Hollywood Park handicapping roundup: Week of Dec. 21

Midnight Hawk adds to Baffert’s riches

Bob Baffert is already loaded with 2-year-old males, including Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile winner New Year’s Day and the highly talented but erratic Tap It Rich. Well, add impressive debut winner Midnight Hawk to the list.

A son of champion sprinter Midnight Lute and stakes winner Miss Wineshine, Midnight Hawk made quite a splash first time out, blasting his rivals by 6 1/4 lengths. He handled the 7 1/2-furlong distance with aplomb and gave every indication he can run on.

Midnight Hawk is owned by the NHL’s Chicago Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville and former NFL Minnesota Vikings coach Mike Tice.
Speaking of New Year’s Day, the colt is reportedly eyeing the Grade 2 Robert B. Lewis at Santa Anita Feb. 8 for his 2014 launching point.

Shared Belief could return in that spot as well.

Tight at the top

The combination of a huge week for Joe Talamo and a three-day suspension for Rafael Bejarano brought the jockeys’ race to a neck-and-neck battle at the end of last week.

Talamo won seven races last week, four on Friday. That, coupled with Bejarano’s time on the bench, brought the two even going into the weekend. Bejarano did click four times last week, however, taking his leading total to 31, while Talamo was at 29. Martin Garcia won three times and ended the week with 26 wins.

On the training front, Bob Baffert’s lead narrowed, as he had one win last week, which took his total to 16. John Sadler (three wins last week) and Doug O’Neill (four wins) were next at 13 apiece, with Peter Miller (12) and Jerry Hollendorfer (11) next.

History lesson

It seems curious that this year’s edition of the Grade 1 CashCall Futurity offers no points toward a berth in the Kentucky Derby. After all, the CashCall has been one of the key 2-year-old indicators of Triple Crown success. Since 1981, six CashCall Futurity (formerly the Hollywood Futurity) runners have gone on to win the Kentucky Derby (Gato Del Sol, who won the race in 1981; Ferdinand, 1985; Alysheba, 1986; Thunder Gulch, 1994; Real Quiet, 1997; and Giacomo, 2004). Six Futurity runners went on to win the Preakness (Tanks Prospect, 1984; Snow Chief, 1985; Alysheba, 1986; Real Quiet, 1997; Point Given, 2000; and Lookin At Lucky, 2009). Three won the Belmont Stakes (A.P. Indy, 1991; Thunder Gulch, 1994; Point Given, 2000).

Back in the saddle

Tyler Baze has been granted permission by the stewards to resume riding Jan. 1 at Santa Anita. The 31-year-old rider, suspended since June for incidents related to alcohol abuse, has been given the green light to start working horses.

Baze was granted the license on the condition that he continues rehabilitation, participate in a sobriety-monitoring program, meet in person with California Horse Racing Board investigators each day he is named to ride horses, and inform racing board investigators if he has any interaction with law enforcement.

New faces
Trainer Michael Catalano Jr., who has had ample success in the Northeast, will have a string at Santa Anita this season. He’s been active at the claiming box here, having already haltered a number of runners.

The new kid on the block in the jockey colony is Amelia Green, 20, who came from England and has been working horses for Simon Callaghan. She notched the first victory of her career here in the nightcap on Friday, Dec. 13, with Twin Six ($9.20) for trainer George Papaprodromou. She may ride at Santa Anita before returning to England.

Plans for Game On Dude

Game On Dude, second in the Grade 1 Clark Handicap at Churchill Downs at the end of November, will point for the Grade 2 San Antonio at Santa Anita Feb. 8. A 6-year-old trained by Bob Baffert, Game On Dude won that race easily this year as a precursor to winning the Grade 1 Santa Anita Handicap in early March and will likely have for a similar campaign in 2014.

Streaming and Taste Like Candy, the one-two finishers in the Grade 1 Hollywood Starlet, are on a collision course for Round 2. According to the connections of each, they both will run in the Grade 1 Las Virgenes at a mile at Santa Anita Feb. 1. They could also run into the likes of She’s a Tiger, winner of the Grade 1 Del Mar Debutante and the first-place finisher, disqualified to second, in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies.