HOLLYWOOD PARK : Live the Dream Lets Whittingham’s Come True

How lucky is Charlie Whittingham these days?

Lucky enough to saddle four horses in Sunday’s $200,000 Hollywood Derby, see three of them get in trouble, the other finish last--and still win the race.

Live the Dream, who had the highest odds of Whittingham’s four starters, recovered from a chain-reaction collision around the first turn to win the Grade I derby by a head over Canadian invader Charley Barley.

River Master, another of the Whittingham colts, finished third in the 1 1/8-mile turf race, a neck behind Charlie Barley and barely ahead of the surprising French invader Lowell. One Drink, another longshot, was fifth.

Whittingham liked his chances going in.

“We’ve got them surrounded,” the trainer quipped as he walked to the paddock. “I’ve already won three derbies this year, and I’ve got four in here going for my fourth. Sounds like a good omen to me.”

Whittingham’s other three 1989 derby victories--the Kentucky, Super and Santa Anita--came from Sunday Silence, who underwent knee surgery last week.

Live the Dream did not win his first race until May 20 at Golden Gate Fields, the day Sunday Silence was beating Easy Goer in front of a national audience in the Preakness Stakes. Live the Dream was overlooked at 14-1 despite having beaten older horses in the Russell Handicap at Santa Anita. “He’s been improving every race,” Whittingham said. “I thought he had a big shot today. Of course, I thought all my horses had a good shot.”

Problems apparently started on the derby’s first turn when longshot Art Work, ridden by Martin Pedroza, angled toward the rail.

Chris McCarron, riding River Master, took up as Art Work came over, although no contact was made.

“I ride my colt on a loose rein,” McCarron said. “Martin came over a little sooner than he should have, and I had to take up. My colt has a tendency to lug out anyway, but when I had to take hold of him he really leaned right.”

River Master bore out into the face of Live the Dream, who in turn veered in front of Fast ‘n’ Gold. But the worst of the trouble was saved for Whittingham’s other colt, Seven Rivers, who had found a good position going into the turn from his No. 12 post. Said jockey Robbie Davis: “I heard some yelling down on the inside. I figured whatever was happening wouldn’t bother me out there. The next thing I know my colt is knocked sideways and almost goes down.”

Seven Rivers found himself floundering around in the middle of the turn. Live the Dream and River Master retained good enough position to keep their chances alive.

Shining Steel led around the far turn and into the stretch. Charlie Barley, who was beaten only a half-length by Breeders’ Cup Turf winner Prized in the Molson Challenge, took the lead with a furlong to run.

First Lowell, then River Master, and finally Live the Dream went after Charlie Barley. He held them all off except for one.

Alex Solis, riding Live the Dream for the first time, said his main concern was the distance of the race.

“He’d been running longer,” Solis said. “I was worried he would get too relaxed, so once I got a good position on the backstretch I kept riding him.

“I knew last week I would be riding one of Charlie’s horses in this race,” Solis added. “I’m glad he put me on the right one.”

Live the Dream is owned by Mary Bradley and Nancy Chandler, who also raced his dam--Became a Lark--in partnership with Whittingham. Bradley’s red silks have been a California fixture for more than 20 years atop such outstanding runners as Cougar II and Greinton.

Live the Dream was timed in 1:47 and paid $30.40 to win. Whittingham indicated Live the Dream might run in the $500,000 Hollywood Turf Cup on Dec. 10 at 1 1/2 miles.

“Good,” said Solis. “The farther the better.”

Horse Racing Notes

The injury-plagued career of Political Ambition has come to an end. The 5-year-old son of Kirtling has been retired after suffering a fracture in the same left fore ankle that sidelined him at the end of 1988. Political Ambition won half of his 18 starts and $625,555, with his biggest victory coming in the 1988 Hollywood Invitational. . . . Gary Jones knew exactly what he was doing when he entered the maiden 3-year-old Quiet American against older winners in Sunday’s sixth race. The son of Fappiano won the 1 1/8-mile race by three-quarters of a length over the stakes-placed Morlando. Quiet American had run three times on grass in England for Sheikh Mohammed al Maktoum before being sent to Jones last summer. “He’s bred for dirt and he’s trained great on dirt, so I really wasn’t surprised he won,” Jones said. Quiet American was a $300,000 yearling purchase

Hollywood Park will add another $2 exacta beginning Wednesday on the seventh race. . . . The bone chips taken out of Sunday Silence’s knee will be sent to Dr. Roy Poole, a pathologist at the University of California-Davis who is studying bone damage. . . . Jerry Moss’ Ruhlmann worked a mile in 1:37 3/5 Sunday morning in preparation for next Sunday’s Citation Handicap. Once rated among the top older horses in the West, Ruhlmann has not raced since he was beaten by Rahy in the Bel Air Handicap in July. . . . There will be a Pick Six carry-over of $184,361 when racing resumes at Hollywood Park on Wednesday.