Saturday was supposed to be a chance to showcase the talents of one of the best older horses in the country, Heatseeker, in the Grade 1 Hollywood Gold Cup.  Instead, the heavy favorite has scratched, leaving the field a bit more wide open.  Racing fans should still be treated to one of the stars of the California circuit when Daytona takes to the track in the Grade 2 American Handicap.  In addition, we’ve got 11 races that I must say look quite competitive on paper. 

All in all it should still be a great betting day, even if a “free square” in the multi-race exotics like Heatseeker has scratched. In fact, some of the races are so close that I’ve listed additional horses beyond the usual 3 I give out.  It’s that close trying to separate some of these guys.

Race 1:Md Sp Wt 62k F+M 3↑ (6 Furlongs – Turf)

• #9 Solar Miss (5/2*)
• #3 Sleepin’ In (7/2)
• #1 Gloria Goodbody (8/1)

We open up with a decent maiden special weight race on the turf. Solar Miss and Sleepin’ In look like the top two. I went with Solar Miss as Sleepin’ In tends to fade when it counts. Solar Miss should get the better trip from the outside in my opinion andwill get her nose over the wire for the win. Sleepin’ In will be right behind at the wire after fading late.  I thought Gloria Goodbody had as good a chance as any to be coming late through the stretch for a minor share.  True Bella, Dolly Daggers, and Unusual Strike warrant some underneath consideration depending on how they look in the post parade.

Race 2: Md Sp Wt 62K 3↑ (7 Furlongs)

• #6 Ksar Ghilane (4/1)
• #4 Star Time (3/1)
• #2 Victory’s Cry (4/1)
• # 5 Yankee Station (5/2*)

I know, I’ve listed 4 horses in my selections.  What gives?  Honestly I couldn’t separate these guys without guessing. Point being, I think you should cover all of these numbers if playing the early pick 4.  I like Ksar Ghilane to turn in an improved performance after busting through the gate last time out. Maybe that last Beyer figure darkens his form just enough that we catch a price?  Star Time had a very useful debut posting an 87 Beyer speed figure and looks another good one for Bob Baffert.  Victor’s Cry gets an experience edge with 4 races under his belt – including 3 good enough to win here today.  It looks like his most complete race came at 7 furlongs two back.  The favorite is Yankee Station, who adds blinkers today and cannot be discarded.  He’s been right there in the mix in both career starts and has room to move forward. 

Race 3: Clm 40000 4↑ (6 Furlongs – Turf)

• #2 Giovanni (2/1*)
• #7 Carman (5/2)
• #1 Irish Ty (4/1)

This one looks easy to me on paper – which admittedly makes me nervous.  Giovanni looks like he should be able to get an easy lead over this field, despite some pressure from Irish Ty to his inside.  I could see this race being a merry-go-round with the top 3 finishes being 1-2-3 or close to that the entire way around the track.  I spiced things up a little by predicting Carman would charge late and get up for 2nd.  If the pace is a bit hotter than the race may well fall into Carman’s lap.  As such I’d go at least two deep here in the multi-race wagers.  Irish Ty I thought would hold on for a share either battling Giovanni or more likely being just off him.  Drawing the rail may force him into a pace duel though – then the question will be whether he can even run with Giovani to begin with.  Maybe, but likely not.

Race 4: The Landaluce $100k F-2YO (6 Furlongs)

• #3 Glitter City (3/1)
• #7 Trifecta King (5/2)
• #8 Cosmic Queen (2/1*)

Another tough race for handicappers.  Glitter City exits two solid efforts including a 93 Beyer to break her maiden at the special weight level.  A repeat would crush that field, but was that a freak effort?  Trifecta King exits a listed stakes win in the Cinderella against some of today’s foes.  I can’t come up with any reason to toss this gal either.  Cosmic Queen is listed as the favorite coming off a maiden score which saw her defeat Trifecta King that also produced a return winner in the show horse Streamin Heat.  Would be hard not to cove her name either.  Two others horses that deserve long looks are Atka (who has defeated top choice Glitter City) and Emmy Darling, who ran second to top choice Glitter City.  See how tough this one is to decipher?

Edit: Trifeca King has scratched with 2 hours to post time in race 1 – I’d move Cosmic Queen up to 2nd and make either Atka or Emmy Darling third choice.  I tend to favor Atka at the moment, but I’d cover all 4 of them (Glitter City, Atka, Emmy Darling, and Cosmic Queen) in the early Pick 4.

Race 5: The American Handicap – Grade 2 (1 1/8 Miles – Turf)

• #7 Daytona (8/5*)
• #5 Hyperbaric (5/2)
• #2 Storm Military (7/2)

Daytona, Daytona, Daytona.  This one is all about Daytona.  Barring a bizarre occurrence, this appears to be the easiest race to predict.  Depending on how you look at things, it’s either a shame not to have this “free square” in the pick 4/pick 6 sequences or it’s a blessing in disguise from a betting value standpoint.  Me, I’d like the free square as I like to keep costs down.  Hyperbaric looked like the logical rival here today with the best chance.  I liked Storm Military for show, but would also consider Becrux and Albertus Maximus as they stand similar chances and have much better odds.

Edit: With roughly 2 hours to post Albertus Maximus has been scratched.  This race should still be all about Daytona, but I think you can now substitute Worldy in for Albertus Maximus at the bottom of exotics.  Daytona -Hyperbaric still seems the obvious one-two.  Storm Military, Worldly, and maybe Becrux underneath if he doesn’t look rusty.

Race 6: Alw 66000 N1X (7 Furlongs)

• #7 Usurp (5/2*)
• #5 Bullsby (8/1)
• #2 Cost of Freedom (7/2)

Another tough race awaits bettors venturing into the pick 6 sequence.   Usurp has the standout Beyer figure of a whopping 100, so don’t expect any value here at all.  If you’re looking to beat him, he is moving up a notch in class today, so perhaps a runner like Cost of Freedom could defeat him?  It’s not likely, but it’s possible.  Bullsbay looked headed in the right direction to me and has never missed the exacta in 4 career starts. Well, if you discount the disqualification in his debut that is.  Two other horses that looked playable to me are Black Wolf and Cherokee Tear. I ranked them just a notch lower but won’t be surprised at all if they score here.

Race 7: Alw 40000s (7 1/2 Furlongs)

• #7 Pictural (5/2*)
• #6 Dr. J J (4/1)
• #2 Warren’s Operator (6/1)

These starter allowance races can be tricky ones as it’s hard to decipher who exactly is in the best form.  Pictural appears to standout a bit with some of his Beyer speed figures – but not by much.  There aren’t many to chose from in true winning form in this race, but two that I thought could possibly upset were Dr J J and Warren’s Operator as they both exit victories over maiden claimers.  Theoretically the waters deepen today against other horses that have won maiden claimers, but as none of them outside of Pictural looks particularly impressive, I”ll take their recent form as my 2nd and 3rd choices.  Candy Pull also looks useful – although I’ll likely keep him underneath on the trifecta.

Race 8: OC 62K/N2X (7 Furlongs)

• #5 Barbecue Eddie (7/2*)
• #6 Valiant Effort (5/1)
• #12 Secret Shuttle (9/2)

Barbecue Eddie highlights the field of this conditional optional claimer.  I’m perplexed that he’s only a 7/2 favorite because if the Barbecue Eddie we’ve seen so far this year in both the U.S. an Dubai shows up, this one isn’t even close.  In fact, as far as the late pick 4 goes, I think Eddie is  your logical single.  Secret Shuttle is in good recent form with 3 wins in 4 lifetime starts and should be a factor before all is said and done.  I thought Valiant Effort had every right to wind up in the money as well.  I wouldn’t be surprised if Forest Phantom ran a big one as well, although I’m  a little worried about breaking from the rail.

Race 9: The A Gleam Handicap – Grade 2 (7 Furlongs)

• #9 Intangaroo (9/2*)
• #6 Tiz Elemental (5/1)
• #10 Magnificience (7/2*)

I seem to like another lukewarm favorite here in Intangaroo.  That’s okay though. Like a modern day Rodney Dangerfield, the betting action throughout Intangaroo’s career shows that she gets no respect – despite winning 3 of her last 4 starts.  She’s fresh today and training well.  Magnificience is the x-factor challenger.  She’s got 3 very impressive career races under her belt and would appear to match up well with Intangaroo.  I could see a great stretch battle between these two today.  Tiz Elemental shouldn’t be discarded either - do note that she’s beaten Intangaroo before, as well as another filly I’m fond of named Glorified.  Romance is Diane would be the ultimate thief here.  Might she get on the lead and try to wire the field? It’s a longshot, but those hoping for bombs might just fire away at 8/1.

Race  10: The Holywood Gold Cup – Grade 1 (1 1/4 Miles)

• #4 Tiago (3/1)
• #7 Go Between ( 5/2*)
• #1 Mast Track (12/1)

The feature race of the day is the 69th running of the Grade 1 Hollywood Gold Cup.  We were supposed to get Heatseeker here and I doubt he could’ve been stopped if he was good to go.  Instead a hoof problem scratches the favorite and we’re left with a bit of a head scratcher.  Rather than make this overly complicated, I trusted my gut that this would be a two horse race between Go Between and Tiago.  I gave Tiago a slight nod here, although I don’t think he can allow himself any traffic problems in the stretch.  He may have to be more forwardly placed today , say around mid pack in the early running.  Mast Track would appear to have a  chance to wire the field from the rail.  I’m not expecting swift fractions here, and that would seem to play into his favor and against horses like Tiago and Go Between.  Student Council is interesting here as well.  He can seemingly do it all: dirt, turf, synthetics – and he’s pulled upsets before.  Big Booster looks like a horse you’d have to use underneath in the trifecta.

Race 11: Md Sp Wt 62K (6 1/2 Furlongs)

• #10 Ima Offended (9/2)
• #2 Chimera Star (7/2*)
• #3 Smooch Me (8/1)
• #11 Ampys Lil Girl (4/1)
• #9 Hot Little Bug (8/1)

Yup, that’s 5 horses I’ve got up there – and for good reason. Any one of them could win this thing.  Either cover ‘em all or pick your poison.  There’s not much to go on here besides jockey/trainer stats and limited recent form – most of which look good for the guys listed above.  This should be a good one to close out the day.

Best of luck and as always be sure to check for late changes and/or scratches.

Another long week at the office, another chance for salvation playing the ponies Friday night at Hollywood.  We’ve got 8 races tonight, and as you all know Friday nights never seem to go as expected.  I thought I’d offer up my thoughts on each race on the card.

Saturday’s going to be the main day of the weekend with the running of the Hollywood Gold Cup – unfortunately Heatseeker has just scratched from that race – there goes your logical single in the pick 6 sequence.  I’ll have more on that race early tomorrow morning.

For now, let’s focus on tonight’s action.

Race 1: Clm 25000 N2L – F+M 3↑ (1 1/16 Miles)

• #2 Canonita (8/5*)
• #4 E Bee Girl (5/2)
• #3 Angel’s Reward (3/1)

Small field to deal with in the opener due to the scratch of Discover Dolly along the rail.  This means no trifecta wagering will be available.  I think the exacta here is pretty simple with Canonita and E Bee Girl. Theoretically Angel’s Reward could get a good enough trip to factor into the equation as well.  I was going to use Notacharlie’sangel underneath in the trifecta, but alas none will be offered in the opening race.

Race 2: Md 25000 F+M 3↑ (6 1/2 Furlongs)

• #3 Dice Afare (2/1*)
• #8 Warren’s Cookie (5/2)
• #5 Party Punch (6/1)

Things get a bit more interesting in the 2nd race of the evening.  My copy of the DRF purchased on Thursday had Warren’s Cookie predicted as the favorite, so I was a tad bummed to see that honor went to my top choice Dice Afare.  Dice Afare  has the class drop from Md 40000 to Md 25000 and that last race was encouraging for a debut.  It’s hard not to like the combination of Vladimir Cerin and Rafael Bejarano.  Look for improvement tonight in her 2nd career start.  Warren’s Cooke has obviously been knocking on the door and has every right to blow through it tonight.  I’d cover her name on the multi-race exotics as well.  Party Punch looks useful underneath for the exactas and trifectas.  I don’t think she can beat the top two choices but she should be involved in the outcome of the race and a minor award seems likely.  I’ll probably toss in Foxy Lady as well on the bottom of the trifecta ticket.

Race 3: Clm 8000 F+M 4↑ (6 Furlongs)

• #3 Gone Californian (9/5*)
• #1 Hotitude (6/1)
• #8 Early Anna (7/2)

Bottom rock claimers are featured in the third race of the night.  Gone Californian has run well since dropping to this level and looks to be tough to defeat tonight.  Her form looks good, she likes the track, and I’ve got no concerns about the sprint distance of 6 furlongs.  Hotitude is admittedly a risky choice as 2nd pick, but I think this 4 year-old can move forward off her 2008 debut on June 7, which really wasn’t that bad considering the time she had spent on the shelf.  I’d prefer some faster workouts from my 2nd choice in a perfect world, but then again bottom rock claimers aren’t usually associated with a perfect world, are they? Early Anna’s a horse that has burned me in the past.  I think she has to be considered here still, but I’ll shy away from making her a top pick and getting burned again.  I could see her getting a good trip today and she should be a part of the trifecta when all is said and done.  Spy Aly also warrants look warm excitement here.  She’ll have to hold on for dear life to hang on for a money placement it would seem, but it wasn’t long ago that she would’ve crushed this field. 

Race 4: Md 25000 3↑ (6 Furlongs)

• #2 Tigley (4/1)
• #5 Dynaquake (3/1*)
• #1 Peace Prospect (7/2)

The fourth race looks like the most wide open of the early pick 4 sequence.  Really I think any of these three guys can get the job done.  Tigley might seem an odd top choice, but I can’t ignore that combination of jockey Smokin’ Joe Talamo and trainer Brian Korimer.  They’ve paid dividends for me before and judging from the workout lines they appear to be on a live one again tonight.  Dynaquake looks plenty useful as well against this competition.  He earned place honors in his first try at this level last time out andtakes the hood off tonight.  I expect to see improvement from this guy under the guidance of jockey Michael Smith.  Peace Prospect warrants consideration based largely off the class drop.  He’s run against Md Sp Wt foes and $50k maiden claimers in previous efforts and ought to find the competition here easier to handle.  I’d like to get a good look at the outside horse, Joshua’s Dream, in the post parade.  Eric Guillot is hard to ignore with a first time runner and this son of Johannessurg looks ready to roll.

Race 5 Clm 25000 4↑ (5 1/2 Furlongs)

• #2 Grey Black N White (5/2*)
• #4 Capte Town King (3/1)
• #5 My Friend Luis (7/2)

Hard to get too excited when your top three choices come up 1,2,3 on the morning line as well.  Grey Black N White drops in class (note, as does virtually the entire field tonight) and exits four very solid performances in a row. He’s got speed, but he may not absolutely need the lead to still factor here.  He is a 7 year-old, which does concern me, but on paper he seems the best of this field.  Cape Town King may scare some bettors off.  Whenever you see that dreaded double-lined layoff bar, you know you need to get a good look at the horse in the post parade before pulling the trigger. Thankfully we’ll get a chance to see him before launching the late pick 4 wagers.  It’s not hard to see how he fits here if he returns anything like his former self.  The workout tabs and the abilities of trainer Jeff Mullins have me intrigued that he just may come back strong enough to defeat this group.  My Friend Luis is going to need some pace to run at, but he may get what he needs if Scottish Diamond and Grey Black N’ White were to go at it up front.  It’s hard to back a closer at the distance of 5 1/2 furlongs, but he’s handled it before.  Still, I think of him more as an  underneath play in the exacta and trifecta wagering.  I’ll add Scottish Diamond into the equation underneath as well most likely.

Race 6:  Md Sp Wt 50k 3↑ (1 Mile – Turf)

• #3 Ginobli (7/2*)
• #5 Unvarnished (5/1)
• #9 Pop’shands Are Hot (9/2)

The second leg of the late pick 4 looks plenty dangerous for horseplayers.  We’ve got a lukewarm favorite in #3 Ginobli – who we saw last Friday night running well for 2nd place to Zetterberg at the $52k level.  Obviously you’ve got to respect his chances tonight after being nosed last out.  Note that last race was also against open competition as compared to tonight’s race against only state-bred rivals.  Usually that can be considered an angle in the horse’s favor.  Unvarnished might get overlooked a bit at the windows.  He’s got some speed and has yet to turn in his best effort. It’s a bit of a risky play, but perhaps Corey Nakatani can guide this one around the track for his best trip thus far?  Pop’shands Are Hot has an interesting up and down progression of Beyer speed figures.  Bejarano’s gotten some of his better runs out of him and they reunite tonight.  Not sure what we’re going to get with this guy but he felt dangerous to leave off.   There’s actually several other horses in here that I think have a good chance of making things interesting, including I Am Game, Mark the Bench, Tulip’s Dandy, and I’mblendednotshaken.  Yeah, that’s pretty much the whole field, so I’ll likely pass on the trifecta wagering or play a really cheap ticket straight up and hope for some luck.

Race 7: OC 62k/N2X F+M↑ (6 Furlongs)

• #3 Highland Torree (5/1)
• #2 Brendolyn (5/2)
• #4 Overly Tempting (7/5*)

We’ve got a short field for the 7th race tonight, but interesting nonetheless. I wound up liking chalk yet again here with Overly Tempting, but don’t take this gal at too short a price as she hasn’t held on for a win since December.  Still, she does have speed and you know she’ll be a part of things until someone comes and gets her.  Working against her is the horse to the outside, Wickednwackyingrid could  be pressuring her early on.  If she does, trouble likely awaits.  If she gets away clean, Overly Tempting could well wire this field.  Brendolyn was the horse I thought would get the best tactical trip and look to pounce turning for home.  True, she doesn’t have the best synthetic form to support a win wager (0 for 4), but her last two efforts over the artificial surface look strong enough to me. Highland Toree is quite dangerous here as the upset player.  Note that she’s only 3 but has defeated older horses.  That smacks of talent inside her.  Enough so that I made her my top choice.  Giddy-up!

Race 8: Md 25000 3↑ (6 Furlongs)

• #10 Peeka Buddha (3/1)
• #7 Cavanaugh (5/2*)
• #6 Kerzner (4/1)

We finish the evening with…you guessed it – more maidens! Cavanaugh is the favorite and will take a lot of action at the windows based off  3 straight in-the-money finishes in a row as he’s dropped in class – culminating in a 2nd place finish by 3 lengths last out.  Yeah, he’s a player in here for sure, and the field doesn’t look tough on paper, but I would’ve preferred a better showing off the class drop last time.  I’ll use him, but I’ll go elsewhere for my top pick.  That honor will go to #10 Peeka Buddha – a first time starter for trainer Brian Korimer that was a $115,000 purchase.  As noted in the DRF “closer look” comments – I’m not really sure what he’s doing debuting against such soft competition, but I’ll take it.  The workouts look decent and breaking from the outside should ensure a clean start for the debut runner.  Kerzner was my third choice but I’m not really excited about him.  Just the best of the rest really. I’ll probably think of using  Toppler as well underneath, unless someone else makes a favorable post parade impression. Don’t expect too much though – these are 25k maiden claimers. 

So there you have it – best of luck to everyone and as always be sure to check for late scratches and changes.  I’ll be back tomorrow with more Hollywood Park coverage – including Daytona earlier in the day and Tiago, Student Council, and Go Between in the Hollywood Gold Cup.