Hollywood Park: Monument back with Cal-breds for King Glorious

INGLEWOOD, Calif – Monument was last and first in two starts at the Santa Anita autumn meeting.

The 2-year-old colt won the $250,000 California Cup Juvenile on Oct. 13, but was last of nine in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile on Nov. 3.

“It was a little ambitious,” trainer John Sadler said of the BC Juvenile start.

Monument’s next race is a perfect fit – Sunday’s $200,000 King Glorious Stakes at Betfair Hollywood Park. The seven-furlong King Glorious is restricted to California-breds and could easily be Monument’s second stakes win of the year.

“I think this could be one of his best races,” Sadler said. “I think it should be a good distance. We’ve had plenty of time to train him from the Breeders’ Cup.”

The King Glorious Stakes is the top race on Sunday’s 11-race program, the final day of the Hollywood Park fall meeting. Santa Anita opens its winter-spring meeting on Dec. 26.

Monument races for breeders Lee and Susan Searing, and has won 3 of 5 starts and $195,500. The King Glorious Stakes will be his first start in a sprint since a second in the C.B. Afflerbaugh Stakes at Fairplex Park on Sept. 12.

At Del Mar during the summer, Monument won his first two starts – a $40,000 claiming race for California-bred maidens and a starter allowance against open company.

In the BC Juvenile, Monument was a 25-1 outsider. He raced wide and was bumped in the stretch, never reaching contention.

“The Breeders’ Cup was a mess for him,” Sadler said. “Nothing went right.”

Monument will be favored in the King Glorious and could have an ideal trip, stalking a pace likely to be set by Strong Wind and the filly Awesome Annie.

“I see him sitting behind a little speed,” Sadler said.

Monument should be plenty quick himself. At Santa Anita, he worked five furlongs in 59.80 seconds on Dec. 5 and 58.80 seconds last Tuesday.

The King Glorious Stakes is the sort of race that Sadler and the Searings have planned for Monument in the near future. He will be pointed for the $300,000 California Breeders’ Champion Stakes over a mile at Santa Anita on Jan. 26.

“The way he’s bred, he’s probably a middle-distance type,” Sadler said. “He probably doesn’t want to go much farther than a mile.”

There is one other Breeders’ Cup runner in the King Glorious in Hazardous, who was fourth in the BC Juvenile Sprint over six furlongs in his stakes debut.

Trainer Carl O’Callaghan said he has some reservations about the seven furlongs, wondering if Hazardous is best over six furlongs. “I don’t know if he’ll get the trip,” he said.

Strong Wind is capable of a winning race. Trained by Steve Knapp, Strong Wind won the Graduation Stakes over 5 1/2 furlongs at Del Mar in August, but was a troubled third in the I’m Smokin Stakes there on Sept. 9.

Ninth in the Cal Cup Juvenile, Strong Wind rebounded to finish second in the Golden Nugget Stakes at Golden Gate Fields on Nov. 10. Strong Wind will wear blinkers for the first time in the King Glorious Stakes.