Photo: Hollywood Park
A
bump into graded company and added distance didn’t deter Turning Top. The Irish
bred filly made it four wins in a row, overtaking pacesetter Princess Taylor in
the $100,000 Beverly Hills Handicap Saturday at Hollywood Park.
Positioned
closest to the leader, who set a slow pace after breaking from the rail, by
jockey Brice Blanc, Turning Top, the 4-1 second choice, gained the advantage
outside Princess Taylor in the final sixteenth and went on to prevail by
one length.
Trained
by Simon Callaghan for owner Michael Tabor, the 4-year-old Pivotal filly out of
the Cadeaux Genereux mare Pietra Dura has six victories in 15 starts. Her
bankroll stands at $171,943 after the Grade III score.
Turning
Top, in her first venture beyond 1 1/16 miles in this country, completed the 1
¼ miles on turf in 2:01.69.
‘’I
had this filly (in England),’’
said Callaghan, the son of retired trainer Neville Callaghan and a former
assistant for Todd Pletcher. “She won a couple of races for me over there. She
loves fast ground, but she really didn’t get the opportunity to show it.
“She’s
pretty straight forward this filly. She relaxes and gives herself every chance
to get the trip. She has all the attributes to do well here.’’
The
win was the second in the Beverly
Hills for Blanc. He won with Happyanunoit for the late
Bobby Frankel in 2000.
“It
was just a perfect trip,’’ said Blanc. “Simon has done a great job with this
filly. She’s so relaxed and easy going and just does everything you want.
“She’s
got a nice finish. It takes her just three or four strides to get in full gear.
Then she just levels out and lays her body down.’’
Turning
Top, whose only off the board finish in this country came in her California debut when
she finished last on the Pro Ride at Santa Anita on Feb. 5, returned $10.40,
$6.60 and $4.60.
Back
with females after finishing ninth in the San Juan Capistrano Handicap on April
18 at Santa Anita in her first in the U.S., Princess Taylor returned
$13.40 and $10.
The
show price on Restless Soul, who finished 1 ¼ lengths behind Princess Taylor,
was $5.40.
The
disappointment in the Beverly Hills
was General Consensus. The 9-10 favorite never menaced, finishing fifth under
new rider Rafael Bejarano.
She
wound up four lengths behind Turning Top while finishing a head in front of Catsalot,
the longest shot in the field at 41-1.
“I
was pretty clear in the stretch, but she didn’t show me too much,’’ said
Bejarano. “She was a little quiet at the end.’’
Joel
Rosario, who didn’t have a mount in the Beverly
Hills, continued his hot hand.
He
tripled for the third time in the last four days. Since Wednesday, Rosario is 11-for-25.
Tyler
Baze and Joe Talamo both had two victories Saturday as the jockey race
tightened.
With
14 days remaining in the spring-summer meet, Bejarano leads with 56 wins, three
more than Baze and Rosario.