It’s Worth Wait for Listening

Midway through the $178,700 Milady Handicap, trainer Ron McAnally felt good about the position of his filly, Listening.

While heavily favored Exotic Wood and Chile Chatte were battling through a 45 1/5 half-mile, Listening and Alex Solis were sitting in third, some six lengths back, in the garden spot.

“When I saw that [fraction], I knew we were sitting pretty,” McAnally said.

When the field reached the quarter pole, Listening--the 3-1 second choice--went past the spent leaders on to victory by four lengths in 1:41 1/5 for the 1 1/16 miles.

This was the fourth victory in five tries on Hollywood Park’s main track for Listening, and it gave McAnally a record sixth Milady victory in the last nine years.

Chile Chatte lost the war, but easily won her battle with 3-5 favorite Exotic Wood, finishing 10 lengths ahead of her.

This was the second defeat in as many 1997 starts for Exotic Wood after she began her career with eight victories in nine starts.

She went it alone in the Milady after stablemate Twice The Vice was scratched earlier in the day. Twice The Vice worked five furlongs in 59 3/5 Sunday morning and will be shipped to New York on Tuesday to run in Saturday’s $250,000 Hempstead Handicap at Belmont Park.

The fast pace compromised Exotic Wood’s chance at a victory, though Chile Chatte was also involved in that 22 4/5, 45 1/5 and 1:08 4/5 duel and defeated her soundly.

“It was too fast,” said Ron Ellis, the trainer of Exotic Wood. “You can’t go 45 1/5, I don’t care what the situation is. I thought that Traces Of Gold (who finished fifth and last at nearly 10-1) would be the one to press her.

“I don’t think there’s anything wrong with her. Even when she was at her best [in 1996], nobody can go head-and-head in 45 1/5 and expect to win.”

Whatever, the situation was ideal for Listening, who had failed to win in her previous four starts this year. She had been third three times and was sixth in a field of eight in the La Canada Stakes at Santa Anita.

Still, McAnally never lost faith and thinks her future might be on turf.

“She’s bred to run on the grass, but she’s only had one chance there in her life [the Senorita Stakes in April, 1996, in which she finished fifth.] It seems like every time I try to put her in a grass race, there’s Different [a mare McAnally also trains] or it gets too tough. One of these days we’ll get a shot to run her there.”

The Milady victory was also a record third for owner Janis Whitham. She owned two-time winner Bayakoa with her late husband, Frank, and this victory was came a week after Bayakoa’s death at age 13. The Argentine-bred mare, a two-time Breeders’ Cup Distaff winner, was euthanized after complications developed after she gave birth last month.

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Will’s Way worked seven furlongs in 1:26 flat Sunday morning at Belmont Park, but no decision was made on whether he will ship to California for the $1-million Hollywood Gold Cup on Sunday.

“He worked perfectly,” trainer H. James Bond said. “It was exactly what I was looking for. We’re still in the process of deciding.”

If the winner of the 1996 Travers doesn’t show up, only six are scheduled to run in the 1 1/4-mile Gold Cup and four of them--Siphon, Sandpit, Gentlemen and Talloires--are trained by Richard Mandella.

Horse Racing Notes

After galloping Sunday morning, Touch Gold got loose briefly in the stable area at Hollywood Park, but was quickly caught by one of trainer Paco Gonzalez’s employees. Gonzalez trains Free House, who was third behind Touch Gold and Silver Charm in the Belmont Stakes. . . . Radu Cool, like Twice The Vice, was a Milady scratch. . . . Frisk Me Now re-rallied against favored Anet in the final yards and won the $300,000 Ohio Derby Sunday at Thistledown in Cleveland. . . . Famous Digger won the $70,000-added Variety Queen Handicap, then got loose after the race and circled the track a couple of times before being caught. . . . Pearl City won the $107,800 Prioress Stakes over a sloppy track at Belmont Park, beating Alyssum by two lengths.