Borrego seeks first stakes score

Santa Anita H. (G1) third-place finisher BORREGO (El Prado [Ire]) will go for

his first stakes victory while taking on seven rivals in Saturday's $150,000 Mervyn LeRoy H. (G2) at Hollywood Park. The Beau Greeley charge has been close

in many of his black-type starts, including a half-length second in the Super

Derby (G2) last year, and opened his four-year-old campaign with a nice

two-length optional-claiming win. He'll go under the highweight of 119 pounds,

including jockey Garrett Gomez.

From the rail out, the contestants, including riders and imposts, for the 8

1/2-furlong test is AMERICAN LIBERTY (Storm Cat), Corey Nakatani, 114; ANZIYAN

ROYALTY (Anziyan), Alex Solis, 114; ENDER'S SHADOW (A.P. Indy), Rene Douglas,

113; Borrego; EL DON (Cee's Tizzy), Jose Valdivia Jr., 113; ACE BLUE (Brz) (Coax

Me Clyde), David Flores, 114; OUTTA HERE (Dehere), Victor Espinoza, 115; and

NATIVE HAWK (Northern Afleet), Ramon Dominguez, 113.

Two other stakes will be contested earlier on Hollywood's Saturday card.

A field of nine, including coupled entry PELLEGRINO (Brz) (Nugget Point

[Ire]) and SARAFAN (Lear Fan), will go in the 1 1/2-mile, $350,000 Jim Murray

Memorial H. (G3) on the turf. The former ended 2004 in style, taking the

Hollywood Turf Cup S. (G1) by a head, but obviously needed his last one, an

eighth in the Frank E. Kilroe Mile H. (G1), off the three-month break. Sarafan

has filled the runner-up spot in this past three, including missing by

three-quarters of a length in the Clement L. Hirsch Memorial Turf Championship

S. (G1) in his final start as a seven-year-old. Pellegrino will have Flores in

the saddle under a 118-pound impost while Sarafan will tote the highweight of

121 pounds under Nakatani.

DEPUTY LAD (Mecke) will lead the post parade while carrying 115 pounds,

including Espinoza. Next comes T. H. APPROVAL (With Approval), Douglas, 117;

CONTINUOUSLY (Diesis [GB]), Julio Garcia, 116; VANGELIS (Highest Honor [Fr]),

Dominguez, 117; EXTERIOR (Distant View), Solis, 117; Pellegrino; CONTINENTAL RED

(Flying Continental), Alex Bisono, 114; Sarafan; and RUNAWAY DANCER (Runaway

Groom), Gomez, 114.

Starting off the stakes action will be the $150,000 Los Angeles Times H. (G3)

over the main track. Both SHADOW OF ILLINOIS (Illinois Storm) and WOKE UP

DREAMIN (Holy Bull) bring a two race win streak into the six-furlong affair,

which drew a field of six.

FOREST GROVE (Forestry) and Nakatani will break from the rail under 115

pounds and to their outside will be TSIGANE (Fr) (Anabaa), Flores, 117; HOMBRE

RAPIDO (Falstaff), Martin Pedroza, 117; Shadow of Illinois, Gomez, 116; Woke Up

Dreamin, Espinoza, 115; and AREYOUTALKINTOME (Smokester), Douglas, 117.