SECOND CHANCE FOR TWOS.Byline: KEVIN MODESTI HORSE RACING horse racing, trials of speed involving two or more horses. It includes races among harnessed horses with one of two particular gaits, among saddled Thoroughbreds (or, less frequently, quarterhorses) on a flat track, or among saddled horses over a turf course with Think of Saturday's 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. as Take Two for the region's 2-year-olds. The big races of summer and autumn left Southern California Southern California, also colloquially known as SoCal, is the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Centered on the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego, Southern California is home to nearly 24 million people and is the nation's second most populated region, fans in an unfamiliar spot, without a young horse to brag about as attention turns to prospects for the May 5 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. . Against the nation's best in the 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. last month, Californians had their worst results of the decade. Even in local battles nobody has stood out, the season's seven graded stakes producing seven different winners. Unlike practically every recent year, there is no contender for the 2-year-old championship in a stall near you. But the $441,500 Hollywood Futurity, the 11/16-mile highlight of closing weekend at Hollywood Park Hollywood Park may be several places:
``I would think whoever wins on Saturday, unless it's five (horses) across the wire, is going to jump right to the center of attention,'' said Doug O'Neill, who trains Liquidity and the California-bred Notional, two of the nine challengers to Futurity favorite Belgravia. The Futurity entrants, each assigned 121 pounds, from the rail out: Silent Soul (Garrett Gomez riding), Notional (Corey Nakatani ''' Corey S. Nakatani (born October 21, 1970 in Covina, California, United States) is an American Thoroughbred horse racing jockey. As of 2006, Nakatani has won more than 3000 races including the Kentucky Oaks twice, the Canadian International Stakes, the Dubai Golden ), Unusual Suspect (David Cohen For other persons named David Cohen, see David Cohen (disambiguation). David Cohen (November 13, 1914 - October 3, 2005), was an American politician, noted for his service in the administration of President Franklin D. ), Stormello (Kent Desormeaux), Whatsthescript (Isaias Enriquez), Liquidity (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 ), Roman Commander (Alex Solis), Principle Secret (Victor Espinoza), Senior (Agapito Delgadillo) and Belgravia (Julien Leparoux). Both Liquidity and Notional are owned by J. Paul Reddam John Paul Reddam B.A. M.A. Ph.D. (born July 28, 1955 in Windsor, Ontario, Canada) is a former professor of philosophy at California State University, Los Angeles and a businessman and Thoroughbred racehorse owner. Known by his middle name, J. . They'll run as separate betting interests after Hollywood Park got the California Horse Racing Board to waive the usual coupling rules for the Futurity, Sunday's $450,000 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. and Monday's -- closing day's -- $150,000 Dahlia Handicap. There are other things on the line as Hollywood Park winds down its 26th fall meet, its first with the synthetic main track: The trainers' race is close, O'Neill leading John Sadler 22 wins to 20 going into today's card, and the jockeys' race has tightened, Gomez taking most of the week off and seeing his edge on Espinoza shrink to 33-27. But the Futurity is the main event, 10 of its graduates having gone on to win Triple Crown races, most recently Giacomo (second to Declan's Moon in the 2004 Futurity) in the 2005 Kentucky Derby. Belgravia, a $2 million son of Mr. Greeley, is the only unbeaten in the field after winning the Hollywood Prevue in his second start by rallying on a day of front-running winners. He stretches out from sprint distances for trainer Patrick Biancone, who won this race with Lion Heart in 2003 on that colt's way to finishing second to Smarty Jones in the Derby. The issue is different for Belgravia than it was for Lion Heart, Biancone thinks. ``Lion Heart was more explosive than this one,'' the trainer said. ``He had more speed, and the question going into the Futurity was, `Can he go two turns?' Belgravia has a lot of talent too, but he has to prove it. He has won twice going short but is bred to go long.'' The three most accomplished horses in the field, Norfolk Stakes winner Stormello and runner-up Principle Secret and Real Quiet Stakes winner Roman Commander, all come out of disappointing last races. Stormello finished fifth in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile behind 10-length winner Street Sense, Principle Secret was eased in that race after being stepped on and cut, and Roman Commander ran fifth to Whatsthescript in the Generous Stakes on turf. Trainer Christopher Paasch said Principle Secret is ``healed up,'' and the son of Sea of Secrets seemed to prove it in a 6-furlong workout clocked in 1:103/5 out of the gate. ``He should have no excuses,'' Paasch said. ``We'll find out if we have a route horse or a middle-distance horse.'' A year ago, O'Neill's Hollywood Park barn was the center of the 2- year-old universe as Stevie Wonderboy rested up for the 3-year-old campaign that never came because of an injury. Right now, O'Neill has Great Hunter, wintering after running third in the Breeders' Cup at Churchill Downs, and his pair in the Futurity. Both are winless since sharp debut victories, and O'Neill has been training them harder for Saturday's race. ``I think it's a deep pool (of talent) this year,'' O'Neill said. ``Hopefully, somebody will jump up Saturday, and we'll be part of it.'' The picks here: 1. Principle Secret; 2. Belgravia; 3.Notional. heymodesti(AT_SIGN)aol.com (818) 713-3616 CAPTION(S): box Box: OUT OF THE GATE - Kevin Modesti and Associated Press |
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