Hollywood Starlet J

AMERICAN
GRADED STAKES PREVIEWS

Sunday’s $250,000 Hollywood Starlet S. (G1) will prove to be a fascinating clash of
11 talented but lightly raced juvenile fillies. While only two have won stakes
thus far in their brief careers, several of the remaining contenders have shown
flashes of real ability. The deciding factor is likely to be the 1 1/16-mile
distance, which will effectively separate the sprinters from the routers.

BALANCE (Thunder Gulch) is one of only two entrants to have won at this trip,
and the way she did it in the Sharp Cat S. earmarked her as a juvenile with a
promising future. In that race, she pressured the pacesetter and, while battling
between rivals, decided to take over by the time they’d traveled a half-mile in
:46 3/5. Balance didn’t get a breather and never settled, yet she still asserted
superiority in the stretch and finished in 1:42 2/5. By coming home the last
sixteenth in a solid :6 1/5, she earned a BRIS Late Pace figure of 96. Prior to
that effort, she had crossed the wire first in the Hidden Light S. on the turf
at Santa Anita but was disqualified to third. If not for that demotion in the
stewards’ room, Balance would be undefeated in three starts. Since her last
effort, she has worked well, including a bullet six-furlong move. Trainer David
Hofmans has made no secret of his high opinion of her, even comparing her to his
2003 Breeders’ Cup Distaff (G1) queen, Adoration. While her Starlet foes must
improve on previous outings or conquer new challenges of distance or company,
Balance need only turn in a repeat performance under Victor Espinoza.

SABATINI (Five Star Day) is facing a tall order as she leapfrogs from a
maiden win to a Grade 1 stakes for conditioner Patrick Biancone, but her running
style makes her an attractive proposition here. In a race overflowing with early
speed factors, many of whom are attempting two turns for the first time, she
will get a lot of pace to set up her powerful closing kick. In her only start at
Churchill Downs, Sabatini was last of 12 through a quarter, but she cruised up
on her own, gradually passing rivals, then burst clear in the stretch. Although
all alone, she kept pouring it on to widen her final margin to five lengths and
stop the timer in 1:36 2/5 for the mile. Her BRIS Late Pace figure of 96 matched
that of Balance, and she has been working brilliantly ever since that outing.
With high-percentage rider Garrett Gomez aboard for the first time, Sabatini
figures to pick up the pieces late.

TRUE XENA (Yes It’s True) ran a magnificent race when a close second to
fellow Starlet contender PRIVATE WORLD (Thunder Gulch) in the seven-furlong
Moccasin S. That was only True Xena’s second lifetime start, and her greenness
cost her the victory. After pressing the pace while wide, she looked as though
she would inhale Private World in the stretch, but she had not yet developed the
killer instinct and was content to run alongside her foe, shifting in awkwardly
late and bumping Private World. With that salutary experience under her
belt, True Xena ranks as a major threat for trainer Rafael Becerra and jockey
Jon Court. The step up in distance is another factor in her favor. Not only does
her statuesque physique suggest that she will relish two turns, but her
broodmare sire also hints as much, Kentucky Derby (G1) and Breeders’ Cup Classic
(G1) hero Unbridled.

POLITICAL WEB (Petionville) is still a maiden, but she has finished a solid
second in both of her starts against sharp company. She went down by
three-quarters of a length to True Xena in her debut, and then she ran into the
freakishly fast MEETMEINTHEWOODS (General Meeting) at six furlongs, a distance
much too short for her to show her best. Political Web still recorded a Speed
rating of 92 for that effort, and with improvement likely at the added distance,
she could be competitive and hit the board at a price. David Flores picks up the
mount for Julio Canani.

LOOSENDS (Broken Vow) is making her first start outside of Maryland and the
first for her new handler, Chris Crowe. Previously trained by Anthony Dutrow,
she scored twice at a mile, both times having to weave through traffic before
finding a seam and exploding to win decisively. Her only loss in three starts
was a fourth over a sloppy track in the Blue Hen S. at Delaware Park, when the
field was strung out, and she was 24 lengths in front of the fifth-place
finisher. Loosends turned in a good five-furlong work at Hollywood, and Pat
Valenzuela will be in the saddle.

Although Private World put on an admirably gutsy display in capturing the
Moccasin over True Xena, her victory had more to do with True Xena’s failing to
understand her job. Despite her respectable three-for-three record, including an
earlier win in the Anoakia S., Private World may not get the better of that
rival again. DIPLOMAT LADY (Forestry) has two wins to her credit, including a last-out
score in a razor-sharp 1:09 1/5 over Itty Bitty Pretty (El Corredor), who had
flirted with entering the Starlet herself. Diplomat Lady failed in her previous
forays into stakes, the Sorrento S. (G3) and the Del Mar Debutante S. (G1), but
those may have come too soon for her. While she is clearly talented, as her 96
Speed figure attests, her manner of victory in her last race — screaming out to
a big lead through wicked fractions — does not sound like a winning strategy as
she tries a route of ground for the first time.

Meetmeinthewoods earned a century-topping Speed rating in her only career
start, a 5 1/2-length maiden win in 1:08 3/5 over Starlet rival Political Web.
She has worked strongly since then and merits considerable respect. Still, Meetmeinthewoods will have to face other speedy fillies early on in this race,
tackle two turns and do it in stakes company. It’s questionable whether she’ll
have enough left to hold off some very classy challengers in the stretch.

FALL IN LOVE (In Excess [Ire]) is unbeaten in two starts, both handy scores
against fellow California-breds in sprints, but she is facing a big step up in
class to open Grade 1 company. INCUMBENT (Carson City), a Keeneland maiden winner, is exiting an uninspiring
third in a Churchill allowance. KARLEE’S KITTEN (Pioneering) just broke her maiden at 1 1/16 miles, but her
time was slow, and she must improve dramatically to figure here.