Horse Racing, Hollywood Park, 11/20/11
Today at Hollywood Park
Post Time 12:30 p.m.
Race 1 – 6 furlongs, Purse $45,000, Maiden special weights, Fillies, 2-year-olds
5 Princess Ash – Bob Baffert filly did everything but win in debut; logical graduate with one step of improvement.
3 Vionnet – Tardy start really put her behind the 8-ball; Mike Pupye babies improve with experience and so should this one.
Long Shot – 2 Rowdy Gal
Race 2 – 7 furlongs, Purse $18,000, Claiming $10,000, Fillies and mares, 3-year-olds and up
4 Rainbow Luck – Mike Mitchell cull is sliding down the claiming ladder; elongated sprint should be a perfect distance.
8 Akeela – She has better races to run back to on her resume; pick is for forgiving handicappers only.
Long Shot -3 Angel of Mystery
Race 3 – 7 furlongs, $100,000 Moccasin, Fillies, 2-year-olds
5 Lady Hokulea – New blood in the Bob Baffert barn; quick worktab, what else, watch the tote board for clues.
3 Made to Love Her – She has shown steady improvement despite taking 5 starts to graduate; suspect she has an up side.
Long Shot – 4 Eva’s Joy
Race 4 – 1 1/16th miles (turf), Purse $52,000, Optional claiming $62,500, 3-year-olds and up
4 Dr. Smarty Jack – Tiny edge in a very competitive field; he is 10-for-19 in the money on grass, fits well here.
5 Rooster City – New trainer to SoCal Tim McCanna; key vote for me is Joel Rosario, no one is riding better right now.
Long Shot – 6 Times Gone By
Race 5 – 6 furlongs, Purse $22,000, Maiden claiming $30,000, 2-year-olds
7 Traweek – Small edge in a race fraught with danger; key angle is he’s a first time gelding, the ultimate equipment change.
1 Pop the Cork – Ran OK in debut for Doug O’Neill; suspect can improve in second career start, saves all the ground too.
Long Shot – 10 Captain Magic
Race 6 – 6 furlongs (turf), Purse $34,000, Claiming $32,000, Fillies and mares, 3-year-olds and up
1 All the Love – Showed some spunk in turf debut; claimed by Mike Mitchell, he may have found himself a useful claimer.
9 Brown Is Beige – Claimed by Doug O’Neill off a beaten favorite role; adding blinkers on, has tactical speed to sit a trip.
Long Shot – 7 Soul Custody
Race 7 – 6 furlongs, Purse $37,000, Claiming $40,000, 3-year-olds
6 Gutshot Straight – Returns to synthetics which is his preferred surface; class drop can only help.
4 Quintons Destiny – Mike Mitchell switches to Joe Talamo for the money shot; will sit in arrears and make one run.
Long Shot – 2 Warren’s Knockout
Race 8 – 6 furlongs (turf), Purse $48,000, Allowance, Cal-breds, Fillies and mares, 3-year-olds and up
4 Cactus Flyer – Claimed by Gary Sherluck, he has a good average first out off the claim; like that Rafael Bejarano is up.
15 Promiscuoussuances – Like the filly a lot, hate the parking lot post; her only shot is to pop the gate and turn left.
Long Shot – 10 Pleasing Sunrise
Race 9 – 6 furlongs, Purse $22,000, Maiden claiming $30,000, 2-year-olds
1 Blueskiesnrainbows – Bob Baffert is culling out his barn while still trying to win; need not be much in this bunch.
2 Arathorn – Good career debut for trainer Janet Armstrong; being the early leader can work in a bad field like this.
Long Shot – 3 Ello Luv
Best Bet – 4 Rainbow Luck (race 2)
Hollywood Park Saturday – Picks/Winners/Mutuels, 18/6/$40.40; Long Shots, 9/0/$0; Best Bet, 1/1/$5.20
Hollywood Park Totals – 114/37/$228.60; Long Shots, 58/5/$49.20; Best Bets, 7/4/$13.60
SIMULCAST PLAY OF THE DAY – #3 Groomedforvictory (5/2) in race 3 at Aqueduct. For scoring purposes, we’ll make a hypothetical $2 win, place and show bet, $6 total. On Saturday, Redeemed won at Aqueduct paying $4.90 to win, $2.80 to place and $2.10 to show. Stats – 178/115/$915.70. Follow him on Twitter: @richeng4propick