Horse Racing, Hollywood Park, June 14
June 14, 2012 - 1:03 am
Today at Hollywood Park
Post Time 1 p.m.
Race 1 – 5 furlongs, Purse $50,000, Maiden special weights, 2-year-olds
1 Papa G. T. – Ran evenly as a beaten favorite in career debut; Doug O’Neill takes blinkers off and adds Mario Gutierrez.
6 Cash Empire – Tepid chalk does not look like one of Bob Baffert’s best; cost only $30K at auction, still a danger with Rafael Bejarano.
Long Shot – 4 Carson’s Crown
Race 2 – 6 1/2 furlongs, Purse $17,000, Claiming $8,000, 3-year-olds and up
5 A Pint for Mary – Claimed by Vann Belvoir who has been productive with this move; clearly not outclassed at the bottom rung.
6 What a Rush – Always respect Mike Mitchell; third start off the claim, his race two back is fast enough to defeat these.
Long Shot – 7 Brady Blue Eyes
Race 3 – 6 1/2 furlongs, Purse $35,000, Starter allowance $40,000, Fillies and mares, 3-year-olds and up
6 Always a Chance – Third start off a layoff is often times a best effort; ran a better than looked third last time out.
5 My Diane – Been knocking on the door for John Sadler; like that he continues to protect her showing he has not given up yet.
Long Shot – 2 Running Isabella
Race 4 – 6 1/2 furlongs, Purse $17,000, Claiming $8,000, 3-year-olds and up
4 Giant Steps – Claimed by Bill Morey at GGF and ran well in BHP debut; like the confidence he showed and the hiring of Rafael Bejarano.
5 Arabian Storm – Looks cheap with Turf Paradise PPs, but take a look at the rest; Mike Chambers is a very good trainer who wins races.
Long Shot – 1 Already There
Race 5 – 1 mile (turf), Purse $25,000, Claiming $25,000, Fillies and mares, 3-year-olds and up
3 – Lift Our Luck – Ran like a horse in need of a race off a 10-month hiatus; back class to improve while a lot tighter tonight.
4 Mrs. Rosa – Red flag chalk off the huge class drop by Richard Mandella; like the vote of Rafael Bejarano, but counts the legs.
Long Shot – 2 Distant Glow
Race 6 – 1 1/16th miles, Purse $19,000, Maiden claiming $20,000, 3-year-olds and up
11 Jay’s Firetruck – Leap of faith that the connections of John Sadler and Martin Garcia can upset; need not be much in this group.
2 Tiz Victorious – Tepid chalk in a truly moribund field; it’s unusual to see Garrett Gomez riding in such a cheap race.
Long Shot – 7 Swiss Emperor
Race 7 – 1 1/2 miles (turf), Purse $52,000, Optional claiming $40,000, 3-year-olds and up
5 Let’s Do It – Claimed by Bob Hess off a sharp try for $25K; like the fact that Garrett Gomez jumps on board, value at 6/1 odds.
1 Porfido – Tepid chalk in a wide open affair; notice that Garrett Gomez takes off to ride my top choice for Bob Hess, Let’s Do It.
Long Shot – 2 Clearance Clarence
Race 8 – 5 furlongs, Purse $29,000, Maiden claiming $50,000, 2-year-olds
5 Hawkeye Declan – FTS from John Sadler and Martin Pedroza; leap of faith that these connections can upset in such a nothing field.
10 A Thousand Aces – So-so debut in a fast paced MSW; taking the biggest class drop in racing from MSW to maiden claiming for Doug O’Neill.
Long Shot – 4 Scherer Magic
Best Bet – 4 Giant Steps (race 4)
Betfair Hollywood Park Sunday – Picks/Winners/Mutuels, 18/5/$32.60; Long Shots, 9/1/$10.20; Best Bet, 1/1/$3.60
Betfair Hollywood Park Totals – 490/125/$810.20; Long Shots, 248/37/$366.00; Best Bets, 26/8/$32.60
SIMULCAST PLAY OF THE DAY – #1 Associate (6/5) in race 8 at Belmont Park. For scoring purposes, we’ll make a hypothetical $2 win, place and show bet, $6 total. On Sunday, Chilled ran third at Churchill Downs paying $3.20 to show. Stats – 90/58/$494.70; Follow him on Twitter: @richeng4propick