Seeking to remain undefeated in her 19th career start, dual champion and
The Lady’s Secret immediately follows the $250,000
Zenyatta won the 2008 Lady’s Secret during the Oak Tree meet at Santa Anita,
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The dark bay goliath put in her patented late rally to win by a length in the
Classic, becoming the first female to take that race in its 26-year history.
Zenyatta is expected to go for more history in this year’s running of the
Breeders’ Cup Classic, as she’ll attempt to join Tiznow as the only two-time
winner of the championship event. Before that event, though, she could see her
name in the record books for becoming the only three-time winner of the Lady’s
Secret.
Zenyatta joined Hollywood Wildcat (1993-94) and Healthy Addiction (2005-06)
as a two-time scorer of the race, but will hold the record on her own following
a victory Saturday. She’s won seven times at Hollywood Park, giving her more
victories at her home track than any other, and will keep regular rider Mike
Smith aboard as she goes for her ninth Grade 1 in a row. The six-year-old will
break from post 5 and carry the same 123 pounds as she did when recording a
third-straight win in her most recent victory in the Clement L. Hirsch S. (G1)
at Del Mar.
Zenyatta will face a familiar rival in RINTERVAL (Ire) (Desert Prince [Ire]),
who finished just a neck behind in the Hirsch. That five-year-old chestnut is
one of two challengers Saturday owned by Jerry Jamgotchian and trained by Eric
Reed. Just to the outside of Rinterval in the starting gate will be uncoupled
stablemate SATAN’S QUICK CHICK (Sky Mesa). The four-year-old will be making her
return to competition in this spot off a more than eight-month break, not being
seen since running second in the Manatee S. on January 30 at Tampa Bay Downs.
SWITCH (Quiet American) will be taking on her elders for the first time here
and is the only participant besides Zenyatta with more than one win over the
Cushion Track. The John Sadler-trained bay has competed three times over
Hollywood’s oval, capturing her maiden debut in December and then returning in
May to run second in the Railbird S. (G3). That start came prior to upsetting
leading sophomore filly Blind Luck (Pollard’s Vision) in the Hollywood Oaks (G2)
on June 6.
Completing the Lady’s Secret field are Adoration S. winner MOON DE FRENCH
(Malibu Moon), who will try to give conditioner Bob Baffert a third victory in
the race following Magical Allure (1998) and Tough Tiz’s Sis (2007), and EMMY
DARLING (Graeme Hall), who has gone unplaced against stakes competition since
being moved up to third via disqualification in the 2008 Sorrento S. (G3).
While Zenyatta is the main attraction on Saturday, the Goodwood has drawn
Those three all met up in the Pacific Classic S. (G1) last out, with
Richard’s Kid was given plenty of time to recover from that experience and
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Awesome Gem, on the other hand, has spent half the of his seven-year-old
season running on dirt, placing in the New Orleans H. (G2), Charles Town Classic
and Lone Star Park H. (G3). That’s not to say last year’s Breeders’ Cup Classic
seventh isn’t capable of handling a synthetic surface — he captured the
Hollywood Gold Cup by a length over Saturday’s Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1) starter
Rail Trip (Jump Start) before throwing in an uncharacteristic 10th-place effort in
the Pacific Classic last out. He’ll be looking for redemption, and a measure of
revenge, in the Goodwood.
Dakota Phone is a long shot to go for the Breeders’ Cup considering he’s only
raced outside of California only once in his career. That came as a seventh in
the Oaklawn H. (G2) earlier this year, and his only other dirt appearance shows
up as a third in the 2008 Pomona Derby at Fairplex Park. His connections could
go for it with a Goodwood win, though, as he’s already scored in the San Diego
H. (G2) and placed in the likes of the Pacific Classic and Santa Anita H. (G1).
TWIRLING CANDY (Candy Ride [Arg]), CROWDED HOUSE (Rainbow Quest) and CROWN OF
THORNS (Repent) are three other major contenders in the Goodwood. The former is
the only three-year-old in the 1 1/8-mile, seven-horse race, and will will try
to become just the fourth sophomore — joining Tiznow (2000), Tiago (2007) and
Gitano Hernando (GB) (2009) — to win the race. The undefeated Sadler charge is
exiting a pair of turf wins in the Del Mar Derby (G2) and Oceanside S., both at
Del Mar.
Although he has only won two of 15, Crowded House is nearly a millionaire,
having earned $989,452. The four-year-old colt made his North American debut a
fourth-place run in the Eddie Read (G1), and has since finished fourth in the
Woodbine Mile (Can-G1) and second in the Pacific Classic. Crown of Thorns also
shows just two wins, but has competed only seven times in his career. He
returned from a 19-month break in 2009 to run second in the Ancient Title S.
(G1) and Breeders’ Cup Sprint (G1). The five-year-old then wasn’t seen again
until missing by a half-length when second in the Pat O’Brien H. (G1) in late
August. In his only start beyond seven furlongs, Crown of Thorns won the 2008
Robert B. Lewis S. (G2) going 1 1/16 miles.
INFORMED (Tiznow), fourth in the Windy Sands H. in his only start so far this
year, completes the Goodwood field.
Sandwiched in between the Lady’s Secret and Goodwood is the Yellow Ribbon,
GYPSY’S WARNING (SAf) (Mogok) will be making her California bow in this spot.
Saturday’s stakes action at Oak Tree will kick off in the Norfolk, which
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The respective second- and third-place runners from the Del Mar Futurity —
JAYCITO (Victory Gallop) and RIVETING REASON (Fusaichi Pegasus) — are also
entered in the Norfolk.