Hollywood Park: Logical Single takes on boys in Golden State Cup

INGLEWOOD, Calif. – Fillies compete against fillies, most of the time. But an exception will occur at Hollywood Park on Thursday, when stakes winner Logical Single goes outside her division to face males in the $70,000 Golden State Cup at a mile on turf.

“It’s not a move we make every day,” trainer Dean Pederson said. “But we don’t feel like we have a lot to lose.”

Racing against boys beats the alternative, which is not racing at all.

“We want to be running, rather than sitting around and training,” Pederson said. “If we wait for Del Mar, it is a lot of time between races.”

Logical Single won the Fran’s Valentine Stakes for statebred fillies and mares in her most recent start May 22 at Hollywood and is using the Thursday stakes as a bridge to the $85,000 Osunitas Stakes on July 23 at Del Mar,

A five-time winner, and first or second in 11 of 13, Logical Single is the only Golden State entrant that won last out. The race is restricted to California-breds that have not finished first, second, or third in a graded stakes.

“She’ll go out and do the best she can like she always does,” Pederson said. “Whether that means she wins or runs fourth, we’ll find out Thursday.”

Chantal Sutherland rides Logical Single, who should get a comfortable trip in a race with only one other front-runner, Lucky Primo.

The horse to beat is Norvsky, runner-up twice recently in second-level allowances. Joel Rosario replaces Sutherland on Norvsky. Baton Roo ships from Golden Gate, Renegade Storm will run late, Snow Chief Stakes winner Nahem faces older.

Earlier on the Thursday card, 3-for-4 stakes winner Miles Rules also will prep for a Del Mar stakes by running six furlongs on grass in race 5.

Cliff Sise trains Miles Rules, who won the $125,000 Melair Stakes on April 29 before her campaign was interrupted in mid-May by a case of colic. Sise sent her to an equine hospital for treatment, and Miles Rules returned to the track only a few days later.

Although the Thursday allowance is merely a tune-up for the $100,000 Fleet Treat Stakes on July 30 at Del Mar, expectations are high for her first try on grass.

“She’s worked great, and she’s so fluid-moving I think she’ll skip right over the turf,” Sise said.

Miles Rules faces sharp older mare Queen Mariles and well-regarded 3-year-old filly Avid, trained by Richard Mandella.

Avid scored an impressive debut victory last summer at Del Mar and then sustained a stress fracture in her pelvis finishing eighth in the Del Mar Debutante last summer. Mandella said Avid “has trained as good as ever.”