Hollywood Park: Talamo gets perfect trips to sweep Everett Handicap, Fran’s Valentine

INGLEWOOD, Calif. – The strategy worked on turf early in the afternoon and again later in the day on the main track. Jockey Joe Talamo swept the two stakes at Betfair Hollywood Park aboard 4-year-old fillies that had perfect trips from off the pace.

Open Water ($21.40) benefited from a speed duel to win the $150,250 Marjorie Everett Handicap for fillies and mares on the synthetic main track. Earlier in the afternoon, Unusual Hottie closed from third under Talamo to win the $100,500 Fran’s Valentine Stakes for California-bred fillies and mares on turf.

Open Water, trained by Eric Guillot for a partnership led by Southern Equine Stable, ran 1 1/16 miles in 1:44.01, finishing a length in front of Lady of Fifty, the 3-5 favorite.

Talamo had Open Water in fourth and then fifth on the backstretch, well behind a pace of 23.34 and 46.54 seconds shared by Maker or Breaker and Sister Kate through the first half-mile. The scenario was ideal for Talamo, who knew Open Water was best from off the pace.

“You could tell they were flying,” Talamo said. “On this track, you can’t go that fast that early.”

Talamo guided Open Water to the outside of Lady of Fifty on the backstretch and rallied wide through the stretch to reach the front before the eighth pole.

Lady of Fifty held second, finishing 4 1/2 lengths in front of I Dazzle in the field of six.

The Grade 2 Marjorie Everett Handicap was Open Water’s first stakes win. By Include, she was second in the Grade 2 San Clemente Handicap and third in the Grade 1 Del Mar Oaks on turf last summer. The Marjorie Everett Handicap was her first start since a sixth in the Grade 2 La Canada Stakes at Santa Anita in January.

Guillot said that Open Water was given a two-month break after that race and resumed training on April 1. Open Water has won 3 of 14 starts and $270,750.

Fran’s Valentine: Unusual Hottie gets first stakes win

Unusual Hottie remained unbeaten in two starts this year with her first career stakes win in the $100,500 Fran’s Valentine Stakes.

Unusual Hottie ($11) ran a mile in 1:34.28, outfinishing Sugarinthemorning by three-quarters of a length. Top Kisser, the 4-5 favorite, set the pace to early stretch, but faded to finish third, a nose behind Sugarinthemorning.

Unusual Hottie was third for the first six furlongs, racing on the rail.

“We had a perfect trip,” Talamo said. “I was able to stay on the rail. At the quarter pole, I was able to get her out, and she did the rest.”

Unusual Hottie races for Seyyed Nilforushan and is trained by Jeff Mullins.

A 4-year-old filly by Unusual Heat, Unusual Hottie won her first start of the year in an optional claimer over six furlongs on turf here April 25, her first start for Mullins. Last year, when trained by John Sadler, Unusual Hottie was second in the Solana Beach Handicap at Del Mar in August.

Unusual Hottie has won 6 of 13 starts and $289,498.