Hollywood Derby main players benefited from midseason changes

Although a Grade 1 stakes with Hollywood in its name would befit an equine celebrity, the richest race Saturday at Del Mar attracted mere aspirants whose march toward the spotlight has been agonizingly deliberate.

Much of 2022 was an experiment for three Hollywood Derby principals, but at least year-end reviews are positive. An equipment change helped transform Celestial City from underachiever to Grade 2 winner, a surface switch restored the promise of Wit, and Cabo Spirit went from misbehaving scoundrel to two-time graded winner after he was gelded.

Celestial City, Wit, and Cabo Spirit headline the $400,000 Hollywood Derby, a mile and one-eighth turf race that is the ninth and final race on a three-stakes program. Lane Way and Coulthard sprint five furlongs on turf in the inaugural edition of the $100,000 Stormy Liberal in race 5; juvenile fillies race a mile on turf in the Grade 3 Jimmy Durante, race 7.

As for the Hollywood Derby, it lacks a genuine star. Absent are the top 3-year-old turf runners from both coasts. Annapolis will aim toward a spring comeback at Keeneland; Slow Down Andy is under consideration for the Malibu Stakes on Dec. 26 at Santa Anita.

But if the Hollywood Derby is short on marquee value, it compensates with a delightfully eclectic cast. Celestial City shipped from Belmont Park; Wit arrived on Sunday from Churchill Downs; Evan Harlan is from Maryland. They face local headliner Cabo Spirit, graded stakes-placed maiden Spycatcher, Speaking Scout, War At Sea, and others.

:: Bet the races with a $200 First Deposit Match and FREE Formulator PPs! Join DRF Bets.

Celestial City would give trainer Shug McGaughey his second Hollywood Derby win if he replicates the accomplishment of 2004 winner Good Reward. Both horses turned the corner when they added blinkers halfway through their 3-year-old campaign.

McGaughey said: “Good Reward was running well, but he hadn’t been running as well as I liked. Celestial City was the same way. He was making some mistakes in his races. The other day it seemed to all come together.”

In his third start with blinkers Oct. 22, Celestial City stormed to a decisive victory in the Grade 2 Hill Prince at Aqueduct. While he benefited from a ground-saving trip, he blazed his final three-eighths in 34.32, probably good enough to win again Saturday.

Celestial City, owned by breeder Stuart Janney, has won 3 of 9 and will be ridden by California-based Ramon Vazquez.

Wit’s improvement was the result of a footing change. Todd Pletcher trains Wit, whose dirt starts as a 2-year-old hinted he could be any type. He won his debut by six lengths and the Grade 3 Sanford at Saratoga by eight. But Wit’s progress stalled, and after he was crushed as a 3-year-old in the Grade 1 Woody Stephens, Pletcher reconsidered options for a colt whose juvenile form was only a memory.

“Even though he looked like he was as good as any 2-year-old in the country, he sort of plateaued,” Pletcher said. Wit is by Practical Joke, not known for siring turf runners, but Pletcher breezed Wit on grass this summer.

“The pedigree didn’t jump out as turf, but with Medaglia d’Oro on the bottom side we decided let’s give him a breeze on it,” Pletcher said. “You could tell right away he really took to it. That’s why we made the transition.”

Good move. Wit’s three turf starts include a listed stakes win and seconds in graded races with career-high speed figures. The challenge facing Wit on Saturday is distance. Wit has not raced beyond one mile.

:: Get Daily Racing Form Past Performances – the exclusive home of Beyer Speed Figures

“That’s the concern,” Pletcher acknowledged. “The good thing about him is he has a terrific disposition. He’ll turn off and settle. He’s got that nice kick. We just hope he can sustain it and see out the mile and an eighth.”

Wit, 4 of 9, will be ridden by Flavien Prat.

Cabo Spirit is the top local. Since he was gelded, he has won the Grade 3 La Jolla Handicap at Del Mar and Grade 2 Twilight Derby at Santa Anita.

“He was temperamental, he would wash out,” trainer George Papaprodomou said. “Those Pioneerof the Niles, they’re nutcases. Gelding helped a lot. He’s mellowed out. He’s much better. He’s more focused. He’s learning how to sit and relax, and he has that kick at the end.”

Joe Bravo is back on Cabo Spirit, whose 4-for-15 career includes three stakes wins on turf and two wins at Del Mar.

Spycatcher is 0 for 5. Trainer Mark Glatt admits “you wouldn’t normally make these kind of moves” entering a maiden in a Grade 1. But his runner-up finish in the Grade 2 Del Mar Derby and up-front style in a race with a murky pace scenario suggest Spycatcher has a shot at a price.

:: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.