Horse Racing: Closer Looks at the Suburban Handicap and the Hollywood Gold Cup

Fourth of July weekend, albeit the actual holiday fell on a Wednesday, is always a huge weekend for Horse Racing and 2012 is absolutely no exception as there are major races with major runners entered from coast to coast this Saturday. This week, we will be taking closer looks at both the 2012 Hollywood Gold Cup at Hollywood Park in California, featuring leading Horse of the Year contender Game On Dude, and the 2012 Suburban Handicap at Belmont Park  in New York, which features a plethora of talent led by the good looking To Honor and Serve.

Before we look at those two races, let’s first take a look around the country at some of the other races being run which we should sit up and pay attention to.

One of the top older horses last year, Flat Out, will look to snap a four race losing streak at Monmouth Park in New Jersey on Saturday in the Monmouth Cup Stakes. The dual grade I winner is listed as the 2-1 second choice behind 8-5 morning line favorite, the speedy Rule.

The very next race on the card is the Grade: I United Nations Handicap on the turf. Turbo Compressor, coming off a win in the Colonial Turf Cup at Colonial Downs, has been listed as the 2-1 morning line favorite. He looks to have his hands full as Brilliant Speed, Air Support, Slim Shadey and Eldaafer are all entered against him.

Moving down the east coast to Calder Racecourse in Florida, Trinniberg, a winner of three of four starts this year, including the Grade II Woody Stephens, Grade III Bay Shore, and Grade III Swale Stakes, was entered in the Grade 2 Smile Sprint

The main goal, owner Shivananda Parbhoo said of his speedy colt, is “getting him to the Saratoga race (Grade 1 King’s Bishop at seven furlongs on August 25) in the best shape we can.”

Also at Calder on Saturday, 2011 Female Sprint Champion Musical Romance will see action in the $400,000 Princess Rooney Stakes scheduled to following the Smile Sprint. It looks as though Nicole H and Banquet Booth will the champion’s main foes.

Prospective, who I still think might develop into a very nice horse, will be a heavy betting favorite in the Grade III Ohio Derby at Thistledown Downs in Ohio on Saturday.

Prospective comes in to the race off a 1 3/4-length victory in the Victoria Park Stakes at Woodbine. The Victoria Park win came after a disappointing effort in the Kentucky Derby, when Prospective clipped heels early and then ran into further traffic trouble. “You wait years and years (for a chance in the Kentucky Derby) and then get wiped out in the first 100 yards,” trainer Mark Casse said. “In that race you always need a little luck.”

“We wanted to get him back on the dirt,” Casse added. “We think he’s going to be invited to the (Grade 1) Haskell (at Monmouth Park on July 29), so I’m looking for a big effort from him to get us there or to the (Grade 2) Jim Dandy (on July 28 at Saratoga).”

Belmont Park – July 7, 2012

Race 9 – 5:06 PM  

Suburban Handicap. (Grade II)

Purse $350,000. A Handicap For Three Year Olds And Upward

One And One Eighth Miles

P#	PP	Horse	A/S	Med	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	2	Stay Thirsty	4/C	L	J Castellano	117	T A Pletcher	7/2
1A	3	Caixa Eletronica	7/H	L	E Castro	117	T A Pletcher	7/2
2	1	Endorsement	5/H		M Garcia	116	E G Harty	12/1
3	4	Buffum	4/C	L	R Maragh	115	T Albertrani	8/1
4	5	Hymn Book	6/G	L	A Garcia	118	C R McGaughey	6/1
5	6	Trickmeister	5/H	L	R A Dominguez	117	R E Dutrow, Jr.	6/1
6	7	Mucho Macho Man	4/C	L	M E Smith	118	K Ritvo	4/1
7	8	To Honor and Serve	4/C	L	J Lezcano	120	W I Mott	9/5

 

Analysis:

1) To Honor and Serve- was a winner of four of his last five races (with that one defeat being beaten just over three lengths in last years Breeders Cup Classic) before running into Shackleford’s buzzsaw effort in the Met Mile back on May 28.

In that race, Shackleford ran everyone off their feet by setting a wicked pace (:44.3 and 1:08.2) yet was able to hold on at the end.

If this good looking, well bred (Bernardini out of the Deputy Minister mare Pilfer) is to bounce back into the winners circle Saturday afternoon, he’ll have to take a stalking position early behind (probable) pacesetter Trickmeister then pounce on him down the stretch. 

Love his trainer (Bill Mott), big work on June 24 (5F- :59.00) and shows 11 of 13 career races on the board while winning 7….tepid choice in fairly wide open race.

2) Trickmeister- speedster is 6 for 7 in his career while winning mostly minor stakes races up and down the east coast.

He should be on the early lead and has won at this distance before. (So the 1 1/8 miles should not pose a problem for him)

The part that troubles me is in his only race versus upper echelon horses (in the Donn Handicap at Gulfstream Park back in February), he threw in the towel after a half mile (in :47) and finished a disappointing sixth.

Bay horse by Proud Citizen is another coming into this race with a big workout in his back pocket (6F- 1:13.1).

Once again, he should be the leader when they turn for home and he could prove tough to catch down the stretch in this one.

 

3) Stay Thirsty/Caixa Electronica entry- Stay Thirsty was a top three year old last year after winning the Jim Dandy and the Travers at Saratoga and may have needed his 2012 debut (second behind Trickmeister in the Vanlandingham Stakes on May 17).

He definitely merits respect in this spot, but please note he is 3 for 4 over the Saratoga surface and 1 for 12 combined everywhere else including being 0 for 4 at Belmont.

Entry mate Caixa Electronica is a seven year old veteran with a whopping 58 career starts and can pop a big race now and again. Closes, and shows 13 of his last 18 races on the board.

Honorable Mentions:

Mucho Macho Man: this behemoth keeps psyching me out. I thought he was on the threshold of great things last year after winning the Risen Star Stakes but (overall) he disappointed me in the 2011 Triple Crown series.

Then he won three straight races from last November to this March (including the Sunshine Classic and the Gulfstream Park Handicap both at Gulfstream Park) only to disappoint me again in the Alysheba Stakes where he weakened late to finish third his last time out.

I won’t be surprised if his 17+ hands chestnut bounces back with a monster race in this spot.

Endorsement: another speedster, and by Distorted Humor, he shows 8 of 9 career races on the board. That last race, where he was third beaten a length behind a streaking Alternation, is certainly an eye catcher…..isn’t it? Add to the fact he cuts back in distance and is yet another who shows a long string of strong works and you have a longshot possibility here.

 

 

Hollywood Park – July 7, 2012

Race 9 – 5:10 PM    

Hollywood Gold Cup Handicap (Grade I)

Purse $500,000. For Three-Year-Olds And Upward.

One And One Quater Miles

 

PP	Horse	A/S	Med	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer
1	Love Theway Youare	4/F	L	A Quinonez	112	M K Cho
2	Richard’s Kid	7/H	L	R Bejarano	120	B Baffert
3	Kettle Corn	5/H	L	G K Gomez	117	J W Sadler
4	Spud Spivens	4/G	L	V Espinoza	114	H Moreno
5	Anthony’s Cross	4/C	L	K John	115	E G Harty
6	Game On Dude	5/G	L	C Sutherland	124	B Baffert
7	Thirtyfirststreet	4/C	L	E Flores	112	D F O’Neill

 

Analysis:

1) Game On Dude- If you draw a line thru that Dubai World Cup debacle (like I am), you’ll see dominant back to back wins in the San Antonio Stakes (won by 5 ½ lengths) and the Californian Stakes (won by 7 1/2 lengths). If you go back a little further you’ll see a bang up second (set pace and gave way grudgingly) in none other than the 2011 Breeders Cup Classic.

Gutsy gelding by Awesome Again shows strong works since returning from Dubai highlighted by an eye popping 5 furlongs in :58.3 on June 12…. Logical pick in the Hollywood Gold Cup.

 

2) Richard’s Kid- is another that if you drawn a line thru the four ugly efforts in Dubai, this now seven year old is on a three race winning streak. I know it was a while ago, but he closed very well late to win both the Pacific Classic and the Goodwood Stakes both in late 2010.

He seems to have picked up where he left off when (after returning from Dubai) he aired it out in the Prove It Stakes back on June 8.

It looks to me Bob Baffert might run 1-2 on Saturday afternoon.

 

3) Kettle Corn- couldn’t handle Game On Dude the first time they met as he was beaten over seven lengths in the aforementioned Californian Stakes. But he closes, shows a strong work (6F- 1:11.3) and looks best of the rest.

 

Little Bets N’ Pieces:

**** The speedy Henny Hughes, who the last time I saw him two years ago at Darley’s Jonabell Farm near Lexington, Kentucky, looked like he could step onto the track and run a sub 1:09 six furlongs, has been purchased by Robert and Jody Gray’s Rangeview Stud in Western Australia. He will stand this breeding season there for $7,700.

“Rob and Jody are delighted to have been able to secure such a well credentialed stallion for their Stud and this story is another one of those life stories that you just don’t see coming!” as stated on Rangeview’s website.

“As part of that, we can say that negotiations always have their ebbs and flows before the ink truly dries on the paper, and this has been no different for them. But what really excites all who know quality and potential, is that Henny Hughes is actually already doing a great job at stud, getting winners all over the world and he’s only nine years old! His reputation as a super type precedes him, and as said, he has already shown that he is passing that quality and presence on.”…

I don’t know, this is not good news to me readers as the way I see it is another good stallion leaving the country.

 

 **** So You Think, a winner of 10 group I races and $8.6 million in purses, has been officially retired after pulling a muscle in his hindquarters, it was announced yesterday. (Thursday)

The son of High Chaparral was to have run his last race in the July 7 Eclipse Stakes at Sandown Park, but instead he will enter quarantine July 7 and will stand at Coolmore Australia for a fee of $66,000.

“So You Think is an extraordinary horse and it was a real privilege to have had him” said trainer Aidan O’Brien.

 

**** Grade I winner Turbulent Descent, previously owned by a partnership that included Blinkers On Racing Stable, Robert Butler, and William Strauss, was purchased for an undisclosed sum in a private sale last Sunday

She is due to be shipped to New York where she will be part of Todd Pletcher’s stable.