Top trainer, top jockey ones to beat

POMONA, Calif. - The curtain closes Sunday on the 2004 Los Angeles County Fair race meet, but not before trainer Doug O'Neill and jockey Martin Pedroza tighten the grips they've held throughout the 17-day Fairplex Park meeting.

O'Neill set the single-meet record for wins by a trainer with a victory by Blairs Roarin Star on Friday, and he'll look to add to that total when he saddles Jake Skate in Sunday's $100,000 Ralph M. Hinds Pomona Invitational Handicap. Blairs Roarin Star was O'Neill's 14th winner this meet, breaking Mel Stute's record of 13 set in 1986.

Meanwhile, Pedroza entered Friday with 41 winners, seven fewer than David Flores's record of 48 wins by a jockey, set in 1991. Pedroza rides Kristine's King in the Pomona Handicap.

Six others will try to upset Jake Skate and Kristine's King in the about 1 1/8-mile Pomona: the 120-pound highweight Nose the Trade, Royal Place, and four longshots - the Mike Mitchell-trained Hotel Hall and Eye Pea Oh, late-runner Six Numbers, and Sanger.

After losing 10 starts in a row, Jake Skate has won 3 of 4 and continues to improve. O'Neill claimed him for $40,000 in February, and said he "has gotten really, really good. He's gained confidence, and we've learned more about him."

Specifically, it means getting Jake Skate into the race early. He earned a graded stakes-caliber pace figure winning a two-other-than allowance Sept. 4 at Del Mar, and a similar performance Sunday would make him tough to catch.

Pedroza leads the Fairplex jockey standings for the sixth straight year, but he has not won the Pomona since 1996. His mount, Florida shipper Kristine's King, has won 6 of 28 starts, and his running style is similar to Jake Skate's. Both race on the front end.

Royal Place ran a clunker Aug. 22 at Emerald Downs, but trainer Rafael Becerra's excuse makes sense. Royal Place broke from post 11 in the 12-horse field. "Everything was against us - the off track, the post, and we had no choice but to send him," he said. "It wasn't a good day."

Royal Place finished sixth, but Becerra said he has trained with greater enthusiasm, and he expects an improved effort Sunday.

Royal Place has won 6 of 24 starts, and figures to get a ground-saving trip behind the two favorites. Nose the Trade's recent races have been subpar, but he should fire first start back for trainer Bobby Frankel. A nine-time winner in 38 starts, Nose the Trade is racing for the first time since Aug. 5.

Late-runners Hotel Hall, Six Numbers, and Eye Pea Oh figure to benefit from a fast pace.