Hollywood Park: Tamarando gets chance to make amends in Real Quiet

INGLEWOOD, Calif. – The popular notion that the track at Santa Anita on Nov. 1 was biased in favor of speed, particularly the early part of the card, will get tested on Saturday at Betfair Hollywood Park, when four horses exiting that day’s Golden State Juvenile, including the front-running winner, meet in the $100,000 Real Quiet Stakes.

Better Bet scored a 47-1 upset in the Golden State Juvenile, but both Tamarando and Life Is a Joy may have been compromised by the track. Tamarando was favored in the Golden State Juvenile, and since he’s by far the most accomplished horse in the Real Quiet, bettors are expected to give him a mulligan for his last start and back him strongly again.

Tamarando won the Grade 1 Del Mar Futurity over the summer and was third in the Grade 1 FrontRunner at Santa Anita on Sept. 24. Since he runs on Lasix – which was not allowed in the 2-year-old Breeders’ Cup races – and a $100,000 fee would have been needed to make him eligible to the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, he bypassed that race and instead ran in the Golden State Juvenile.[bc_video_id:310715:]

Tamarando rallied to finish third, beaten 1 1/2 lengths, over a track that appeared to go against his running style. But Tamarando’s trainer, Jerry Hollendorfer, said on Thursday he was “not inclined” to use the track as an excuse for his last loss. That said, Hollendorfer is hoping Tamarando rebounds with a performance in the Real Quiet that would move him along to next month’s CashCall Futurity.

“We’ve always thought he’s a really nice horse,” Hollendorfer said.

Tamarando also benefits from a field that appears loaded with speed, including several sprint winners trying to stretch out.

Hollendorfer also sends out Life Is a Joy, who was fifth in the Golden State Juvenile after stumbling at the start, which Hollendorfer did believe was an excuse.

“He did have trouble getting out of the gate,” Hollendorfer said.

That was the first loss after three wins for Life Is a Joy, whom Hollendorfer owns in partnership.

Better Bet, who paid $96 for his last win, likely will be overlooked again, but there’s reason to believe his last win wasn’t completely bias aided. The Golden State Juvenile was his second start since trainer Mike Harrington added blinkers, and he never got a fair run in his first start with blinkers, getting eliminated on the first turn of the FrontRunner.

Electric Eddie, though still a maiden, earned a berth in this race off a second-place finish in the Golden State Juvenile.

There are four other 2-year-olds entered in the 1 1/16-mile Real Quiet, which goes as the eighth race on a nine-race card.

Beach Hut, who had trained brilliantly, won a six-furlong maiden race at Santa Anita in his debut the day after the Breeders’ Cup. He must now stretch out around two turns in addition to facing winners.

Green Mask ran to notices at Keeneland on Oct. 24. Backed down to 2-1 favoritism in a 12-horse field, he won by 5 1/4 lengths under Kent Desormeaux, who is making a rare – these days – California appearance to stick with Green Mask.

Karma King was upset in a Golden Gate allowance last time out, but won impressively in his debut at Del Mar and should be prominent from the start.

Mr Splash came from 11th in a six-furlong race at Golden Gate to win his debut.