Multiple graded stakes winner
Sidney’s Candy will make his first start of 2011 in the $150,000 Mervyn LeRoy
Handicap Saturday at Hollywood
Park.
A Grade II at 1 1/16 miles over
Cushion Track, the LeRoy is the first of three stakes on the 11-race card, preceding
the $70,000 Cool Frenchy for older horses at five furlongs and the $100,000
Senorita Stakes for 3-year-old fillies at one mile on turf. The LeRoy goes as
the third, the Cool Frenchy is the fifth and the Senorita is the 10th.
In conjunction with the simulcast
of the 137th Kentucky Derby from Churchill Downs, Hollywood Park will
have an early post time of 11 a.m. Saturday.
The Kentucky Derby – which has a scheduled post time of 3:24
PDT – will be shown between Hollywood Park’s
eighth and ninth races. The entire Derby Day card will be simulcast.
Gates open at 7 a.m. at Hollywood Park. The
first import is 7:30 a.m.
Owned by Jenny Craig and trained
by John Sadler, Sidney’s Candy, whose biggest victory came in the 2010 Santa
Anita Derby, has been away since winning the Sir Beaufort last Dec. 26. The
4-year-old son of Candy Ride and the Storm Cat mare Fair Exchange has won six
of 11 and earned $893,560.
Bred in Kentucky by Craig and her late husband Sid, Sidney’s Candy is seeking his first win at Hollywood Park. In his
lone appearance, the chestnut was defeated by a head by Skipshot as the 1-5
favorite in the Swaps Stakes last July 17.
Trained by Richard Mandella for B.
Wayne Hughes’ Spendthrift Farm, Crown of Thorns stretches out in the
LeRoy after finishing seventh of 10 in his first start of the year in the
Potrero Grande April 3 at Santa Anita.
A 6-year-old son of Repent and the
Thunder Gulch mare Crowning Touch, Crown of Thorns has two wins in nine races
and has banked $687,080. His only graded win – the 2009 Robert B. Lewis at
Santa Anita – came at the LeRoy distance.
If Crown of Thorns is successful,
Mandella will tie the late Bobby Frankel for most LeRoy wins. Mandella has
three, the most recent with Out Of Mind in 2000.
Honour the Deputy will be making
his first start on something other than conventional dirt Saturday. Owned by a
partnership that includes Barnett Stables LLC, Mark DeDomenico LLC and George
Todaro and trained by Jerry Hollendorfer, the three time winner is a
4-year-old Honour and Glory gelding out of the French Deputy mare
Deputy’s Delight. He’s earned $87,724 in seven outings.
Aiming for his initial graded
victory, Honour the Deputy worked a best of the morning six furlongs in 1:12
1/5 April 25 on the Hollywood Park main
track. In his most recent start, the gray was second, defeated by a
half-length, by Worth Repeating in the Tokyo City, a
Grade III, March 26 at Santa Anita.
Worse than second only once in six
races over Cushion Track, Spurrier comes off a third in the Tokyo City, finishing
1 ½ lengths behind Honour the Deputy.
Trained by Bob Baffert for owner
Arnold Zetcher, Spurrier has won five of 29 and has a bankroll of $348,947. The
6-year-old is a gray son of Dixieland Band and the Valiant Nature mare Humble.
Owned by Gary and Cecil Barber,
Coffee Boy will make his California
debut for new trainer Peter Miller.
A 4-year-old Yonaguska colt out of
the Unbridled’s Song mare Heythisis Sarah, Coffee Boy won three of seven and
earned $222,750 while competing in Florida
for trainers Todd Pletcher and Marty Wolfson. His lone graded victory came in
the Carry Back, a Grade II, last July at Calder.
From inside out, the field for the
Mervyn LeRoy Handicap: Honour the Deputy, Brice Blanc rides, 115 pounds; Crown
of Thorns, Tyler Baze, 119; Coffee Boy, Joe Talamo, 116; Sidney’s Candy, Alonso
Quinonez, 123 and Spurrier, Chantal Sutherland, 115.
Cambina, who rattled off three
consecutive stakes victories earlier in the year on turf at Santa Anita, heads
a field of eight in the Senorita.
Trained by Jeff Bonde for a
partnership, the Irish bred daughter of Hawk Wing and the Peintre Celebre mare
Await won the La Habra, a Grade II,
the China Doll and the Grade II Providencia in succession in a span of less
than seven weeks. She’s won five of nine lifetime with earnings of $240,426.
Fourth behind Cambina after
setting the pace in the Providencia, Wave of Applause is one of two entrants
for trainer Jim Cassidy.
Owned by David Bienstock and
Charles Winner, the Royal Applause filly out of the Danehill mare Making Waves
has a win in six starts. Her bankroll is $53,633.
Cassidy will also be represented
by Fifth Ave, a
sprint winner in her United States
debut April 15 at Santa Anita.
Dismissed at 13-1 in the field of
five, the daughter of Avonbridge and the Danehill Dancer mare Cozette prevailed
by 1 ¼ lengths over favored Rumor in the $56,000 allowance at 6 ½ furlongs on
turf.
Owned by Cassidy and Paula Regina,
Fifth Ave has
won three of 14 and banked $57,731.
Fifth in the Providencia, Hard to
Resist has one win in four tries with earnings of $39,400 for a partnership
that includes the Estate of Frank Alesia, Bran Jam Stable and Ciaglia Racing
LLC and trainer Peter Eurton.
A first out winner down the hill
March 18 at Santa Anita, Star Billing will be seeking to give trainer John
Shirreffs and owner George Krikorian their second Senorita victory. The duo
combined to win with Makeup Artist in 2003.
Part of a favored entry, Star
Billing won by 2 ¼ lengths after a pace pressing trip. The win was worth
$32,400 for the daughter of Dynaformer and the Thunder Gulch mare Topliner. She
was bred in Kentucky by her
owner.
Trainer Paddy Gallagher, who won
the 2007 Senorita with Valbenny, will try for another Saturday with
Entrustment. A winner in her grass debut April 3 at Golden Gate Fields, the
daughter of Forestry and the Private Account mare Entrusted is owned by Theresa
and Edward DeNike. She has two wins in four starts and has earned $41,320.
Great Hot, an easy winner in her U.S.
debut on the Santa Anita main track March 27, will stretch out and try grass
for the first time for owner-breeder Jessica Coudelaria and trainer A C Avila.
The Brazilian bred daughter of Orientate and the Seeking the Gold mare That’s
Hot is 1-for-2 with earnings of $37,430.
A distant third in the Santa Paula
Stakes in her only previous visit to Southern
California, Justenufappeal returns after scoring in
her initial try on turf. The Exchange Rate filly out of the World Appeal mare
Hasty Appeal captured the Golden Poppy as the 17-10 favorite April 16 at Golden Gate.
Trained by Steve Specht for a
partnership that includes Praz Racing Stable and former jockey Eddie
Delahoussaye, Justenufappeal has won three of six with earnings of $109,200.
During his Hall of Fame career,
Delahoussaye won the Senorita once, taking the 1987 renewal aboard Pen Bal Lady.
From inside out, the field
for the Senorita Stakes: Hard to Resist, Alonso Quinonez rides, 117 pounds;
Cambina, Brice Blanc, 121; Wave of Applause, David Flores, 115; Fifth Ave, Tyler
Baze, 115; Star Billing, Chantal Sutherland, 115; Great Hot, Omar Berrio, 115;
Entrustment, Kayla Stra, 117 and Justenufappeal, Joe Talamo, 121.
Cost of Freedom, a five time
winner over Cushion Track, returns after a layoff of more than three months in the
inaugural Cool Frenchy.
Named in honor of a 20 time winner
who earned over $320,000 for co-owner and trainer Mary Lichlyter, the Cool
Frenchy will be Cost of Freedom’s first start since he finished third, beaten
by a neck, as the 3-5 favorite in the Sunshine Millions Sprint Jan. 29 at Santa
Anita.
Trained by John Sadler for the
Barbers, the 8-year-old Cee’s Tizzy gelding and the Moscow Ballet mare Freedom
Dance has won 11 of 22 while earning $879,983. Most of that bankroll has
been accumulated since the California
bred was claimed by his current connections for $50,000 in July, 2008 at Del
Mar.
Worse than third only once in nine
starts at Hollywood Park, Cost
of Freedom set a track record for the Cool Frenchy distance the last time he
competed here. The dark bay won the Miles Tyson Stakes –his third victory in a
row over Cushion Track - in 56.14 last Dec. 11.
The winner of the 2009 Breeders’
Cup Sprint, Dancing in Silks will be seeking to end a six race losing streak in
the Cool Frenchy.
Trained by Kathy Walsh for owner
Ken Kinakin, the 6-year-old Black Minnaloushe gelding and the Royal and Regal
mare Lemhi Lane
hasn’t won since his 25-1 surprise in the Breeders’ Cup. He’s earned $1,487,102
while capturing seven of 19.
In his first start for Walsh,
Dancing in Silks finished third in the Sensational Star Handicap on the Santa
Anita turf in his most recent race Feb. 27.
Goggles McCoy, who has won five of
seven with earnings of $150,580, returns to Southern California after a
gate-to-wire victory in his 2011 debut March 13 at Golden Gate. Trained by Steve Sherman for
owner-breeders Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Shapiro, the 4-year-old In Excess gelding
out of the Slew City Slew mare Swahili Song did not fare well in his previous
visit to Hollywood Park.
The bay was last of five in the
California Cup Sprint during the Oak Tree meet last Oct. 30.
Fourth in the Potrero Grande after
disputing the pace in his first race as a 5-year-old, M One Rifle will be
shooting for his second victory over Cushion Track.
A winner of four of 12 with
earnings of $414,872, the One Man Army gelding and the Bertrando mare Loumena
races for a partnership that includes breeders Ed Bernstein, Brian Greenspan
and trainer Bruce Headley.
Owned by Green Grass Stable and
trained by Ruben Cardenas, Al Instante will be making his first start in this
country after winning five of eight in his native Chile.
The 4-year-old Caesarion colt and the Carson City
mare Alphagram has earned $37,927.
Baffert will be represented by
Bulldogger, who won an allowance race as the favorite Feb. 17 at Santa Anita in
his first outing of 2011. Owned by Patti and Hal Earnhardt III, the 4-year-old
son of Dixie Union and the Tricky Creek mare Silent Stream has won three of six
and banked $113,438.
From inside out, the field for the
Cool Frenchy Stakes: Al Instante, Joy Scott rides, 120 pounds; M One Rifle,
Chantal Sutherland, 118; Cost of Freedom, Tyler Baze, 124; Goggles McCoy, David
Flores, 124; Bulldogger, Alonso Quinonez, 120 and Dancing in Silks, Brice
Blanc, 118.