Eight Turf Specialists Vie in American Derby

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Edited release from Arlington Park
Cappuchino and Mananan McLir, only a head apart at the finish of the Round Table Handicap at Bay Meadows two starts back, match strides again when they face six international rivals in Sunday's $225,000 American Derby at Arlington Park.

The grade II American Derby, at 1 1/16 miles on Arlington's turf course, is the second leg of the Mid-America Triple that began with the grade II $175,000 Arlington Classic and concludes with the grade I $400,000 Secretariat Stakes. Mr. Mellon, who won the June 29 Classic, has bypassed the American Derby but may return for the August 17 Secretariat.

A bay son of Capote, Cappuchino, owned by the partnership of George Todaro, Howard Litt & trainer Jerry Hollendorfer, set the pace for more than three-quarters of a mile in the Arlington Classic before fading to sixth. In addition to capturing the Round Table in June, the Jerry Hollendorfer charge took top honors in the $55,000 Golden State Mile at Golden Gate Fields in February and finished a good second in the $150,000 California Derby on the main track at Bay Meadows. Randall Meier, who was aboard Cappuchino in the Arlington Classic, gets a return call.

Michael Jarvis, Gary Margolis, et al.'s Mananan McLir, whose late rally in the Round Table came up a head short, ran fourth in the grade III Cinema Breeders' Cup Handicap at Hollywood Park the same weekend that Cappuchino ran here in the Arlington Classic. The son of Royal Academy is trained by Wally Dollase and will have the services of Arlington's leading jockey, Rene Douglas, who has ridden the winner in all three of the track's graded stakes contested thus far this season.

Moyglare Stud's Jazz Beat invades from Ireland for Sunday's headliner. The son of Darshaan ran eighth in the Group I Budwesier Irish Derby on the Emerald Isle in his last start. He is trained by Dermot Weld, Ireland's all-time leading conditioner who won the American Derby two years ago with Highland Farms et al.'s Pine Dance. Jockey Patrick Smullen, who has ridden Jazz Beat in three of his four career starts, is slated to fly in from Europe for the mount.

In addition to Cappuchino, three other starters from the Arlington Classic -- Lizabeth Gore's Scooter Roach, William P. Stiritz & Brian Zander's Robin Zee and Jerry Givens & Jack Gullett's Seanisky -- have been entered in the American Derby. Completing the field for the American Derby is Three Kings Stable's Extra Check.

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