Hollywood Park: Field for CashCall Futurity taking shape

INGLEWOOD, Calif. – The field for the $750,000 CashCall Futurity at Betfair Hollywood Park this Saturday grew over the weekend with the addition of the outsiders Brother Soldier, Electric Eddie, Karma King, and Sheikinator to the list of projected entrants.

Sheikinator, a maiden race winner at Churchill Downs on Nov. 16, would be a second runner in the Grade 1 CashCall Futurity for Kentucky-based trainer Ken McPeek. He plans to start Rankhasprivileges, who was third in the $1 million Delta Downs Jackpot in Louisiana on Nov. 23.

Brother Soldier, Electric Eddie, and Karma King are based in Southern California and placed in stakes at Hollywood Park in November.

Brother Soldier was third in the Grade 3 Hollywood Prevue Stakes over seven furlongs Nov. 10, finishing behind CashCall Futurity hopefuls Shared Belief and Kobe’s Back. Karma King was third in the Real Quiet Stakes over 1 1/16 miles Nov. 23, finishing behind Futurity hopefuls Tamarando and Electric Eddie.

Brother Soldier and Karma King are trained by Craig Dollase. Brother Soldier worked five furlongs in 1:00.40 from the gate Sunday. Karma King worked six furlongs in 1:13.20 on Saturday without blinkers.

Dollase said Karma King will not wear blinkers in the CashCall Futurity, which is run over 1 1/16 miles.

“He relaxed, so we’ll go without blinkers,” Dollase said.

Electric Eddie is a maiden after five starts and has been second in two stakes. Trained by Ben Cecil, Electric Eddie was second in the Golden State Juvenile for California-breds over a mile at Santa Anita on Nov. 1.

Electric Eddie is owned by Paul Reddam, who also will start Bond Holder, the winner of the Grade 1 FrontRunner Stakes at Santa Anita on Sept. 28. Bold Holder was fourth in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile at Santa Anita on Nov. 2.

Other projected starters are Candy Boy and Tap It Rich.

On Sunday at Santa Anita, Tap It Rich worked a mile in 1:39.80. Trained by Bob Baffert, Tap It Rich was fifth in the BC Juvenile.

Trainer Jerry Hollendorfer has a strong team with the unbeaten Shared Belief and Tamarando, who won the Grade 1 Del Mar Futurity in September.

The CashCall Futurity will not include Craftsman, a Group 3 stakes winner in Ireland in October who recently joined trainer Simon Callaghan’s stable.

Callaghan said Sunday that Craftsman will be pointed for the Eddie Logan Stakes over a mile on turf in the first few days of the Santa Anita winter-spring meeting later this month.

“We’re going to wait,” he said. “We’re taking a more patient approach. Going a mile and a sixteenth in a Grade 1, the horse has to be 110 percent ready. We thought another breeze or two would be beneficial.”

The permanent closure of Hollywood Park at the conclusion of the current meeting Dec. 22 might not be the end of the CashCall Futurity.

Reddam, who founded the money-lending firm CashCall, has sponsored the Futurity since 2007. Reddam said Saturday that the race could be transferred to Los Alamitos when that track hosts its first December meeting for Thoroughbreds in 2014.

Reddam said he recently had dinner with Los Alamitos track owner Ed Allred, and the subject of continuing the CashCall Futurity was mentioned.

“He said he might twist my arm,” Reddam said.

The Hollywood Park property will be developed in the future for commercial and residential uses.