Hollywood Park notes: Handsome Mike to start in Hollywood Derby

Barbara D. Livingston

Though he has been racing on the main track recently, Handsome Mike was fourth in the Grade 1 Secretariat Stakes on turf at Arlington Park in August.

INGLEWOOD, Calif. - Handsome Mike, who won the Pennsylvania Derby at Parx Racing in September but was ninth in the Breeders’ Cup Classic on Nov. 3, will start in the $250,000 Hollywood Derby at Hollywood Park on Nov. 25.
The Grade 1 Hollywood Derby is run over 1 1/4 miles on turf, and is expected to have a large field.

“He deserves a look in there for sure,” trainer Doug O’Neill said.

Even though he has been racing on the main track recently, Handsome Mike was fourth in the Grade 1 Secretariat Stakes on turf at Arlington Park in August. At 2, he beat maidens on turf at Santa Anita and was second here in the Grade 3 Generous Stakes over a mile on turf.

The prospective field for the Hollywood Derby includes Grandeur, the winner of the Twilight Derby at Santa Anita on Nov. 2, as well as Big Bane Theory, Golden Ticket, Groovin Solo, Lucky Chappy, Rjwa, Silentio, Smart Ellis, Speaking of Which, Summer Front, and Unbridled Command.

Grandeur, trained by Jeremy Noseda, came here from England and has remained in the United States since the Twilight Derby. Thursday, Grandeur worked five furlongs in 1:01.80 at Hollywood Park.

The race may have a European-based filly in Rjwa, a winner of 2 of 8 starts. Trained in France by Francois Rohaut, Rjwa was third in the French Oaks in June and fifth in the Group 1 Prix de l’Opera at Longchamp on Oct. 7.

Coil headed to Cigar Mile

Coil, the winner of two Grade 1 races in the last 16 months, will start in the $350,000 Cigar Mile at Aqueduct on Nov. 24.

Wednesday at Santa Anita, Coil worked a half-mile in 47.80 seconds, his first workout since a seventh-place finish in the BC Sprint on Nov. 3. Coil won the Grade 1 Santa Anita Sprint Championship in early October. In 2011, he won the Grade 1 Haskell Invitational at Monmouth Park.