English Group 1 winner PALACE EPISODE (Machiavellian), multiple Grade 2 hero
SILENT NAME (Jpn) (Sunday Silence), Oak Tree Breeders’ Cup Mile (G2) runner-up
ZANN (Dynaformer) and Grade 3 victor PROUDINSKY (Ger) (Silvano [Ger]) are all
top contenders in what promises to be a contentious running of Friday’s $400,000
Citation S. (G1). The 1 1/16-mile event, along with the $100,000 Generous S.
(G3) on Friday’s undercard, will kick off Hollywood Park’s three-day Turf
Festival that runs through Sunday.
The Godolphin-owned Palace Episode captured the 2005 Racing Post Trophy S.
(Eng-G1) at Doncaster, but the dark bay colt made only one start, an unplaced
effort in the Dante S. (Eng-G2), in 2006. The Saeed bin Suroor runner captured
his second start back this season when taking a Saratoga allowance/optional
claiming event in mid-August, and the four-year-old recorded a solid third in
the Kelso H. (G2) two starts back. Jose Valdivia Jr. will pick up the mount.
Silent Name captured last year’s Arcadia H. (G2) and posted a nice score in
the Commonwealth Breeders’ Cup S. (G2) in April, defeating eventual Breeders’
Cup Sprint (G1) winner Midnight Lute (Real Quiet) in the process. Transferred to
Bobby Frankel this fall, the five-year-old returned from a lengthy freshening
with an unplaced showing in the Breeders’ Cup Mile (G1) at Monmouth Park. Silent
Name is eligible to move forward off that performance, and the five-year-old
horse will make his final start before heading to stud in the Citation.
Frankel will also send out the uncoupled Proudinsky. A maiden winner in
Germany, the four-year-old colt finished a close second when making his U.S.
debut in the 2006 Arlington Classic (G2). Proudinsky wrapped up his sophomore
season with a win in the Bay Meadows Derby (G3) and opened this year with a
sharp allowance score at Oak Tree on November 2. Zann will be pursuing his first
stakes victory on Friday, but the Michael Machowsky pupil has recorded four
stakes placings, including a second by a nose in the Oak Tree Breeders’ Cup Mile
last out.
INDEPENDENT GEORGE (Cozzene), winner of the Presque Isle Mile S. two back and
fourth in the Shadwell Turf Mile (G1) most recently, will make his Southern
California debut for trainer Graham Motion in the Citation, and multiple Grade 2
king WILLOW O WISP (Misnomer) merits consideration for conditioner Vladimir
Cerin.
Palace Episode will lead the post parade under a 114-pound impost. Next comes
Independent George, Corey Nakatani, 115; LANG FIELD (Langfuhr), Jon Court, 114;
VISA PARADE (Arg) (Parade Marshal), Joel Rosario, 114; Willow O Wisp, Martin
Garcia, 116; Silent Name, Brice Blanc, 117; Zann, Garrett Gomez, 115; Proudinsky,
Rafael Bejarano, 114; and CRESTED (GB) (Fantastic Light), Michael Baze, 114.
Ten juveniles will settle the
Generous
at a mile on the turf. Pilgrim S. winner THE LEOPARD (Storm Cat), who exits
a seventh in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf, looms as a major win candidate for
Todd Pletcher. Gomez will ride the $2.5 million two-year-old in training
purchase. Recent maiden winners INDIAN SUN (Indian Charlie) and MAKE THEM BREAK
(Sunday Break [Jpn]) are in the line-up, and English invaders SPINNING SOUND
(Ire) (Spinning World) and MEER KAT (Ire) (Red Ransom) will both make their U.S.
debut.