Ralph Siraco’s notes

Wednesday, April 26, 2000 | 9:41 a.m.

Hollywood Park will begin its spring/summer session when thoroughbred racing resumes on the Southern California circuit Friday. The 65-day meeting spans from Friday's curtain-raiser through the Monday, July 24, closing day card.

Racing will be conducted on a Wednesday-Sunday format with special holiday programs scheduled for Mondays on May 29, July 3 and closing day. There will be a special Tuesday racing card on July 4 while there will be two dark Wednesdays on June 28 and July 5.

The popular Friday night cards will continue to usher in the weekend racing with a 7 p.m. post time except for May 5 which is Kentucky Oaks day. Hollywood will offer live afternoon racing while its sister track will simulcast the entire Kentucky Oaks card earlier that day. Of course, Hollywood Park -- which is owned by Churchill Downs, Inc. -- will offer the following day's Kentucky Derby program from Churchill Downs as well as its live racing card for a big day of racing from coast to coast.

The big events start with the first weekend of action at Hollywood.

Sunday will be Gold Rush Day at the Inglewood oval. Hollywood Park will host the inaugural 10-race Cal-Bred card worth $1.26 million in purses that will feature stakes events for virtually every category of runners, highlighted by the $250,000 Snow Chief Stakes for 3-year-olds at 1 1/8 miles.

Five other stakes for California-breds are also part of the Gold Rush. They are:

The $175,000 Khaled Stakes for 4-year-olds and up at 1 1/16 miles on the turf.

The $175,000 Fran's Valentine Stakes for 4-year-olds and up for fillies and mares at 1 1/16 miles on the turf.

The $150,000 B. Thoughtful Stakes for 4-year-olds and up for fillies and mares at seven furlongs.

The $150,000 Melair Stakes for 3-year-old fillies at 6 1/2 furlongs.

The $100,000 Quicken Tree Stakes for 4-year-olds and up at 1 1/2 miles on the turf.

The half-dozen added money events are all named after successful California-bred runners who were multiple stakes winners during their careers.

As if the Southern California riding colony isn't one of the strongest group of jockeys in America, Jerry Bailey, Jorge Chavez and Mike Smith will jet from the East for the Gold Rush.

Bailey, elected to the Hall of Fame in 1995, has been a frequent invader at Hollywood Park. He has scaled three of the last five winners of the Hollywood Gold Cup, which included Real Quiet last year. The 42-year-old rider has more than 4,700 career winners and boasts Eclipse Awards as the nation's outstanding jockey in 1995, 1996 and 1997.

Chavez is riding at his best right now and is coming off his finest year in the saddle. The 38-year-old won 319 races and more than $17 million in purses last year that led to an Eclipse Award as outstanding jockey of 1999.

Known as 'Chop Chop' for his aggressive slashing style of riding, the Peru native is a six-time riding champion in New York and gained national prominence last year as the regular rider of champions Artax and Beautiful Pleasure.

The resurgent Smith has a pair of Eclipse Awards (1993 and 1994) and has ridden more than 3,800 winners spanning 18 years in the saddle that began in New Mexico. The 34-year-old reignsman was the regular rider of such outstanding horses as Holy Bull, two-time Breeders' Cup Mile winner Lure and 1993 Preakness Stakes winner Prairie Bayou.

Smith has also had success at Hollywood Park while guiding Skip Away to a six-length victory in the 1997 Breeders' Cup Classic. He continues his renaissance since breaking his back in a nasty spill at Saratoga in 1998.

The Gold Rush is on, and the jockey colony on the first weekend of the Hollywood Park meeting will be a gold mine of talent.