$150,000 Melair Stakes - CHANNING WAY
(Benoit and Associates photo)

INGLEWOOD, Calif. (April 28, 2001) -Arizona invader Channing Way, a daughter of Smokester and the last foal out of the Wig Out mare Only Silk, fought off Comedy Class in a stretch-long duel to capture the $150,000 Melair Stakes for 3-year-old fillies and kick off the Gold Rush II card at Hollywood Park Saturday.

Bred by owner Lawrence Becker, a Sausalito retired trial attorney for the Internal Revenue Service, and trained by Dan Morgan, Channing Way won for the fourth consecutive time and fifth in six races. Her only loss came on a drying out track. The $90,000 first-place check raised her career earnings to $123,130.

"That was a tough field of horses and she shut them off, so we might have a good one," said Morgan.

This race was her first away from Turf Paradise in Phoenix and she went off at odds of 6-1. She previously won the Cactus Cup Handicap and the K'thryns Doll Handicap. Arizona-based jockey Chance Rollins rode the winner to a nose decision over Comedy Class, with multiple stakes-winner Warren's Whistle third.

$70,000 Merial Stakes - VALIANT WONDER
(Benoit and Associates photo)

Valiant Wonder, a 4-year-old colt by Valiant Nature out of the Relaunch mare Perky Wonder, was an easy winner of the $70,000 Merial Stakes on the Gold Rush II card.

Bred by Ron Gomez, Valiant Wonder was claimed Jan. 31 for $40,000 by Arrias and Meguiar. It was the third time Valiant Nature was claimed in the last six months.

Valiant Wonder was a 5½-length winner over runnerup Cowboy Ballad, with Waingarth a nose back in third. Waingarth was a $3,500 supplemental entry and he picked up $8,400 for his connections.

Bill Spawr trained the winner and Laffit Pincay was the jockey. The $42,000 first-place check raised Valiant Wonder's career earnings to $115,110.

$175,000 Fran's Valentine Stakes - RARE CHARMER
(Benoit and Associates photo)

Rare Charmer, a 6-year-old daughter of Slewpy out of the Kennedy Road mare Dancing Road, swept the field turning for home and drew off to win the $175,000 Fran's Valentine Stakes by three lengths in the Gold Rush II at Hollywood Park.

Bred by owner Nick Cafarchia and trained by Craig Dollase, Rare Charmer comfortably held off She's Grand and Kinky Kinky for her eighth win in 22 lifetime starts. Outclassing the field, the $105,000 first-place check upped her career earnings to $540,216.

Cafarchia, who owns Eagle Rock Italian Bakery, also owns graded stakes winner Road To Slew. Laffit Pincay rode Rare Charmer for his second win in the first three Gold Rush races.

"I made one run with her and, boy, at the three-eighths pole she was flying," Pincay said of the 3-5 favorite.

$175,000 B.Thoughtful Stakes - LAZY SLUSAN
(Benoit and Associates photo)

Lazy Slusan, who bypassed Sunday's $300,000 Grade III Sixty Sails Handicap in Chicago for this, exploded at the eighth pole and drew off to win the $175,000 B. Thoughtful Stakes in the Gold Rush II for California-breds at Hollywood Park.

The 6-year-old daughter of Slewvescent, out of the Topsider mare Three Flights Up, was bred by the Robert H. Walter Family Trust. She was claimed by Dolan and Longo for $62,500 last July and has won six of her next 10 races, all stakes, including the Grade I Santa Margarita.

In that time she has won from seven furlongs to 1 1/8 miles, on dirt and turf.

Trained by John Dolan and ridden by Victor Espinoza, Lazy Slusan sat off a hot pace set by Phaenna and Image of Glory. Shortly after Image of Glory put away Phaenna at the top of the stretch, Lazy Slusan blew on by and won by three lengths in 1:21 4/5 for the seven furlongs.

"When I saw those two horses going fast out front, I was just kind of laughing to myself on the backside," said Espinoza. "I was thinking, this is going to be so easy. And it was."

The victory, her 11th in 43 starts, raised Lazy Slusan's career earnings to $876,430.

$60,000 A Kiss For Luck Maiden Stakes - LIGHTEN UP TINY
(Benoit and Associates photo)

First-time starter Lighten Up Tiny, a daughter of Bertrando out of the El Baba mare Babbzookie, rallied from far back and pulled away in late stretch to win the $60,000 A Kiss For Luck Maiden Stakes for California-breds in Gold Rush II at Hollywood Park.

Bred by the Arnold Family Trust and owned by Jack or Florence Arnold, Lighten Up Tiny lived up to her quick workouts for trainer Bob Baffert and jockey Tyler Baze with the eight-length triumph.

Baffert, who had three of the 14 starters in the race, also trained the runner-up, Miss Skagit State. Longshot Mahdee's Gold finished third.

$175,000 Khaled Stakes - SPINELESSJELLYFISH
(Benoit and Associates photo)

Spinelessjellyfish carried Hall of Fame jockey Chris McCarron to his 7000th career victory by edging Lester's Boy and millionaire Native Desert at the wire and successfully defending his title in the $175,000 Khaled Stakes for California-breds at Gold Rush II at Hollywood Park Saturday.

The 5-year-old son of Skywalker, out of the Desert Wine mare Silky Sand Sammy, was bred by Cardiff Farm Management, which owns him in partnership with Bart Heller, and trained by Jenine Sahadi.

In a stirring stretch-long battle, Spinelessjellyfish prevailed by a neck between horses for his first victory since he won this 1 1/16-mile turf race last year. In the meantime, he spent eight months on the sidelines after chipping a knee in the Lone Star Handicap and finished no better than third in four races. He has eight wins in 17 races and the $105,000 first-place check raised his career earnings to $506,624.

McCarron, only the seventh jockey to win that many races, was joined in a winner's circle ceremony by the two all-time winningest jockeys, Laffit Pincay and Bill Shoemaker.

"This horse is a fighter," McCarron said. "He just loves to win."

$70,000 Lakeview Thoroughbred Farms Stakes - CEE'S ELEGANCE
(Benoit and Associates photo)

Cee's Elegance, a daughter of Cee's Tizzy out of the Norcliffe mare Elegant beauty, rallied back to win the $70,000 Lakeview Thoroughbred Farms Stakes Saturday during Gold Rush II at Hollywood Park.

Bred by the late Cecilia Straub-Rubens and owned by her revocable trust and trained by Jay Robbins - the Tiznow connections - Cee's Elegance finished first for the first time in a 13-race career. She broke her maiden 15 months ago only when moved up through a disqualification.

It appeared she would not finish first in this race as she gave up the lead to The Heebster at the three-sixteenths pole. But she battled back to win by three-quarters of a length, with Glittering Affair finishing third. The $42,000 winner's check pushed Cee's Elegance's earnings to $117,433.

The win also was the second straight and 7001st for jockey Chris McCarron.

$100,000 Quicken Tree Stakes - RINGASKIDDY
(Benoit and Associates photo)

Ringaskiddy, claimed twice in the past eight months for $50,000, pocketed the $60,000 first prize Saturday for winning the $100,000 Quicken Tree Stakes for California-breds as part of Gold Rush II at Hollywood Park.

Ringaskiddy, a 5-year-old gelding, became the second son of Slewvescent and the second bred by the Robert H. Walter Trust to win on the all-stakes card. Earlier, Lazy Slusan, a daughter of Slewvescent bred by the Walter Trust, captured the $150,000 B. Thoughtful Stakes. He is out of the Halo mare Halo At Dawn.

Sent off at odds of 22-1 by trainer and co-owner Juan Garcia, Ringaskiddy made a move on the far turn, split horses to take the lead and held off Adminniestrator.
"I made a couple of mistakes riding on the grass yesterday and my agent (Vince DeGregory) told me with longshots you have to take a chance," said winning rider Isaias Enriquez. "I took a chance today and the door opened."

The win in the 1½-mile turf marathon was the first for Ringaskiddy in more than a year and only second on turf in 19 tries.

With four wins in 37 lifetime starts, Ringaskiddy has career earnings of $242,565. Adminniestrator was second by a nose over Continental Red.

$60,000 Jaklin Klugman Maiden Stakes - EX FEDERALI
(Benoit and Associates photo)

Even-money favorite Ex Federali, a son of In Excess out of the Crystal Water mare Crystal Cop, gave trainer Bob Baffert a sweep of the Gold Rush II maiden races by capturing the $60,000 Jaklin Klugman Maiden Stakes for California-breds at Hollywood Park.

Bred by Maynard Davis and Charles Novak, Ex Federali was making his fifth career start and had never finished worse than third. He won the race by four lengths, with Speedy Pick second and Market Cap third. 

The $36,000 first-place check nearly doubled Ex Federali's career earnings.