AMERICAN
GRADED STAKES PREVIEWS
| HOLLYWOOD GOLD CUP S.
(G1), 10TH-HOL, $750,000, 3YO/UP, 1 1/4M, 4:30 P.M. PDT, 6-28 |
|
| 1 |
MAST TRACK, 4, c, by Mizzen MastNawal (Fr), by Homme de Loi O-Robert Frankel; B-Robert Frankel (Ky) |
| 2 |
PERFECT DRIFT, 9, G, by DynaformerNice Gal, by Naskra O-Stonecrest Farm; B-Dr. William A. Reed & Stonecrest Farm (Ky) |
| 3 |
HEATSEEKER (IRE), 5, h, by Giant’s CausewayRusty Back, by Defensive Play O-William de Burgh; B-Richard F Barnes (Ire) (SCR) |
| 4 |
TIAGO, 4, c, by Pleasant TapSet Them Free, by Stop the Music O-Mr & Mrs J S Moss; B-Mr. & Mrs. J. S. Moss (Ky) |
| 5 |
RACKETEER, 5, h, by Awesome AgainNoble Robyn, by Skip Trial O-Abrams M Auerbach McCauley et al; B-Adena Springs (Ky) |
| 6 |
STUDENT COUNCIL, 6, h, by KingmamboClass Kris, by Kris S. O-Millennium Farms; B-W. S. Farish (Ky) |
| 7 |
GO BETWEEN, 5, h, by Point GivenMediation (Ire), by Caerleon O-Peter Vegso; B-Vegso Racing Stable (Fl) |
| 8 |
MCCANN’S MOJAVE, 8, h, by Memo (Chi)Joni U. Bar, by Nordic Prince O-Mike Willman; B-Alix Nikki Hunt & Mike Willman (Ca) |
| 9 |
BIG BOOSTER, 7, G, by AcceleratorWaterside, by Topsider O-Anastasi Anastasi or Ukegawa; B-Thomas-Lakin-Kintz (Ky) |
| 10 |
SPICE ROUTE (GB), 4, c, by King’s BestZanzibar, by In the Wings (GB) O-Harlequin Ranches; B-Usk Valley Stud (GB) |
An excellent field of 10 of the top handicap runners on the West Coast was
entered for Saturday’s $750,000 Hollywood Gold Cup S. (G1), but the 1 1/4-mile
event lost its main star on Friday when trainer Jerry Hollendorfer withdrew HEATSEEKER (Ire) (Giant’s Causeway)
due to filling in his left front ankle. With the five-year-old chestnut out of
the event, we’ll tab synthetic specialist GO BETWEEN (Point Given) for top
honors.
The Bill Mott trainee earned his most lucrative score
when dominating the Sunshine Millions Classic and has never posted anything
worse than a second-place effort on all-weather surfaces from four
career tries. The five-year-old chestnut was a game second behind Heatseeker in the Santa Anita H. (G1) two starts back and has trained well in
advance of this prestigious event. Garrett Gomez will pilot the Florida-bred,
who appears capable of taking it all.
Ageless Grade 1 winner PERFECT DRIFT (Dynaformer) will be making his second
start for Richard Mandella, and if the first was any indication, the gelding has
a top-three chance on this day. The Kentucky-bred bay came off a lengthy layoff
to finish a good fourth in the Shoemaker Mile S. (G1) at a distance much shorter
than his best, and he’s posted runner-up efforts in two of his three all-weather
starts, leading us to believe that he’ll be a big threat with his best. We
acknowledge that he would present the best story if he could pull this off, so
we have a sentimental interest in him as well. Victor Espinoza will ride the
top-three threat.
TIAGO (Pleasant Tap) bested Heatseeker in a game effort two back when
taking the Oaklawn H. (G2), but that race was on dirt and we simply don’t like
this one as much on the synthetic oval. Conditioned by John Shirreffs, the
multiple Grade 1-winning four-year-old always puts in a run and should move up some at
this 10-furlong trip, but he seems destined for minor awards unless a very
sharp pace ensues. Mike Smith will once again pilot the colt.
MCCANN’S MOJAVE (Memo [Chi]) keeps on chugging as an eight-year-old and exits a facile, 3 1/2-length win in the Berkeley S. (G3) at Golden Gate
Fields for
trainer Steve Specht. The millionaire California-bred has two wins on synthetic
ovals but scares us some with his dismal performance in the Sunshine Millions
Classic
earlier in the year, when he faded to 10th. The good thing for the bay is that
he is one of few with good gate speed, meaning he could dawdle his way through
soft splits until the top of the stretch. We’re not sure if the 12-time winner
is good enough to win, but we’ll use him in our gimmicks.
Recent Pimlico Special H. (G1) star STUDENT COUNCIL (Kingmambo) certainly
logs a lot of air miles for Millennium Farms but will have to be at his absolute
best in here to win for Steve Asmussen. The six-year-old came to life last year
when taking the Pacific Classic S. (G1), which was followed by a score in the
Hawthorne Gold Cup (G2), but he failed to hit the board in four successive
starts prior to the Special. We like the 10-furlong distance for this horse but
think he’s much better on conventional dirt and will be overbet in this spot.
The multiple Grade 1 hero is an obvious exotics threat, though, beneath Shaun
Bridgmohan.
BIG BOOSTER (Accelerator) has one run in a field full of closers, and it will
be especially hard for the gelding to repeat his third-place showing of 2007.
The Mike Mitchell charge should have no problem staying the trip, but he’ll only
hit the board if a few of the top ones don’t fire. RACKETEER (Awesome Again) has
never won a stakes race and will make his first start for new trainer Barry
Abrams in here. We have never thought much of the bay, and the trainer switch
shouldn’t move him up much, if at all, so we’ll pass.
MAST TRACK (Mizzen Mast) was first and second from two tries on the Cushion
Track at Santa Anita and exits an even fifth-place showing in the Shoemaker on the
lawn for Bobby Frankel. The four-year-old is nice but has never placed in a
black-type event, and this spot appears to be a bit beyond this colt at this
juncture. In general we don’t like doubting Frankel, but we’re finding it tough
to make a case for the bay who has never traveled longer than eight panels on
the synthetic.
SPICE ROUTE (GB) (King’s Best) is an intriguing prospect in here, as sharp
conditioner Paddy Gallagher chose this test for the gelding’s U.S. debut. The
four-year-old, who has yet to win a stakes race in 11 career tries, was third in
his lone try on synthetic going at this distance but will be facing
considerably better in here than he raced against at Kempton. The outside draw
can’t be helpful, but we’ve seen crazier results on the West Coast in the past
two years. Your call.