Pick six hit, coast to coast

POMONA, Calif. - Only one of the six winning tickets in the Fairplex Park pick six Monday was purchased in California, as bettors across the country poured $672,756 chasing a three-day carryover that had swollen to $297,793. The gross pool, including carryover, reached $970,549, and the winning tickets each returned $111,230.

Two of the winners were purchased through Lewiston, Maine, the hub that funnels wagers from Racing and Gaming Services, an offtrack betting service based in the Caribbean. Three other winning tickets were purchased outside California - at Calder, Turf Paradise, and Connecticut OTB. The only local winner was purchased at Hollywood Park.

Pedroza strong as usual

There may be a changing of the guard in the Southern California jockey colony, but Martin Pedroza is still the main man at Fairplex Park. For the second straight day Monday, Pedroza bagged four winners to move clear on the jockey standings. Pedroza's back-to-back quadruple increased his four-day total to 11 wins from 32 mounts, four in front of Felipe Martinez. Pedroza entered the 2003 Los Angeles County Fair meet as the all-time leading rider here with 349 wins.

Frank Olivares won a race at the fair on Monday for the first time in more than a decade, but the jockey did not even get his picture taken in the winner's circle. Olivares, who entered the meet as the 10th-leading rider at the fair with 117 career wins, came out of a 10-year retirement this summer. In the third race Monday, Olivares rode Alnbill to a second-place finish and inherited the win after stewards disqualified runaway winner Cayerless and Bold for interference at the start.

Turnaround for Atouratoura

His recent form muddled by a series of nondescript turf races, Atouratoura returned to the main track on Monday and scored a $24.80 upset in the $50,000 Derby Trial. Trainer Pete Eurton claimed Atouratoura for $50,000 in July, ran him once more on turf, then returned him to his preferred surface Monday. "He's better on dirt," Eurton said, "and they just don't run enough 3-year-old races at this level on dirt."

Felipe Martinez, who is riding the five-eighth-mile track as well as anyone, was aboard Atouratoura for the first time, and will ride the 3-for-8 gelding Sept. 27, when he runs back in the $100,000 Pomona Derby. The win was the seventh from just 19 mounts at the meet for Martinez. Elusive Indian, the 2-1 favorite, finished second in the Derby Trial. Custom Framing finished third. Atouratoura finished the 1 1/16-mile race in 1:44.86. His $24.80 mutuel was the highest in the pick six sequence.

Bit of a drop for Wind Flow

Wind Flow was in too tough last month when she eyeballed the country's top 2-year-old filly, Halfbridled, in a Grade 1 race at Del Mar. On Thursday at the Los Angeles County Fair, Wind Flow drops into a $50,000 stakes at Fairplex.

"I don't think anyone can beat Halfbridled right now," Wind Flow's trainer, Caesar Dominguez, said. "I thought my filly ran a really, really big race."

Wind Flow set the pace to the stretch in the Debutante, then tired to fourth. Wind Flow faces easier company Thursday in the Bustles and Bows, 6 1/2-furlong race for 2-year-old fillies that attracted six entrants.

The race is not a walkover for Wind Flow. Miss Sand Bar also is dropping in class. Runner-up in a fast allowance sprint against males at Del Mar, Miss Sand Bar drops in to face her own gender Thursday, and is a potential theft candidate. She has finished first or second in all four of her starts.