Hollywood Park: Caracortado has shift in plans

INGLEWOOD, Calif – An injury and key defections at the top of California turf mile division may lead trainer Mike Machowsky to start Caracortado in the $250,000 Shoemaker Mile on July 2.

Ryehill Dreamer, the winner of the Grade 2 American Handicap last month, is sidelined with a tendon injury. Sidney’s Candy, the winner of five stakes in his career, was recently sold and shipped to the East Coast. The Usual Q.T., a two-time Grade 1 winner on turf, is expected to make his next start in the lesser $100,000 California Dreamin’ Handicap at Del Mar on July 24.

Machowsky said last Saturday that he is between the Grade 1 Shoemaker Mile or the $300,000 Eddie Read Stakes, a Grade 1 stakes over 1 1/8 miles on turf at Del Mar on July 23 for Caracortado. Saturday at Hollywood Park, Caracortado worked six furlongs in 1:12, the fastest of eight works at the distance. “Before today, I was leaning toward the Eddie Read,” Machowsky said on Saturday. “He worked awesome.”

Co-owned by Machowsky, Caracortado has won half of his 14 starts, three stakes, and $558,105. Earlier this year, he won the Sunshine Millions Turf. In his last start, the 4-year-old gelding was sixth, beaten three-quarters of a length, in the Grade 3 Alysheba Stakes over 1 1/16 miles on the main track at Churchill Downs on May 6.

Belvoir gets local win

Trainer Vann Belvoir was at his base at Emerald Downs outside of Seattle watching on television when he won the first race of his career at Hollywood Park on Saturday with Macho Dorado.

“We were bouncing around the office,” he said. “We thought we’d won the Kentucky Derby.

It was a milestone win, and could be the first of several new successes in Southern California this summer for Belvoir, who plans to have as many as 12 horses at Del Mar this summer.

Currently ranked second in the standings at Emerald Downs, Belvoir said on Saturday that has asked for eight to 12 stalls at Del Mar this summer. Considering that Del Mar did not have a full barn area in 2010, when many stables stayed at Hollywood Park and the general horse population was down, stall space should not be an issue on a circuit that is desperate to attract new participants.

“I’m hoping we’ll be able to get some stalls,” he said. “That’s our game plan. A lot of my clients are in Washington and California.”

Belvoir, 37, has 50 horses at Emerald Downs and 11 at Golden Gate Fields. In 2009, he was third in the trainer standings at Emerald and was second last year. “I’ve got a good crew and that helps,” he said.

Belvoir said his Del Mar team will include Macho Dorado, who won an optional claimer; Jade Taylor, a maiden race winner at Golden Gate Fields on June 2; and Mack’s Golden Bullet, a stakes winner at Emerald Downs last summer who was fourth in the Auburn Stakes there on May 30.

A former leading rider in the Northwest, Belvoir rode 1,347 winners. He has been training since 1996, and is the son of current Emerald Downs leading trainer Howard Belvoir.

Night Tide moving up to stakes

Night Tide, the sharp winner of a maiden race in his career debut on Sunday, is expected to start in the $100,000 Hollywood Juvenile Championship over six furlongs on July 17, trainer Bob Baffert said.

Night Tide was the first of three winners for Baffert on Sunday. Night Tide was ridden by Martin Garcia, who had four wins on Sunday, including the Baffert-trained Irish Gypsy in the Desert Stormer Handicap.

Night Tide, the 7-10 favorite, was always near the front in the maiden special weight over 4 1/2 furlongs, and closed through the stretch to win by a half-length over the first-time starter A Toe by Three. Night Tide was timed in 51.65 seconds

“I thought if he won, I’d run him back in the stakes,” Baffert said. “He’d never worked with company. That was a powerful finish. He leveled off at the end.”

Night Tide is owned by Peachtree Stables and was purchased for $150,000 at the 2010 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky July yearling sale.