Columnist Ralph Siraco: Aptitude enjoys Gold Cup’s Hollywood ending

Ralph Siraco

Monday, July 2, 2001 | 10:58 a.m.

Ralph Siraco's horse racing column appears Monday, and his Southern California selections run Tuesday-Sunday. Reach him c/o Las Vegas Sun, 2275 Corporate Circle Drive, Suite 300,Henderson, NV 89014.

When Hollywood Park staged its Hollywood Gold Cup day program and a $1 million guaranteed pick-six pool on Sunday, little did track management -- or for that matter, any of the nationwide horseplayers of the day's races---realize that the fireworks on the track would set up what is certain to be a record day on Wednesday's holiday card.

The Sabbath presentation, dotted with four stakes races highlighted by the $750,000 Hollywood Gold Cup, ended with an upset in the challenging pick-six sequence and a disqualification in the main event.

Among Sunday's highlights:

The fourth race provided a warm-up for the main event. With Eddie Delahoussaye aboard, Ran D Scott nearly ran over horses early in the six-furlong contest only to re-rally and run down the leaders in an impressive performance. The first time starter paid a whopping $60.20 for the maiden-breaker but was not the biggest-price winner of the day.

The fifth race was the Hollywood Gold Cup. The 1 1/4-mile classic is the centerpiece event of the Hollywood Park season for the handicap division. A short field of five with a coupled betting entry allowed only four betting interests, but the outcome of the Grade I event would involve four of the five in an incident that ultimately was decided by track stewards.

At the start, long shot Power Wing struck the front with Californian Stakes winner Skimming attending the pace. Multi-stakes winner Futural sat right outside those leaders with Dubai World Cup winner Captain Steve at the rail and the trailing Aptitude behind.

As the field wheeled into the final turn, the outclassed claimer Power Wing packed it in while Captain Steve, with Gary Stevens aboard, and Skimming, with Garrett Gomez atop, moved together on the lead. Jockey Chris McCarron sent Futural three-wide while Aptitude, with Laffit Pincay, Jr. in the saddle, began to unwind from last.

As the top trio straightened away for the run to the wire, Futural suddenly shifted ground inward, closing a hole and causing Skimming to check hard while bumping with him and Captain Steve. Futural pulled away to finish first by 1 1/2 lengths while Aptitude rallied in the clear for the runner-up spot with entrymate Skimming holding together to beat Captain Steve for third.

Then the stewards stepped in.

Futural joined Caterman in 1981 as the second horse in the race's 62-year history to be disqualified. Futural was placed third behind the horse he impeded -- Skimming -- who was elevated to second, while Aptitude saved the day for his entrymate and their backers by backing into his first stakes score.

And then the pick-six, with a final pool of over the $1 million guarantee, began. With favorites showing the way, the pick-six was alive and kicking for many tickets after four races.

Then came the second bomb of the day.

The Grade II Triple Bend Handicap was expected to feature Los Angeles Handicap and Dubai Golden Sheheen winner Caller One against the fast sophomore sprinter Squirtle Squirt, who boasted five wins and a second in 6 Hollywood Park starts. Caller One never showed and was a late scratch while Squirtle Squirt encountered speedster Explicit through suicidal fractions of 23:3, 43:3 and 1:08:1 before Explicit cracked.

That set it up for an upsetter. His name was Ceeband and he nailed Squirtle Squirt in deep stretch, stopping the clock in 1:21:1 and almost every pick-six ticket in the process.

Although Ceeband had won 3 of 7 lifetime races at the 7-furlong distance, he returned a whopping $91.80 for the shocker.

The 11th race had relegated the multitude of pick-six players to the consolation mode. It was another wide open grass race at 1 1/16 miles. Although at least half of the dozen maidens who lined up for the finale had credentials to win, it was Checkpoint Charlie who took the gate-to-wire for the last victory of pick six, paying a civil $13 for the win.

The pick-four, a bet that encompasses the final four races of the pick-six, returned $94,280.10 for a $1 bet. A pick-six carryover was all but a foregone conclusion by the time it was announced. Five-of-six returned $3,949 with the record one-day carryover pool for Wednesday's pick-six at $691,095. That carryover also exceeds the track's two-day carryover record of $638,713. That two-day version produced a next day pick six pool of $2,389,582.

So, come Wednesday at Hollywood Park, the pick-six pool could reach the $3 million level and make for some great fireworks of the equine kind.