Hollywood Park: Puype ties track record with six consecutive winners

INGLEWOOD, Calif. – Trainer Mike Puype equaled a track record when he saddled six consecutive winners from Thursday through Saturday at Betfair Hollywood Park.

Puype’s attempt to break the record ended when Moonlight Splitter finished 10th as a 5-1 shot in Sunday’s sixth race for turf maidens. The 46-year-old shares the record for the most consecutive wins at Hollywood Park with Allen Drumheller Sr., who won six straight races July 4-5, 1955.

“I expected to have a good week,” Puype said Sunday. “The entries were good, and they all had good trips.”

Puype’s streak began Thursday, when Change of Plan ($5) won the second race. On Friday, Puype won the fourth and fifth races with Smart N Dreamy ($6.20) and Bella Viagga ($3.80).

Puype had his best day of the week Saturday, when Muchos Besos ($25), Insideondoutside ($6), and Hustlin Nu ($6) were winners.

Five of the winners took a drop in class. Change of Plan went from a maiden special weight race to a $20,000 claimer for maidens. Smart N Dreamy went from a $75,000 claimer for maidens to a $40,000 claimer for maidens. Bella Viagga won a division of the California Cup Distaff at Santa Anita last fall and ran in an allowance race Friday.

Muchos Besos stayed in a first-level allowance race when he upset the heavily favored Everton in Saturday’s first. Later that day, Insideondoutside ran in a $25,000 claiming race, having started in an allowance race in his previous start. Hustlin Nu went from a maiden special weight race to a $20,000 claimer for maidens.

“I thought they were all placed well,” Puype said.

The win streak moved Puype into second place in the trainers’ standings for the spring-summer meeting with 17 wins. He may start a new streak in the coming days. On Friday, Puype starts Blazen All Star in a $16,000 claimer for fillies and mares over 1 1/16 miles.

“She can win,” he said.