Photo: Hollywood Park
Trainer
Marty Jones will be looking for his second win in three years in the $150,000
Snow Chief Stakes, the richest event on the 12th California Gold
Rush program Saturday at Hollywood
Park.
Restricted
to California
breds, the Gold Rush features eight stakes races – the $60,000 NTRA for maidens
was split - with purses totaling $845,000. The Gold Rush events proved popular
in 2011 as 88 horses were entered.
Post
time for the 10-race card is 1 p.m. There will be a Hollywood Park
sweatpants giveaway – one per paid admission while supplies last.
Jones,
who won the 2009 Snow Chief with Compari, will be represented by Drink At
Buster’s in this year’s renewal for 3-year-olds at 1 1/8 miles over Cushion
Track. It goes as the ninth race.
Owned
by breeder Meadowbrook Farms, Inc., Drink At Buster’s, a son of Crafty C.T. and
the Kris S. mare Eishin Georgia,
has won two of five and earned $78,536. This will be his first start beyond
seven furlongs on the main track. The chestnut earned his maiden victory
locally, winning his debut at 4 ½ furlongs last May 19 for former trainer David
La Croix.
Another
trainer seeking his second Snow Chief win is Doug O’Neill. Hollywood Park’s
leading conditioner at the 2010 Spring/Summer meet, O’Neill, who won the race
in 2008 with Harlene, will saddle Thirtyfirststreet Saturday. Owned by Neil
Haymes, Sterling Stable and Mark Gorman, who bred the colt with O’Neill,
Thirtyfirstreet has won two of five and banked $110,400. The son of Good Journey
and the Sky Classic mare Avian has a win and a second in two previous races at Hollywood Park.
Owned
by co-breeder Carl Asadurian and trainer Scott Hansen, Chiloquin will be
looking to remain perfect in his third start versus state breds. The gelded son
of Tribal Rule and the Desert Mirage mare Zzyzzx Road, Chiloquin has won three of
eight, earning $89,392.
After
two starts on the turf at Santa Anita, Nahem will try Cushion Track for the
first time since he finished seventh in his debut last Nov. 20.
Trained
by Paddy Gallagher for owner-breeders John Harris and Michael and Cory Wellman,
Nahem has one win in four starts with earnings of $44.400. The gelding is a son
of Bertrando and the Moscow Ballet mare Miss Bev Hills.
Burns
is another going turf to main track. The Unusual Heat gelding has won two of
six, banking $80,240 for owner-breeder Madeline Auerbach and Sonny Pais and
trainer Barry Abrams. Out of the Afternoon Deelites mare Little Hottie, Burns
has never started at Hollywood
Park.
Co-owned
by trainer Mike Puype with breeders Mr. and Mrs. Larry Williams, Woodmans Luck
is the most experienced member of the Snow Chief field. The son of Lucky Pulpit
and the Woodman mare Royal Woodman has one win in 10 attempts, earning $62,546.
He was third in the California Cup Juvenile last Oct. 30 in his most recent
local appearance.
An
Offlee Wild gelding out of the Grand Slam mare Match Ball, Offlee Wild Boys had
a two race win streak snapped when he trailed in the Santa Anita Derby April 9.
He’s won four of 12 and earned $109,004. Offlee Wild Boys is owned by Gary
Barber, Roger Birnbaum and Kevin Tsujihara and trained by Steve Miyadi.
From
inside out, the field for the Snow Chief: Drink At Buster’s, Rafael Bejarano
rides, 116 pounds; Chiloquin, Martin Pedroza, 116; Thirtyfirststreet, Joel
Rosario, 120; Woodmans Luck, David Flores, 116; Burns, Chantal Sutherland, 118;
Offlee Wild Boys, Joe Talamo, 118 and Nahem, Victor Espinoza, 116.
The
other stakes races Saturday with six digit purses are the $125,000 Tiznow for older
horses at 7 ½ furlongs, the $125,000 B. Thoughtful for older fillies and mares
at 7 ½ furlongs and the $125,000 Melair for 3-year-old fillies at 1 1/16 miles.
Fresh
off two stakes wins during the Santa Anita season, Amazombie tops a field
of 12 in the Tiznow.
Trained
by Bill Spawr, who co-owns the 5-year-old with Thomas Sanford, Amazombie won
the Sunshine Millions Sprint Jan. 29, then took the Potrero Grande, a Grade II,
April 3. Sandwiched between those victories was a half-length defeat to Quick
Enough, who is also in the Tiznow, in the Sensational Star Handicap Feb. 27.
A
gelded son of Northern Afleet and the In
Excess mare Wilshe Amaze, Amazombie has won seven of 17 and has a bankroll of
$418,708.
Trained
by O’Neill for owners Michael Bello, Russell Sarno and Pablo Suarez, Quick
Enough returns to California after finishing eighth in the $272,300Al Quoz
Sprint March 26 at Meydan Race Course in the United Arab Emirates.
Claimed
by his current connections for $40,000 last Aug. 5 at Del Mar, Quick Enough has
since won two of seven, including the grassy Morvich Handicap, a Grade
III, last Oct. 11.
A
7-year-old High Brite gelding and the Moscow Ballet mare Donna B. Quick, Quick
Enough has won eight of 20 and earned $375,360.
Others
in the field include 2010 runner-up Bestdressed, who will be making his first
start for owner Jeffrey Sengara and trainer Mike Mitchell after being claimed
for $40,000 March 27, the O’Neill trained Scofield Barracks, who has been 1-2-3
in seven of nine over Cushion Track, Vadertore, making his first start outside
Northern California for trainer Dean Pederson, and Autism Awareness, best known
for his 62-1 upset in the 2008 El Camino Real Derby at Bay Meadows.
Ten
are entered in the Melair, including six last out winners (Burton’s
Angel, Emily Pearl, Miles Rules, Screaming Regal, Shezabigbroad and Warren’s Flyer).
Looking
for his fourth win in a row in the race, Rafael Bejarano has the call on
Screaming Regal, who defeated maidens by 2 ¼ lengths when the 7-5 favorite
April 3 at Santa Anita. She is owned by breeder Tommy Town Thoroughbreds and
trained by Eric Kruljac. The Old Topper filly and the Pulpit mare Royal Ride
has earned $58,400 in five starts.
Ultra
Blend, who won the California
Cup Matron last Oct. 30 during the Oak Tree/Hollywood Park meet, headlines the
B. Thoughtful. Trained by Art Sherman for owner Nels Erickson, the 5-year-old
Richly Blended mare out of the Desert Classic mare Ankha has won eight of 19
with earnings of $460,646.
Her
opposition includes nine-time winner Lady Railrider, Excellent News, who won
the Warren’s Thoroughbred Stakes on the 2010 Gold Rush card, and Dani Reese,
who debuts for O’Neill after being claimed for $40,000 March 25.
The
other Gold Rush stakes are the $60,000 Alphabet Kisses for maiden fillies and
mares at six furlongs, the $70,000 Grey Memo for 3-year-olds & up at seven
furlongs and the $70,000 Warren’s Thoroughbreds for fillies and mares at seven
furlongs.