Sharp workout ideal prep for Milwaukee Brew

INGLEWOOD, Calif. - Milwaukee Brew, who was an upset winner of the Santa Anita Handicap, had his final work in preparation Sunday's Hollywood Gold Cup when he drilled five furlongs in 59.80 seconds Tuesday morning at Hollywood Park.

A field of six is in line for the Gold Cup, the track's premier race for older horses. Expected to join Milwaukee Brew, the likely favorite, are Dollar Bill, Momentum, Out of Mind, Sky Jack, and Macaneo, who sizzled six furlongs in 1:10.40 at Santa Anita on Tuesday morning.

Milwaukee Brew is coming off a victory in the Californian Stakes, the major prep for the Gold Cup. He has trained well since then, according to Humberto Ascanio, the lead assistant to trainer Bobby Frankel.

"He's doing real good. He's in good shape going into the race," said Ascanio, who is minding the store while Frankel is in New York. "I just need to put the saddle on him, that's it. I think he's going to run good."

Ascanio said Tuesday's work, with jockey Jose Silva aboard, was "just what Bobby wanted.

"He did it easy," Ascanio said. The time was third best of the 22 at the distance.

Macaneo, who figures to be the longest shot in the race, recorded the best six-furlong time among the nine who worked that distance. An Argentine import, Macaneo is coming off a pair of victories in turf races against high-priced claiming company.

"He worked sensationally this morning," said Roger Stein, who trains Macaneo. "I wanted to make sure he was dead fit. I believe he's going to be a better dirt horse. I'm not saying I wouldn't mind trading places with Milwaukee Brew, but he's won two in a row, he's sharp, and it's a small field."

Corey Nakatani, who has not ridden for two months, worked Macaneo, but he is not expected to return to riding until opening day at Del Mar on July 24. Stein said Pat Valenzuela would ride Macaneo in the Gold Cup.

Came Home ready for Swaps

Sunday's Hollywood Park card also features the Swaps Stakes for 3-year-olds and the A Gleam Handicap for older female sprinters. The Swaps will be the first start for Came Home with jockey Mike Smith, who is replacing the now-retired Chris McCarron. Smith worked Came Home on Tuesday morning at Santa Anita, when he breezed five furlongs in 59.60 seconds.

"Mike never moved on him," said Paco Gonzalez, who trains Came Home. "He's doing really good. I took him out at 6:30. It's too hot to go later. I've got fans on the horses. Everybody's happy. He'll go over to Hollywood Park the day of the race. That way, he can have a nice sleep the day before."

Came Home's rivals are expected to include Battler Bob, Fonz's, Like a Hero, Tracemark, and Sugar Babe, who worked five furlongs in 1:00 Tuesday at Hollywood Park.

Foot bruise forces Palmarola out of A Gleam

The A Gleam lost one of its leading contenders Tuesday morning when trainer Richard Mandella said Palmarola would miss the race because of a foot bruise.

Palmarola, an impressive winner in her lone U.S. start after being imported from Argentina, will await races at Del Mar, Mandella said.

Kalookan Queen figures to be the A Gleam favorite against the likes of Collect Call, Irguns Angel, Queen of Wilshire, Rolly Polly, Se Me Acabo, and Song of Summer.

Tout Charmant back with McAnally

The multiple-stakes-winning mare Tout Charmant has returned to trainer Ron McAnally's barn at Hollywood Park after she failed to stay in foal to Storm Cat, to whom she was bred earlier this year.

"She was pronounced in foal after 40 days, but then it disappeared," McAnally said Tuesday. "Since the breeding season was over, they decided to send her back. She just came back yesterday."

McAnally said Tout Charmant was relatively fit because she had been kept in light training in Kentucky at the Stonerside Farm of owners Robert and Janice McNair.

Greely gets top European colt

Trainer Beau Greely on Tuesday completed a deal to acquire the 3-year-old colt Century City, who finished second in the Irish 2000 Guineas to Rock of Gibraltar earlier this year. Century City is scheduled to run in Saturday's Goffs International Stakes at the Curragh with current trainer Aidan O'Brien, then head to the United States.

"We'll look at races like the Secretariat and the Travers, depending on how he works on the dirt," Greely said of Century City, a son of Danzig out of the mare Alywow.

Greely said Century City was acquired for a partnership consisting of Tom Nichols and the Kitchwa Stables of Greeley's brother, John, who runs Wintergreen Stallion Station in Kentucky.

* Go Go, who won Sunday's Great Lady M. Handicap, came out of the race in good condition and will likely make her next start in Del Mar's Rancho Bernardo Handicap on Aug. 25, according to trainer Warren Stute.