Horse Racing, Hollywood Park, May 31

By Richard Eng

Post Time 1 p.m.

Race 1 – 1 mile (turf, rail at 10 feet), Purse $46,000, Claiming $50,000, 3-year-olds

5 Late Night Sky – Been away 7-weeks since breaking his maiden; is realistically placed facing winners for the first time.

6 Trucial State – Huge class drop puts this one into strong contention; lost to a good one in Achilles last out.

Long Shot – 2 Major Magic

Race 2 – 6 furlongs, Purse $40,000, Claiming $40,000, 3-year-olds

4 Night Tide – Bob Baffert only seems to win with every starter this meet; puts a red flag drop on this colt from $80K to $40K.

6 Plenny of Honey – Sliding down the claiming ladder to the level he was claimed at; it also is the class level of his last win.

Long Shot – 5 Yes It’s Snowing

Race 3 – 6 furlongs (turf, rail at 10 feet), Purse $54,000, Allowance, 3-year-olds and up

1 Gnarly Dude – Draws the advantageous rail in this turf sprint; saves all the ground and comes grinding late.

5 Sabor Amargo – Ran well in U.S. debut despite some late lane congestion; see if he improves or regresses in second start.

Long Shot – 3 Thinking of Girls

Race 4 – 6 1/2 furlongs, Purse $18,000, Claiming $8,000, Fillies and mares, 3-year-olds and up

6 Irenes Jackpot – Running for the cheapest price tag of her career; second start off a 6-month hiatus, should be tighter.

4 Mo Cheese – Distant second and has been consistent at this bottom class level; tactical speed to sit a nice trip.

Long Shot – 2 Akeela

Race 5 – 1 1/16th miles (turf, rail at 10 feet), Purse $52,000, Maiden special weights, Cal-breds, Fillies and mares, 3-year-olds and up

2 Zanbo – May have been best in last due to some traffic problems; closer to the early pace on the stretch out.

8 Sassy and Single – Burned a lot of betting money in her last two starts; in this evenly matched field she can improve today.

Long Shot – 7 Passionville

Race 6 – 6 1/2 furlongs, Purse $26,000, Claiming $25,000, Fillies and mares, 3-year-olds and up

2 Moonstruck Maya – Off the turf angle and cuts back in distance; this is a good spot to add to the victory column.

5 Hout Bay – Takes a huge class drop where she’ll have no more excuses; suspect she may find a new home after the race.

Long Shot – 1 Warren’s Jazz Walk

Race 7 – 1 1/16th miles (turf, rail at 10 feet), Purse $57,000, Optional claiming $62,500, Fillies and mares, 3-year-olds and up

8 Celestial Kitten – Been away 4-months in a brief freshening; this is a start to get her ready for Del Mar in July.

7 Imperialistic Diva – Simon Callahan takes the blinkers off after a miserable run in the Wilshire; she is better than that.

Long Shot – 5 Rosehill Dew

Race 8 – 7 furlongs, Purse $30,000, Maiden claiming $50,000, Cal-breds, 3-year-olds and up

1 I Feel Free – Doug O’Neill hasn’t started many at BHP meet; they’ve all been live as he readies for the Belmont Stakes.

6 Awesome Year – Big rider switch to Rafael Bejarano for the money shot;; suspect will improve second time out too.

Long Shot – 5 Flying Jib

Best Bet – 2 Moonstruck Maya (race 6)

Betfair Hollywood Park Monday – Picks/Winners/Mutuels, 19/3/$16.20; Long Shots, 10/3/$39.80; Best Bet, 1/0/$0

Betfair Hollywood Park Totals – 357/84/$561.80; Long Shots, 180/30/$294.40; Best Bets, 18/4/$16.00

SIMULCAST PLAY OF THE DAY – #3 A Diehl (6/1) in race 7 at Churchill Downs. For scoring purposes, we’ll make a hypothetical $2 win, place and show bet, $6 total. On Monday, Somali Lemonade ran out at Belmont Park. Stats – 82/53/$460.30; Follow him on Twitter: @richeng4propick