Horse Racing: Today at Hollywood Park, June 8

TODAY AT HOLLYWOOD PARK

By Richard Eng

Post Time 11 a.m.

Race 1 – 7 ½ furlongs, Purse $57,000, Optional claiming $62,500, 3-year-olds and up

5 Castaway – Bob Baffert has an uncoupled entry so caveat emptor; like the parking lot post on this one under Rafael Bejarano.

2 Mel’s Game – Cal-bred steps up to face open company; this elongated sprint distance is perfect for him.

Long Shot – 1 Bank the Eight

Race 2 – 7 furlongs, Purse $19,000, Maiden claiming $20,000, Fillies and mares, 3-year-olds and up

3 Magic Maya – Key for me is the first time racing with Lasix; no matter what anyone says, it can improve a horse’s performance.

8 Bas – Doug O’Neill barn is heating up and Mario Gutierrez is a big help there; tactical speed to sit a perfect trip.

Long Shot – 9 Speedy Vixen

Race 3 – 6 ½ furlongs, Purse $52,000, Maiden special weights, 3-year-olds and up

5 Proven Warrior – Outran his huge 30/1 odds in debut race; game second to a nice colt, facing no easy task tonight either.

3 Alpha Dude – FTS from the Bob Baffert barn; the tote board will tell you all you need to know about this colt.

Long Shot – 6 Mi Hijo

Race 4 – 1 ¼ miles (turf) $200,000 Charles Whittingham Memorial Handicap, 3-year-olds and up

2 All Squared Away – This is one difficult marathon turf stakes; did everything but win in the San Juan Capistrano.

5 Slim Shadey – Despite being a grade 2 race, this is the easiest field he’s faced in some time; still when it looks too easy, you never know.

Long Shot – 1 Lucky Primo

Race 5 – 5 furlongs, Purse $52,000, Maiden special weights, Cal-breds, Fillies, 2-year-olds

6 Tribalista – Was well bet in debut and ran evenly; suspect Jerry Hollendorfer baby will improve a lot in second career outing.

3 Gisele At Fonz’s – Was the even money favorite in debut; Garrett Gomez did not get out of the box, spoiling her chances.

Long Shot – 1 Yodelmesomemagic

Race 6 – 1 1/16th miles (turf), Purse $32,000, Claiming $25,000, 3-year-olds and up

1 Danderek – Ran very well off the claim by Dan Blacker; suppose the rail will be an advantage with his early speed.

9 Mr. Make Believe – Gutsy win as the chalk last time; stays in the same class, thus a repeat race can also beat these today.

Long Shot – 7 So Elite

Race 7 – 6 furlongs, Purse $54,000, Allowance, 3-year-olds and up

5 Declassify – Ran off the screen in debut for Bob Baffert; strictly a sprinter type, been sizzling in works since.

3 Gonna Fly Now – Been unlucky to lose his last two starts; runs fast enough to upset these, beaten chalk last time out.

Long Shot – 6 Scorpion Warrior

Race 8 – 6 furlongs, Purse $70,000 Manhattan Beach (turf), Fillies, 3-year-olds

6 Lady Rosamond – Bob Baffert filly gets tested for class today; her only blemish was getting routed in the Santa Ynez.

8 Judy in Disguise – No shame finishing out of the money in the Edgewood at Churchill in last; this is a much easier task.

Long Shot – 4 Tizmetizyou

Race 9 – 5 ½ furlongs, Purse $21,000, Claiming $16,000, 3-year-olds and up

10 Derby Gold – Bob Baffert could win a lot of races if everything falls right; monster class drop from stakes to $16K price tag.

6 Cunning Ride – Has run two good races for Mark Glatt; another who may be worthy getting claimed as a useful sort.

Long Shot – 9 Pretty Darn Quick

Race 10 – 1 1/8th miles (turf), $150,000 Honeymoon Handicap, Fillies, 3-year-olds

5 Scarlet Strike – Tiny edge in a potential blanket finish; has not taken a break since starting her career here one year ago.

9 Charlie Em – Upset the chalk in last with a solid effort; many Euros bounce in their second U.S. start, here’s hoping this one doesn’t.

Long Shot – 11 Kyriaki

Race 11 – 7 furlongs, Purse $19,000, Maiden claiming $20,000, 3-year-olds and up

7 Fernando Suancini – Was finishing with a flourish in his career debut; one step of improvement and he’ll be double tough.

11 Sinfully – Major improvement in second career start to just miss; good parking lot post to stalk the early speed.

Long Shot – 5 Spectacularjourney

Best Bet - 5 Declassify (race 7)

Hollywood Park Friday - Picks/Winners/Mutuels, 15/5/$38.80; Long Shots, 7/1/$7.00; Best Bet, 1/0/$0

Hollywood Park Totals - 451/115/$733.60; Long Shots, 218/30/$308.40; Best Bets, 26/8/$38.20

SIMULCAST PLAY OF THE DAY - #2 Power Broker (7/5) in race 6 at Belmont Park. For scoring purposes, we’ll make a hypothetical $2 win, place and show bet, $6 total. On Friday, Proud Strike ran out at Churchill Downs. Stats - 92/59/$442.40; Follow him on Twitter: @richeng4propick