HOLLYWOOD PARK NOTEBOOK
DECEMBER 1, 2005
by Bernard T. Moore.
The best horse doesn’t always win in horse racing, but that’s the one you
want your money on. Case in point, Saturday’s Real Quiet S. at Hollywood Park
when Bob and John (Seeking the Gold) crossed the finish line first, only to have
his number eventually taken down for interference in the stretch. The incident
in question occurred in the vicinity of the eighth-pole where the stewards ruled
that Bob and John “came across the path” of Kissin Knight (Kissin Kris) as he
was blowing past that runner.
Kissin Knight, who set the early pace, was tiring in the middle of track when
the odds-on favorite came calling. While it is true that Patrick Valenzuela
aboard Kissin Knight did have to alter course slightly, his mount was also
drifting out slightly and appeared virtually spent at this juncture, lacking the
energy to out-finish a leg-weary GENRE (GB) (Orpen), who failed to switch to his
proper lead along the rail. The stewards’ decision did not sit well with Bob
Baffert, trainer of Bob and John, and who can blame him with the somewhat
suspect ruling. Even the winning connections, trainer Ben Cecil and jockey
Martin Pedroza, were taken aback by their verdict, even though they were the
beneficiaries of an early Christmas present.
Jockey Victor Espinoza was clearly irate after being disqualified from an
apparent victory in the Real Quiet S., but he did not make the same mistake
twice when piloting BALANCE (Thunder Gulch) to a 1 3/4-length win in the Sharp
Cat S. on the following afternoon. Sent off as the 9-5 favorite, Balance seized
the lead under Espinoza before a half-mile had been run. They continued to pad
their lead from that point on and were never seriously threatened in the stretch
while remaining clear at the finish. Sweet Fourty (Sweetsouthernsaint) trailed
the field early on before improving her position down the backstretch. She
continued to finish with good energy in the stretch to be second best, with
Talullah Lula (Old Trieste) a distant third.
Pedroza has built up a sizeable advantage in the jockey standings,
leading runner-up Tyler Baze by nine victories. Garrett Gomez, who was out town
during most of the weekend, fell one spot and is now in third place, with Corey
Nakatani and Pat Valenzuela tied for fourth.
There is a three-way battle for the top spot in the trainer standings between
Jeff Mullins, Baffert and Doug O’Neill. John Sadler and Jack Carava round
out the top five.
The main track was definitely speed favoring when racing resumed on Thursday.
That bias became less obvious on Friday, with no apparent trends on either
Saturday or Sunday. There did not appear to be any discernible path biases all week.
HORSES TO WATCH
Thursday (11/24)
6TH – NO GIVEAWAY (He’s Tops) turned in a useful third-place finish off the
layoff in his Hollywood Park debut. Finished well to get the show over a speed
biased course, but he’s also demonstrated that he can sit closer to the lead.
The bulk of his wins have come at 6 1/2 furlongs.
8TH – MR. THATCHER (Iron Cat) finished a much-improved second in his second
career start. Based at Hollywood, the Cal-bred juvenile exhibited surprise speed
to dispute a fast pace and continued on well late. May be primed for a career
best effort in his third career start.
Friday (11/25)
1ST – THUNDER RANSOM (Thunder Gulch) was a sharp second off the shelf while
dropping to a career-low claiming level. Flashed much improved speed around two
turns and battled gamely to the wire before losing by a neck, finishing well
clear of the show horse. Should graduate in his next start if able to reproduce
anything similar to this strong comeback effort.
4TH – AEBLUS (Rizzi), who switched back to the main track, finished a close
third after being forced to duel three-wide for the lead. Has dangerous tactical
speed and fits well at this level, and she’ll make her next start for sharp
claiming trainer Jerry Hollendorfer.
Saturday (11/26)
5TH – WINNING TACTICS (Cutlass Reality) closed well from last to get second
money in a race that quickened noticeably late. Offered a superior effort with
the hood off and still has room for improvement.
7TH – OUTRAGEOUS LIMIT (Tiznow) appeared to receive a purposeful “educational
race” in his well-bet career debut, racing evenly to finish fifth. Hails from a
sire with an anemic success rate with first timers and trainer Rafael Becerra
could’ve easily used this effort as a “prep” for when the action switches back
to Santa Anita later this month, which is coincidentally the two-year-old’s home
base.
Sunday (11/27)
6TH – VISIT (Dixie Union) finished third in an encouraging effort off the
layoff. Set a quick and pressured pace and held well once displaced on the lead,
yielding the place late to a fresh closer. Her three siblings to race have all
won, and she gives every indication that she will follow suit.
8TH – SWEET FOURTY (Sweetsouthernsaint) offered a dramatic form reversal
returning to dirt, winding up a clear second after rallying from off-the-pace
against a perfect stalking trip winner. Appears as if she will only get better
with age and distance.