HORSE RACING
TODAY AT HOLLYWOOD PARK
By Richard Eng
Post Time 12:30 p.m.
Race 1 - 6 1/2 furlongs, Purse $15,000, Maiden claiming $32,000, 2-year-olds
6 Marcoman - Logical chalk in an awful looking race; this field is more likely to be found in the opener at Los Alamitos.
8 Pure Distinction - The less races the better at this bottom class level; like the rider switch to Martin Pedroza.
Long Shot - 5 Eddingtonforgianna
Race 2 - 5 furlongs, $55,000 Miles Tyson, 3-year-olds and up
2 Cost of Freedom - Continues to be the sprint king of SoCal, and Hollywood in particular; shorter distance only helps.
6 Quick Enough - Appears to be the only closer in this abbreviated sprint; will pick up the pieces in the lane.
Long Shot - 1 Square Deal
Race 3 - 1 mile (turf, rail at 10 feet), Purse $40,000, Allowance, Fillies and mares, 3-year-olds and up
4 Lea the Punisher - Sharp MSW win in turf and route debut; big class rise, though, in facing winners for the first time.
1 Jet Blue Girl - Tepid chalk in a wide-open affair; best angle is saving ground under hot riding Joel Rosario.
Long Shot - 6 Money Lover
Race 4 - 6 1/2 furlongs, Purse $13,000, Maiden claiming $25,000, 3-year-olds and up
2 Lead Blocker - Was well meant in debut just missing at 10/1 odds; huge rider switch to P Val for the money shot.
3 Warren's Concept - Grinder got second in a nice try last time; loses his rider though, P Val, to the favorite.
Long Shot - 6 Swongs
Race 5 - 1 1/16th miles (turf, rail at 10 feet), Purse $26,000, Claiming $32,000, 3-year-olds and up
1 Swift Winds - Clearly the hardest race on the card and the start of the pick 6; saves ground and will grind late.
4 El Merito - Tepid chalk in a really wide-open affair; should improve in second start off a 17-month hiatus.
Long Shot - 2 Asperity
Race 6 - 6 1/2 furlongs, Purse $38,000, Maiden special weights, Fillies, 2-year-olds
7 Canadian Pride - Gave the Starlet favorite a tussle last time out; a repeat race is fast enough to graduate tonight.
6 Tarnisha - Paddy Gallagher doesn't push his FTS, but this filly looks promising; key for me is the vote of Garrett Gomez.
Long Shot - 2 Spectacular Sky
Race 7 - 6 furlongs, Purse $15,000, Claiming $12,500, Fillies, 3-year-olds
3 Misinjennuous - Like the angle that she won last time, but ran a slower Beyer than the race before; has room to rebound.
10 Dos Veinte - Claimed off a sharp win by Mike Pender; underrated barn can get the job done at a better price than you think.
Long Shot - 2 Pretty Kinzie
Race 8 - 6 furlongs (turf, rail at 10 feet), Purse $40,000, Optional claiming $25,000, Cal-breds, 3-year-olds and up
1 He's a Dance Star - Dead-late closer gets the top gun today in Garrett Gomez; saves all the ground, fires fast late.
3 Don Perico - Speedy sort will like the turf rail out 10 feet; inside posts are good too with the left elbow early in the race.
Long Shot - 7 A Plus Topper
Race 9 - 1 1/16th miles, $300,000 Hollywood Starlet, Fillies, 2-year-olds
5 Turbulent Descent - Was under a hand ride last time despite the narrow margin; find out today if she is a freak.
8 Tell a Kelly - Was never comfortable in first dirt try at Churchill; returns to synthetics where she runs her best.
Long Shot - 2 Nina Fever
Race 10 - 6 furlongs, Purse $38,000, Maiden special weights, Cal-breds, 2-year-olds
5 Shelter Cove - Three seconds in a row, is this the herd mentality?; will need to see if he'll break from the pack tonight.
2 Kalyra Cat - Showed major improvement in his second career start; appears to be moving in the right direction.
Long Shot - 9 Redemsky
Best Bet - 2 Cost of Freedom (race 2)
Hollywood Park Friday - Picks/Winners/Mutuels, 14/5/$24.60; Long Shots, 8/1/$6.20; Best Bet, 1/1/$3.40
Hollywood Park Totals - 378/111/$617.00; Long Shots, 192/31/$284.20; Best Bets, 23/11/$37.60
SIMULCAST PICK OF THE DAY - 9 Flashy Wise Cat (5/1) in race 11 at Fair Grounds. For scoring purposes, we'll make a hypothetical $2 win, place and show bet, $6 total. On Friday, Silent Pipe ran second at Fair Grounds paying $7.00 to place and $5.20 to show. Stats - 202/143/$1,092.90
