Thursday, May 07 2009

UNBEATEN RAIL TRIP AIMS FOR SIXTH STRAIGHT WIN IN MERVYN LEROY

INGLEWOOD, Calif. (May 7, 2009) — Unbeaten Rail Trip will try to stretch his unbeaten streak to six when he carries high weight of 119 pounds in Saturday’s 30th running of the $150,000 Mervyn LeRoy Handicap at Hollywood Park.

Rail Trip, owned by Jay Em Ess Stable and trained by Ron Ellis, had a chip taken out of an ankle as a 2-year-old and did not start until late in his 3-year-old year, but he is quickly making up for lost time.

MANDELLA SEEKS RECORD FOURTH RAILBIRD WITH WITTY

Hall of Fame trainer Richard Mandella seeks a record fourth victory in the $100,000 Railbird Stakes for 3-year-old fillies with unbeaten Witty at Hollywood Park Sunday.

From everything he has seen so far, Mandella thinks Witty could be every bit as good as his three previous winners — She’s Tops in 1992, Supercilious in 1996 and Brulay in 1998 — in the Grade III test at seven furlongs on Cushion Track.

Monday, May 04 2009

RAIL TRIP, CARLSBAD SEEK TO EXTEND UNBEATEN STREAKS

Rail Trip and Carlsbad, both undefeated in five starts, seek to add to those streaks in stakes features at Hollywood Park next weekend.

Rail Trip, a 4-year-old gelding, will try to win his first graded stake in the $150,000, Grade II Mervyn LeRoy Handicap at 1 1/16 miles on Cushion Track Saturday.

Friday, May 01 2009

ROSARIO RIDES FIVE WINNERS TO TIE BEJARANO ATOP STANDINGS

INGLEWOOD, Calif. (May 1, 2009) — Favorite Maui Mark, fourth at the head of the stretch, easily caught pacesetter Slam Slew with a furlong to run and drew away for a 3 1/4-length victory as Joel Rosario notched his fourth of five wins in Friday’s $48,000 allowance feature at Hollywood Park.

The five-win afternoon gave Rosario 14 as he moved into a tie atop the Hollywood Park jockeys’ standings with Rafael Bejarano, who is in Kentucky where he will ride Chocolate Candy in Saturday’s Kentucky Derby.

Thursday, April 30 2009

EARLY POST TIMES FRIDAY AND SATURDAY AT HOLLYWOOD PARK

INGLEWOOD, Calif. (April 30, 2009) — Post times at Hollywood Park for Friday and Saturday will be at 1 p.m. and 11 a.m., respectively, for the simulcast of the Kentucky Oaks and Kentucky Derby programs.

Track gates will open at 7 a.m. both days with the first import from Churchill Downs at 7:30 a.m.

Besides the Kentucky Oaks, the imports on Friday will include the 2009 debut of unbeaten champion Zenyatta in the $350,000 Louisville Distaff Breeders’ Cup, which has an 11:10 a.m. post time. The $500,000 Kentucky Oaks will run between the fourth and fifth Hollywood Park races at 2:45 p.m.

ESPINOZA CHANGES TACTICS, COMPLETES DOUBLE ON CANDY PULL

INGLEWOOD, Calif. (April 29, 2009) — Jockey Victor Espinoza called an audible and guided 11-1 shot Candy Pull to a front-running victory in Wednesday’s $52,000 allowance feature at Hollywood Park.

Espinoza, who also rode Misremembered to victory one race earlier, planned to come from off the pace, but he let Candy Ride roll when he showed early speed. The 4-year-old gelding responded with an impressive 2 ½-length victory to snap a six-race winless streak.

BACKSTRETCH CONSENSUS FAVORS I WANT REVENGE IN DERBY

A random sampling of trainers based at Hollywood Park Wednesday favored I Want Revenge in the 135th running of the Kentucky Derby Saturday, although CashCall Futurity winner Pioneerof the Nile and Papa Clem also received support in a 20-horse line-up with potent California connections.

The selections:

Jesse Mendoza — “I’ve got to go for (trainer Jeff) Mullins’s horse (I Want Revenge). He was so impressive in his last race, getting left at the gate and overcoming trouble to win.”

Monday, April 27 2009

HALL OF FAME JOCKEY SMITH COMPLETES HAT-TRICK ON MADEO

INGLEWOOD, Calif. (April 26, 2009) — Jockey Mike Smith, showcasing his Hall of Fame credentials, gave Madeo a perfectly-timed ride as the 4-year-old caught pacesetter Storm Military at the wire to win Sunday’s $100,000 Inglewood Handicap at Hollywood Park by a head.

The victory completed a hat-trick for the 43-year-old Smith, who has ridden 4,781 winners since breaking his maiden in 1982 at Sante Fe, New Mexico.

Hollywood Park Stable Notes - 04/26/2009

CASHCALL FUTURITY STARS HOPE TO SHINE IN KENTUCKY

The CashCall Futurity at Hollywood Park has long been a leading barometer for future stardom, including success in the Kentucky Derby.

But never has it played as major a role in morning-line favorites for the Derby, to be run at Churchill Downs and simulcast here Saturday, as this year. Pioneerof the Nile, I Want Revenge and Chocolate Candy, the 1-2-3 finishers respectively in the December Futurity, rank as three of the leading threats in the Run for the Roses.

Sunday, April 26 2009

LIGHTLY-RACED COMPARI CLICKS UNDER GOMEZ IN $250,000 SNOW CHIEF

INGLEWOOD, Calif. (April 25, 2009) — Compari posted a mild upset under Garrett Gomez in the $250,000 Snow Chief Stakes, but Rafael Bejarano stole the spotlight with a five-win afternoon Saturday on the tenth annual California Gold Rush program at Hollywood Park.

Gomez, the Eclipse Award-winning jockey the last two years who returned to town from Kentucky a half-million dollars ahead of Bejarano as the country’s leading jockey, was in jeopardy of losing the top spot as the field headed to the starting gate for the 16th running of the Snow Chief.

Thursday, April 23 2009

TRIUMPHANT FLIGHT AIMS FOR RICHEST VICTORY IN SNOW CHIEF STAKES

INGLEWOOD, Calif. (April 23, 2009) — Triumphant Flight, who has won three of five starts while not finishing worse than second, heads a field of 11 in the $250,000 Snow Chief Stakes on Saturday as the tenth annual California Gold Rush will be held at Hollywood Park.

The card for California-breds offers ten races with purses of $1.3 million. The program has a special early post time of 12:30 p.m. and also features a $500,000 Guaranteed Pick Six and a ball cap and t-shirt giveaway.

Wednesday, April 22 2009

ABRAMS OUTLOOK IS GOOD AS GOLD

Trainer Barry Abrams will send out four leading contenders in the $1.3-million California Gold Rush program at Hollywood Park Saturday, but no matter where they finish, the day will be a good one for the 55-year-old conditioner.

Abrams learned last week he is cancer-free after a four-year battle with the disease. “Basically, all the scans showed that I’m cancer-free,” said Abrams from the stable kitchen porch overlooking the backstretch Wednesday.