Hollywood Park notes: The Lumber Guy pointed to Malibu

Barbara D. Livingston

The Lumber Guy has won 5 times in 7 starts, his biggest victory coming in the Vosburgh at Belmont

INGLEWOOD, Calif. – The Lumber Guy, who finished second in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint last Saturday at Santa Anita, has remained in California with trainer Neil Drysdale and will be pointed to the Grade 1 Malibu Stakes at Santa Anita on Dec. 26, owner Barry Schwartz said Thursday.

Schwartz and his wife, Sheryl, live in New York, but in recent years they have been spending more and more of their winters in Santa Barbara, Calif.

“I’m half a California guy,” Schwartz said from New York. “I just think California is a better option, for me, than Florida for winter racing. We’re looking to run The Lumber Guy in the Malibu. He’ll stay with Neil for the winter, then go back to New York.”

Schwartz said The Lumber Guy would return to trainer Mike Hushion in the spring. Schwartz said the major goal for the first half of 2013 is the Met Mile at Belmont Park.

Under Hushion, The Lumber Guy has won 5 times in 7 starts, his biggest victory coming in the Vosburgh at Belmont on Sept. 29.

In addition to The Lumber Guy, Schwartz said he was sending four other horses to California for the winter to be placed with Drysdale, who is based at Betfair Hollywood Park.

Re-grouping at Hollendorfer barn

Capital Plan, City to City, and Killer Graces were stakes winners for the Jerry Hollendorfer barn over the past two years, but all three female runners were retired and sold in Kentucky this past week.

But there’s plenty more to come from that stable. Scarlet Strike, who was kept out of the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies, is entered in the Sharp Cat Stakes for 2-year-old fillies Sunday, and the barn retains high hopes for Nonios, who finished sixth in the Breeders’ Cup Classic, beating Game On Dude, to whom Nonios finished second in the Awesome Again in his prior start.

Dan Ward, Hollendorfer’s top assistant, said Nonios is likely to make his next start Dec. 1 at Hollywood Park in the Grade 3 Native Diver Stakes, whose purse was enhanced to $250,000 this year because of sponsorship from the Oak Tree Racing Association.

“That race is a mile and an eighth, and three of his best races have been at a mile and an eighth,” Ward said Thursday morning.

In addition to finishing second in the Awesome Again, Nonios was second in the Haskell and second in the Swaps, all at 1 1/8 miles. Before the Classic, his only other try at 1 1/4 miles was in the Travers, in which he finished fifth.

“He ran well in the Breeders’ Cup. He had quite a bit of trouble going into the first turn,” Ward said.

O’Neill has Delta Jackpot pair

Best Pal Stakes winner Know More, who finished 13th in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf last Saturday, came out of the race so well that he is likely to be wheeled back next weekend in the $1 million Delta Downs Jackpot, trainer Doug O’Neill said Thursday.

“He never got into the race. He was so fresh I had him back on the track two days later,” O’Neill said.

Mario Gutierrez will have the mount, O’Neill said.

O’Neill also is running Champagne Stakes runner-up Goldencents in the Jackpot. Kevin Krigger has the mount.

“There’s a strong chance we’ll have those two in that race,” O’Neill said.

Pick-six guarantee on Saturdays

There is a $150,000 guarantee in the pick six every Saturday during the meet at Hollywood Park, beginning this Saturday.

If the pool exceeds $200,000, $1 food and drink happy hour specials will be available at Whittingham’s Pub, located inside the sixteenth pole on the third floor of the grandstand.

In addition, if there is a single winning ticket, and it is purchased ontrack or through TVG, the ticket-holder will received a 2013 Toyota Prius, courtesy of South Bay Toyota.

◗ Drysdale said that Bourbon Bay, who was withdrawn from the Breeders’ Cup Turf because of a minor setback, will be pointed to the Grade 2, $250,000 Hollywood Turf Cup on Dec. 15.

◗ Jockey Joel Rosario was fined $200 by track stewards Thursday for failing to ride the final race at Santa Anita on closing-day Sunday.