Photo: Hollywood Park
A two time graded stakes winner at Hollywood Park, Briecat
will make her first start in more than eight months in the $60,000 Cool Air
Stakes Wednesday.
Named in honor of the talented sprinter whose wins for owner
Frank Stronach and trainer Gary Jones included the 1994 Hollywood Park
Budweiser Breeders’ Cup, the Cool Air – at six furlongs on turf - is the
seventh of eight races. Post time Wednesday is 12:30 p.m.
Trained by Vladimir Cerin for owners David and Holly Wilson,
Briecat hasn’t been seen since finishing fourth as the 7-5 favorite in the
restricted Santa Lucia Stakes March 27 at Santa Anita.
A 6-year-old daughter of Adcat and the Marlin mare Silk
Briefcase, the Florida bred has won nine of 28 and earned $589,527.
Her first graded victory at Hollywood Park came in the Grade
II Bayakoa Handicap when she led throughout at 13-1 Dec. 7, 2008. The other
came when she took the Grade II Las Palmas Handicap – on turf – Oct. 31, 2010.
Briecat went gate-to-wire once more and was again 13-1.
The Cool Air will be Briecat’s first race at less than one
mile since she finished fourth in the 6 ½ furlong Mesa Handicap March 14, 2009
at Turf Paradise.
Dominant in the restricted Louis R. Rowan Oct. 9 at Santa
Anita, Home Sweet Aspen will be seeking her third consecutive victory as she
tries grass for the first time.
Bred and owned by Jenny Craig’s Family Trust and trained by
John Sadler, Home Sweet Aspen is a 3-year-old Candy Ride filly out of the
Groovy mare My Gal Groovy. She has not been worse than second in six starts-
winning three – and has earned $157,822.
Owned by Marsha Naify and trained by Julio Canani, Givine
won the Great Lady M. Stakes May 29 at the Cool Air distance. A 4-year-old
French bred daughter of Blackdoun and the Double Bed mare Viguerie, Givine has
won six of 14 and earned $196,021. The gray comes off a runner-up finish behind
Broken Dreams in the Grade III Sen. Ken Maddy Sept. 30 at Santa Anita.
Successful in four of six on grass – including a pair of
wins in three tries over the Hollywood Park turf course – A Jealous Woman will
be making her second start of 2011 for Three Cent Stable.
In her initial outing as a 5-year-old and for trainer
Francis Meza, A Jealous Woman took on males and finished last in the Night
Mover Stakes Nov. 18. The effort followed a 20-month layoff for the daughter of
Muqtarib and the Fly So Free mare Miss Free Bird. The California bred has four
wins in seven attempts and a bankroll of $150,080.The well-traveled Rare Sunset
will make her first start in California after consecutive easy victories at
Turf Paradise.
Trained by Miguel Angel Silva for Canadian Sunshine Stable,
the 6-year-old Anziyan mare out of the In Excess mare Rare Royalty has won nine
of 35 and earned $112,087.
The two recent grass wins in Arizona were by a combined 11 ¼
lengths. She captured an optional claimer going 7 ½ furlongs Oct. 10, then won
the Queen of Green 19 days later at one mile.
In a career that began in July, 2007, Rare Sunset has run at
six different tracks. Besides Turf Paradise, she has competed at Yavapai Downs,
Canterbury, Remington
Park, Gulfstream Park
and Tampa Bay Downs.
A 4-year-old Lost Soldier filly out of the Badger Land mare
Sharons Song, Bella Diamante has been idle since finishing last in the Grade
III Ouija Board May 30 at Lone Star Park.
Owned by Lone Star Stables and trained by Eric Guillot,
Bella Diamante has won three of 15 and earned $237,351. Her most recent win
came in the restricted Orleans
Nov. 20, 2010 at Delta Downs.
Like Rare Sunset, Bella Diamante will be making her first
appearance in California in the Cool Air. In addition to Delta Downs and Lone
Star, the dark bay has raced at Oaklawn
Park, Remington Park
and Churchill Downs (where she finished last in the 2010 Kentucky Oaks won by
Blind Luck).
Elle Special returns to Hollywood Park for the first time
since June 11 as she makes her second start for owner Jerry Jamgotchian and
trainer Eric Reed.
The 4-year-old daughter of Giant’s Causeway and the Seeking
the Gold mare Peinture Ancienne has won two of 11 and earned $45,812. Her last
win came in an allowance at Kentucky Downs Sept. 12, her first race after being
claimed for $35,000 July 28 at Saratoga.
From inside out, the field for the Cool Air Stakes: Briecat,
Victor Espinoza rides, 124 pounds; Rare Sunset, Jocelyne Kenny, 122; Home Sweet
Aspen, Joel Rosario, 120; A Jealous Woman, Hector Berrios, 118; Elle Special,
Alonso Quinonez, 120; Bella Diamante, Martin Garcia, 118 and Givine, Rafael Bejarano,
120.