Hollywood Derby has wide range of contenders
There are five graded stakes winners, two graded-stakes-placed runners, and two minor stakes winners among the 12 horses in Saturday’s $300,000 Hollywood Derby at Del Mar. That still does not include all the leading hopefuls.
The Hollywood Derby, run at 1 1/8 miles, is the final Grade 1 turf race of the year for 3-year-olds and has drawn a field from throughout the United States. Chad Brown, based in New York, has three prominent runners – Annals of Time, Beach Patrol, and Camelot Kitten – who will challenge the local graded stakes winners Frank Conversation and Free Rose.
Add Hayabusa One, an exciting allowance winner at Keeneland in October, and the improving gelding Blackjackcat, and the race is arguably the best betting race of the four-week Del Mar autumn meeting.
Hollywood Derby, Race 7
KEY CONTENDERS
Beach Patrol, by Lemon Drop Kid
Last 3 Beyers: 96-92-91
◗ Beach Patrol won the first stakes of his career in the Grade 1 Secretariat at Arlington Park in August in his seventh start and was second by a head to Camelot Kitten in the Grade 3 Hill Prince Stakes at Belmont Park on Oct. 8. Brown swept the first three positions in the Hill Prince, with Annals of Time finishing third in his stakes debut.
◗ Beach Patrol, who will be ridden by Florent Geroux, has drawn the rail here and is likely to be close to the front. He could face early pressure from Free Rose, who won the Grade 3 La Jolla Handicap and Grade 2 Del Mar Derby during the summer meeting at Del Mar.
DRF FORMULATOR FACT: No. 1 Beach Patrol, No. 2 Camelot Kitten, and No. 11 Annals of Time. Trainer Chad Brown is 24-2-5-2 with a $0.79 ROI over the past two years in races in Southern California, with eight losses at 5-1 or lower. Click for more details. – Mike Hogan
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Camelot Kitten, by Kitten’s Joy
Last 3 Beyers: 96-94-92
◗ Camelot Kitten has won four turf stakes this year, all since May. Camelot Kitten, a threat from off the pace, has a flair for dramatic wins. He has never won by more than a neck. Irad Ortiz Jr. has ridden Camelot Kitten in his five career wins and has the mount Saturday.
Frank Conversation, by Quality Road
Last 3 Beyers: 94-79-54
◗ Frank Conversation ended a three-race losing streak with a 36-1 upset in the Grade 2 Twilight Derby at 1 1/8 miles on turf at Santa Anita on Nov. 4. Ridden by Mario Gutierrez, Frank Conversation closed from eighth in the final quarter-mile to finish a half-length in front of Free Rose.
“Mario did a wonderful job to get him to settle,” trainer Doug O’Neill said. “We’re looking for a similar scene on Saturday. He runs his best races from off the pace.”
Free Rose, by Munnings
Last 3 Beyers: 93-98-96
◗ Free Rose races near the front and is expected to have a prominent role in the Hollywood Derby. Trained by Richard Baltas, Free Rose was a game second in the Twilight Derby, leading through a fast pace before being caught by Frank Conversation.
“I think he needs to break well,” Baltas said. “He should be up close. He does not need the lead. I’d prefer him to be sitting second or third. I think Beach Patrol will go.”
Hayabusa One, by Siyouni
Last Beyer: 93
◗ Hayabusa One won his American debut in an allowance race at 1 3/16 miles on turf at Keeneland on Oct. 9, his second consecutive win. The colt won a maiden race at Cagnes-sur-Mer in the south of France last February. Trained by Graham Motion, Hayabusa One has been pointed for the Hollywood Derby since the Keeneland win.
“He’s kind of a horse that’s still figuring it out a little bit,” Motion said. “At Keeneland, he ran a little spotty for his lack of experience.”
DRF FORMULATOR FACT: No. 8 Hayabusa One. Trainer Graham Motion is 18-4-4-1 with a $4.35 ROI over the past five years in graded turf stakes in Southern California with last-out winners. Click for more details. – Mike Hogan
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Blackjackcat, by Tale of the Cat
Last Beyers: 93-89-95
◗ Blackjackcat led in the stretch of the Twilight Derby and was beaten a half-length, finishing third. He will race without blinkers for the first time on Saturday, an equipment change that trainer Mark Glatt hopes will help Blackjackcat to settle and race from off the pace.