Marlang worked six furlongs in a bullet 1:14 on the Hollywood Park turf
Sunday to signal his readiness for the $100,000 Grade III Sunset Handicap,
closing-day feature at 1 ½ miles on turf July 18.
Marlang, a 5-year-old son of Langfuhr, will make his
second start here for trainer Neil Drysdale after spending most of his career
at Woodbine.
“I was very happy with his last race,” said Drysdale,
thinking he got a lot out of a strong allowance test here June 27 in his first
start since September. Marlang pressed the early pace in the mile turf race
before fading to fifth, beaten by 3 ½ lengths.
Marlang, owned and bred by Canadian Gus Schickedanz,
won two stakes at Woodbine in 2008 and led all the way to win the Grade III
Saranac Stakes at Saratoga that year.
Joel Rosario has the Sunset call.
Other probable starters are Buenos Dias (Brice
Blanc), Champ Pegasus (Joe Talamo), Dynamic Range
(Rafael Bejarano), Great Siege (Tyler Baze) and Unusual Suspect (Corey
Nakatani).