Hollywood Park: Moccasin lets Lemon de Oro stay on best surface

[bc_video_id:309723:]INGLEWOOD, Calif. – Lemon de Oro earned a trip from Kentucky to California for Saturday’s $100,000 Moccasin Stakes at Betfair Hollywood Park by winning a maiden race for 2-year-old fillies on Keeneland’s Polytrack surface on Oct. 19.

The seven-furlong Moccasin offers a chance to keep the promising filly on a synthetic track for her stakes debut.

“There aren’t a lot of opportunities for 2-year-old fillies that have won on Polytrack,” trainer Graham Motion said. “She seems to have traveled well. It’s back a little quick, but we thought we’d take a shot. It’s a good fit at seven furlongs.”

Owned by breeder Farfellow Farms, Lemon de Oro is part of a field of six in the Moccasin. She is the only one in the field who made her last start outside of California.

The other runners are Bajan and E Equalsmcscquared, who were first and second in the Anoakia Stakes at Santa Anita on Oct. 13; Perched, third in the Barretts Juvenile Stakes at the Los Angeles County Fair in September; and For Emma and Sergeant O’Rourke, who each won a claiming race for maidens in her last starts.

For Emma won a $50,000 claiming race for maidens by 10 1/4 lengths at Santa Anita on Oct. 10, the day she was claimed by Paul and Zillah Reddam and trainer Doug O’Neill.

Sergeant O’Rourke, who may be on the lead, won a $75,000 claiming race for maidens at Santa Anita on Oct. 19. By Forestry, Sergeant O’Rourke races for a partnership that includes breeder David Lanzman.

Lemon de Oro, by Lemon Drop Kid, was eighth and ninth in maiden races on good turf courses at Saratoga and Belmont Park in early September, losses that Motion dismisses.

“She’s a filly that I think a lot of,” he said. “She was a little disappointing in her first two races, but in fairness to her, I ran on turf and it came up a little soft.”

At Keeneland, Lemon de Oro led throughout seven furlongs, leading by 1 1/2 lengths in the stretch and winning by three-quarters of a length.

Bajan and E Equalsmcsquared were separated by 2 1/4 lengths in the Anoakia Stakes over six furlongs.

Bajan, trained by Simon Callaghan, was a troubled sixth in the Grade 1 Del Mar Debutante on Aug. 31 in her stakes debut. She was beaten that day by She’s a Tiger, who finished first in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies at Santa Anita on Nov. 2, but was disqualified and placed second for causing interference in the stretch.

After the Anoakia, Bajan was considered for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies, Callaghan said.

“We felt the right move was to be more patient and wait for this race,” Callaghan said. “I think she could be right behind the top fillies.”

E Equalsmcscquared will start in her fifth consecutive stakes in the Moccasin. Trained by Eric Kruljac, E Equalsmcsquared was second in the Landaluce Stakes here in July in her stakes debut. Kruljac said earlier this week that a longer sprint will suit E Equalsmcsquared, who is by Einstein.

“The distance will help,” he said. “It looks like it could be a good place for us to hit the board or get lucky.”

The Moccasin Stakes is the second race on a nine-race program.