was the second-largest winning mutuel in the Gold Cup, topped only by Marquetry’s $56.80 payoff in 1991.

General Challenge, with credentials that include victories in the Santa Anita Derby, the Pacific Classic, the Strub and the Santa Anita Handicap, went off at 7-5 odds in his first race in three months. He had undergone throat surgery for a breathing disorder after Early Pioneer, then at 26-1 odds and carrying 10 fewer pounds, beat him in the San Bernardino Handicap at Santa Anita on April 9.

Since then, Early Pioneer--a 5-year-old gelding--twice finished second, beaten by less than a length, in races won by Out Of Mind and Big Ten, other Gold Cup runners who were left in the dust Sunday.

David, who led the 1 1/4-mile race for the first mile, finished third, beaten by 2 1/2 lengths, and Out Of Mind was fourth, a head in front of Cat Thief--last year’s Breeders’ Cup Classic winner. Early Pioneer’s time of 2:01 2/5 was the slowest for a Gold Cup winner since Gallant Man’s 2:01 3/5 in 1958.

Early Pioneer earned $600,000, pushing his purses over $1 million since Oct. 25, 1998--the day at Santa Anita when Cerin, at the urging of Orange County automobile dealer and client David Wilson, claimed him. At the time of the claim, Early Pioneer--bred and owned by John and Betty Mabee, the owners of General Challenge--had been struggling at the stakes level, prompting trainer Jerry Hollendorfer to expose him to the claim box.

In the paddock on the day Hollendorfer lost the horse, Cerin was on a cell phone with Wilson, who had seen something he liked about Early Pioneer in the Daily Racing Form. Not visible to Wilson were a pair of ankles bigger than most ice-cream tubs.

“Do you still have your claiming insurance?” Cerin asked Wilson.

“Yes, I do,” Wilson said.

“That’s good,” Cerin said. “Because the way this horse looks, I’m not sure he’ll finish the race.”

Early Pioneer finished second, and for the next four races--only one of them a win--Cerin raced him at claiming prices between $50,000 and $100,000.

“So how smart could I have been?” Cerin said.

Smart enough to be able to overcome those ankle problems and saddle only the seventh gelding to win the Gold Cup. Of that group, Native Diver was a three-time winner in 1965-67.

Sunday’s victory was Early Pioneer’s ninth in 31 races. He has also had nine seconds and four thirds. In five races before the Gold Cup--two wins and three seconds--he was ridden by Matt Garcia, but Cerin switched to Victor Espinoza, the leading rider this season at Hollywood.

The only time Espinoza had been on Early Pioneer’s back before the Gold Cup was for a six-furlong workout on July 2. The horse was clocked in 1:14 2/5, one of the slowest at that distance for the day.

“He was very lazy,” Espinoza said. “I was told that he’s not a good work horse. I guess he tricked me. They don’t pay in the mornings, and I guess he’s like a lot of us, he was saving his energy for the race.”

With David on the lead and Big Ten settling into second place, General Challenge and jockey Corey Nakatani were surprisingly close in third, a spot where Espinoza thought he might be in the early going. But Early Pioneer, who didn’t break sharply, was sixth after the opening half-mile of 46 2/5 seconds, and fifth, four lengths behind, after three-quarters of a mile, which was run in a solid 1:10.

On the turn for home, General Challenge moved on David and took the lead. Early Pioneer, three wide, zeroed in on both of them and passed General Challenge in mid-stretch.

“I thought I had the race won at the three-eighths pole,” Espinoza said. “He looked like much the better horse then, but I knew I was going to have to ride him. He waits on other horses after he gets ahead. When I got the lead, I worried about [Out Of Mind]. Sometimes he comes like a rocket. But I never saw him.”

Nakatani was still pleased with General Challenge’s effort.

“He’s back,” said Nakatani, who had ridden General Challenge in his Strub and Santa Anita Handicap victories. “We asked him to do something a little different [be closer to the pace] because he was fresh. But being off for three months, you’ve got to think that he lost some kind of fitness. The other horse outran us, but if we’d had a race under our belt, I think we would have won it easy.”

As for the winning jockey, Espinoza dyed his hair gold about a week ago to match the name of the race, but the tint had gone reddish by Sunday.

It was the richest race ever won by the 28-year-old Espinoza. It was also an emotional victory for Espinoza and his agent Tony Matos, who had just returned from Puerto Rico, where his 72-year-old mother is hospitalized after undergoing heart surgery.

Espinoza, who is close to the Matos family, called her Sunday morning.

“I’m going to ride my horse as hard as I can,” he said. “I’m going to win this race just for you.”

Hours later, the promise was kept.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

The Finish

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NO. HORSE 1st 2nd 3rd 4 EARLY PIONEER 51.00 12.20 6.60 7 GENERAL CHALLENGE 3.40 3.00 2 DAVID 8.20

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(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

HOLLYWOOD GOLD CUP CHART

COPYRIGHT 2000 BY EQUIBASE AND HOLLYWOOD PARK

Sempra Energy Hollywood Gold Cup. Run as fifth race on July 9 program at Hollywood Park. Grade I race for three year olds & up. Purse: $1,000,000, with $600,000 paid to the winner, $200,000 to second, $120,000 to third, $60,000 to fourth, $20,000 to fifth. Distance: 1 1/4 miles.

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Horse and Jockey: 4290 Early Pioneer, Espinoza

Wt.: 124

PP: 4

1/4: 5

1/2: 6 1

3/4: 5 2 1/2

1: 3 1/2

St.r. 2 hd

Fin. 1 1

To $1: 24.50

*

Horse and Jockey: 3658 General Challenge, Nakatani

Wt.: 124

PP: 7

1/4: 3

1/2: 3 1 1/2

3/4: 3 1

1: 2 1 1/2

St.r.: 1 1/2

Fin.: 2 1 1/2

To $1: 1.40

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Horse and Jockey: 3658 David, Gryder

Wt. 124

PP: 2

1/4: 1

1/2: 1 1/2

3/4: 1 1

1: 1 1/2

St.r.: 3 4

Fin. 3 1/4 To $11.40

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Horse and Jockey: (4103) Out Of Mind, Delahoussye

Wt.: 124

PP: 9

1/4: 9

1/2: 9

3/4: 8 1/2

1: 7 2 1/2

St.r.: 5 hd

Fin.: 4 hd

To $1: 4.50

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Horse and Jockey: 3429 Cat Thief, Day

Wt.: 124

PP: 1

1/4: 4

1/2: 4 hd

3/4: 6 hd

1: 6 hd

St.r.: 7 2

Fin.: 5 3/4

To $1: 5.40

*

Horse and Jockey: ---- Blueprint, McCarron

Wt.: 124

PP: 8

1/4: 8

1/2: 8 1

3/4: 9

1: 8 hd

St.r.: 8 1 1/2

Fin.: 6 3

To $1: 18.70

*

Horse and Jockey: ---- Chester House, Desormeaux

Wt.: 124

PP: 5

1/4: 7

1/2: 5 hd

3/4: 4 2

1: 4 1 1/2

St.r.: 4 hd

Fin.: 7 1 1/2

To $1: 5.40

*

Horse and Jockey: (4290) Big Ten, Solis

Wt.: 124

PP: 6

1/4: 2

1/2: 2 1/2

3/4: 2 hd

1: 5 2

St.r.: 6 hd

Fin.: 8 1

To $1: 14.40

*

Horse and Jockey: ---- Pleasant Breeze, Chavez

Wt.: 124

PP: 3

1/4: 6

1/2: 7 4 1/2

3/4: 7 1

1: 9

St.r.: 9

Fin.: 9

To $1: 18.20

Scratched None

*

3 4--EARLY PIONEER 51.00 12.20 6.60 2 7--GENERAL CHALLENGE 3.40 3.00 1 2--DAVID 8.20 Time--23.16, 46.41, 1.10.14, 1.34.89, 2.01.40. Clear & Fast. Winner--ch.g.5 Rahy--Golden Darling. Bred in Kentucky by Mr. & Mrs. John C. Mabee. Trained by Vladimir Cerin. Owned by David W & Holly F Wilson. Mutuel Pool--$1,365,050. Double Pool--$40,697. Exacta Pool--$772,914 Trifecta Pool--$763,253. Quinella Pool--$75,561. Pick Three Pool--$154,572 Superfecta Pool--$200,489

$2 DOUBLE (4/4) paid $79.40

$1 EXACTA (4-7) paid $82.30

$1 TRIFECTA (4-7-2) paid $753.00

$1 PICK THREE (6/4/4) paid $142.10

$2 QUINELLA (4-7) paid $45.80

$1 SUPERFECTA (4-7-2-9) paid $2,581.10

RACE COMMENTS

* EARLY PIONEER settled outside a rival early then off the rail leaving the backstretch, moved up three deep on the second turn and into the stretch, bid outside in midstretch, gained a short lead while drifting out some past midstretch but gamely prevailed under urging.

* GENERAL CHALLENGE was close up stalking the pace three deep, bid outside the leader on the second turn, put a head in front in upper stretch, battled gamely between horses in midstretch, fought back inside the winner when headed but could not quite match that one late.

* DAVID took the early lead between foes and angled in, set the pace along the inside, fought back inside the runner-up on the second turn, continued on well past midstretch when displaced on the lead but weakened late.

* OUT OF MIND was unhurried off the rail early, went outside foes leaving the backstretch and three deep on the second turn and into the stretch and could not offer the necessary late kick.

* CAT THIEF saved ground close up early, dropped back inside on the backstretch, came off the rail in upper stretch, split rivals past midstretch but also lacked the needed rally.

* BLUEPRINT angled in outside a rival while unhurried early, continued to lag to the stretch and was not a threat.

* CHESTER HOUSE saved ground in a good position, split rivals nearing midway on the backstretch, regained the rail and moved up into the second turn but weakened in the stretch.

* BIG TEN was three deep early, stalked the pace between horses to the second turn, dropped back on that bend and weakened.

* PLEASANT BREEZE pulled his way along inside in the run to the first turn and was in a bit tight off heels into that turn, came off the rail before entering the backstretch, was between horses on the second turn and had little left.

LARGEST WINNING PAYOFFS

BIGGEST $2 WIN MUTUELS IN THE HOLLYWOOD GOLD CUP

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YEAR HORSE TRAINER JOCKEY PRICE 1991 Marquetry Bobby Frankel David Flores $56.80 2000 Early Pioneer Vladimir Cerin Victor Espinoza $51.00 1963 Cadiz Bob Wheeler Eddie Burns $50.20 1976 Pay Tribute Ron McAnally Marco Castaneda $29.80 1980 Go West Young Man Mary Lou Tuck Eddie Delahoussaye $25.50 1949 Solidarity Carl Roles Ralph Neves $24.80

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