HORSE RACING: STORMELLO NOW ON DERBY TRACK.Byline: KEVIN MODESTI Staff Writer INGLEWOOD -- After a back-and-forth battle in the season's last major race for 2-year-olds, California finally has its Kentucky Derby Kentucky Derby One of the classic U.S. Thoroughbred horse races. It was established in 1875 and run annually on the first Saturday in May at Churchill Downs track in Louisville, Ky. With the Preakness and the Belmont Stakes, it makes up U.S. racing's coveted Triple Crown. horse. Stormello and jockey Kent Desormeaux Kent J. Desormeaux (born February 27, 1970, in Maurice, Vermilion Parish, Louisiana) is an American thoroughbred horse racing Hall of Fame jockey who holds the U.S. record for most races won in a single year. sprinted to a big lead, lost it down the homestretch home·stretch n. 1. The portion of a racetrack from the last turn to the finish line. 2. Informal The final stages of an undertaking. Noun 1. then grabbed it back in time to win the $441,500 Hollywood Futurity The Hollywood Futurity is an American Grade I race for thoroughbred two-year-olds race horses. Run in December at Hollywood Park Racetrack, it's the last major race for two-year-olds. by a neck over Liquidity on a damp and chilly Saturday afternoon at Hollywood Park Hollywood Park may be several places:
Winning the Grade I race made Stormello the first 2-year-old with more than onegraded-stakes victory in California in 2006 and gave bragging rights to Bill Currin, who trains the colt and owns him in a partnership with Al Eisman of San Diego San Diego (săn dēā`gō), city (1990 pop. 1,110,549), seat of San Diego co., S Calif., on San Diego Bay; inc. 1850. San Diego includes the unincorporated communities of La Jolla and Spring Valley. Coronado is across the bay. . Currin took full advantage as he held court in the winner's circle win·ner's circle n. pl. winners' circles An enclosed area at a racetrack where the winning horse and jockey are brought for awards and publicity. Noun 1. , calling out likely 2-year-old champion Street Sense, who dusted Stormello in last month's Breeders' Cup Juvenile The Breeders' Cup Juvenile is a Thoroughbred horse race for 2-year-old colts and geldings raced on dirt. It is held annually at a different racetrack in the United States or Canada as part of the Breeders' Cup. by exploiting what the trainer considered an easy trip. ``When he challenges me again, we'll talk,'' Currin said of Street Sense, who won the Juvenile by 10 lengths as Stormello faded to fifth. The nation's handicappers are unlikely to proclaim Stormello an immediate danger to such leading 2-year-olds as Street Sense, Kentucky Jockey Club winner Tiz Wonderful and Remsen winner Nobiz Like Showbiz. But Stormello made himself a clear No. 1 among the California 2-year- olds, who had traded victories in the stakes at the Del Mar Del Mar is the name of several places in the United States of America:
The crowd made unbeaten Belgravia a nearly 5-2 favorite in the 10-horse Futurity, the 25-year-old event that has sent 10 horses on to Triple Crown race victories. Belgravia and jockey Julien Leparoux finished fourth, losing on a photo to Roman Commander for third, after failing to rally the way they had in winning the Hollywood Prevue in November. ``We lost the battle today, but we haven't lost the war yet,'' said Belgravia trainer Patrick Biancone, who, like everybody with a soon-to-be- 3-year-old, looks at races like this as stepping stones to the May 5 Kentucky Derby. While expected contenders like Belgravia, Notional (sixth) and Principle Secret (eighth) spun their tires, the race came down to a front-end duel between Stormello and Liquidity. Stormello, who had gotten the worst of it at the front of the Breeders' Cup Juvenile, shot out to a 2(bul)-length lead after one-quarter mile of the 11/16-mile Hollywood Futurity with Liquidity and David Flores Flores, town, Guatemala Flores (flōrəs), town (1990 est. pop. 2,200), capital of Petén department, N Guatemala. Flores was built on an island in the southern part of Lake Petén Itzá and on the site of the chasing. Stormello was challenged on the turn for home, and he responded and burst clear. Then he was challenged again in front of the grandstand, Liquidity putting his head and neck in front from the outside. ``I sincerely thought he was beat,'' Desormeaux said. But Stormello ($8.80) fought back and won by a neck. Liquidity and Roman Commander were separated by 1(bul) lengths. ``I said, `Well, I'll be damned,''' Desormeaux said of Stormello's response. Stormello, a son of Stormy Atlantic and Wilshewed who was bred in Kentucky by Currin and Eisman, clocked 1:42.19 in the first Hollywood Futurity run on Hollywood Park's new synthetic main track. After early-afternoon rain, the track appeared dry by the time the Futurity went off at about 4:35 p.m. ``This horse's performance was phenomenal (because) he got passed,'' said Desormeaux, who had won the Futurity twice before, with Real Quiet (who went on to win the 1998Kentucky Derby) and Afternoon Deelites. ``Most horses would have given up from the challenge.'' Earlier Sunday, trainer Doug O'Neill (Liquidity, Notional) won his 23rd race of the Hollywood Park season, breaking the fall-meet record of 22, set by Bob Baffert in 2001. This was the 33rd day of a 35-day meet; the meet was 31 days in 2001. O'Neill leads John Sadler by two wins and Jeff Mullins by three in the race for the trainers' title. Garrett Gomez leads Victor Espinoza 33-30 among jockeys. O'Neill-trained Mistical Plan is a 7-2 favorite on the morning line for today's Hollywood Starlet star·let n. 1. A small star. 2. A young film actress publicized as a future star. starlet Noun a young actress who has the potential to become a star Noun 1. , the fillies' equivalent of the Futurity. heymodesti(AT_SIGN)aol.com (818) 713-3616 CAPTION(S): photo Photo: Stormello, inside, with Kent Desormeaux aboard, holds off Liquidity, ridden by David Flores, to win the Hollywood Futurity. Courtesy of Benoit Photo |
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