Hollywood Park notes: Egg Drop's racing future undecided

INGLEWOOD, Calif. – Egg Drop, the winner of Sunday’s Grade 1 Matriarch Stakes at Betfair Hollywood Park, will be entered in Keeneland’s January sale of horses of all ages but might be withdrawn to continue her racing career.

Billy Koch, the managing partner of the Little Red Feather Racing stable that owns Egg Drop, said Tuesday that a decision on the future of the 4-year-old filly will be made later this month.

“It’s something that we’re starting to discuss,” he said. “We are a racing partnership, but we understand her value as a racing and broodmare prospect. We’re going to do our due diligence. We don’t have to make a decision for a couple of weeks. She came out of the race in great shape.”

The Keeneland sale is Jan. 6-9.

Egg Drop won a thrilling running of the $251,000 Matriarch Stakes, beating Discreet Marq by a nose. Egg Drop set the pace and had a one-length lead with a quarter-mile remaining. Discreet Marq passed Egg Drop in the stretch and led by a half-length before Egg Drop rallied on the inside to retake the lead at the finish.

Trained by Mike Mitchell, Egg Drop has won 6 of 12 starts and earned $494,020. She has been in the best form of her career in the second half of 2012, winning three consecutive graded stakes on turf. Egg Drop won the Grade 2 Yellow Ribbon Stakes at Del Mar on Sept. 2 and the Grade 2 Goldikova Stakes at Santa Anita on Nov. 3.

Seek Again to join Mott barn

Seek Again, the winner of Sunday’s Grade 1 Hollywood Derby in his American debut, will join trainer Bill Mott’s stable in Florida this winter.

Seek Again was trained by John Gosden of England through Sunday’s race, the first start in a graded or group race for the Kentucky-bred colt by Speightstown. Owned by Juddmonte Farms, Seek Again has won 4 of 8 starts and earned $219,030. In England, he won minor handicaps at Newmarket and York this year.

The Hollywood Derby was Seek Again’s first start over 1 1/4 miles on turf. Seek Again did not make his 3-year-old debut until August.
“It took a while to get his 3-year-old campaign going,” said Les Reynolds, Gosden’s assistant. “I think he’ll be a big horse for Bill Mott next year.”