Hollywood Talent ($219.20) notches monster upset in Turf Monster
BENSALEM, Pa. - Before Ricardo Santana Jr. graduated into the big leagues, winning Grade 1 races on a regular basis for trainer Steve Asmussen, he was riding at Delaware Park for trainer Juan Vazquez.
“I was riding everything for him,” said Santana, who was among the leading riders at Delaware Park from 2009-12. “He and my agent Ruben Munoz brought me from Panama and [Vazquez] signed for my papers when I was 16 years old.”
The one thing he learned during that time was “every horse I ride for him I have a shot,” said Santana, who had ridden 25 winners from 99 previous mounts for Vazquez.
On Saturday, at Parx, Santana and Vazquez teamed to pull a monumental upset in the Grade 3, $300,000 Turf Monster aboard 108-1 shot Hollywood Talent, a 10-year-old gelding who streaked by the pacesetting tandem of Firecrow and Admiral Abe in deep stretch to win by 1 1/4 lengths.
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Beer Can Man rallied to get second by a neck over Admiral Abe. Firecrow was fourth, followed by Battle Station. Co-favorites Caravel and Carotari dead-heated for sixth. West Fork and Amblin Man completed the order of finish.
Hollywood Talent, who began his career as a debut-winning 2-year-old on dirt for Wesley Ward in 2013, was claimed for $8,000 by Vazquez last Sept. 23 at Delaware Park.
He had gone winless in six starts for Vazquez, but the trainer said he was not surprised at Saturday’s result.
“I’m not surprised, I’ve been waiting for this race all year long,” Vazquez said. “Today, there was a lot of speed, and he came from behind and finished very well.”
Hollywood Talent was seventh early, about seven lengths off the pace of Firecrow and Admiral Abe, who ran an opening quarter in 22.63 seconds.
Santana had Hollywood Talent three wide down the backstretch and moved into third around the turn. Turning for home, Admiral Abe and Firecrow were still going at each other, but Hollywood Talent lengthened stride and was able to catch them late.
Hollywood Talent, a gelding by Talent Search, covered the five furlongs over turf labeled good in 59.51 seconds and earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 94. He returned $219.20 and was only the third-longest shot on the board.
Hollywood Talent won for the 12th time from 52 starts. In 2019, he won the Marshall Jenney Stakes on turf here at Parx.
“The turf was soft today and he was traveling beautiful and I was really happy with him and when we turned for home and I asked him the horse responded really well,” Santana said.
Vazquez said he would look to run Hollywood Talent in the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Turf at Del Mar on Nov. 6.
Caravel, the filly who was slightly favored over Caratori, didn’t appear to handle the softer turf, according to jockey Jose Ortiz.
“I blame it on the track,” Ortiz said. “I was sitting in a good spot but I never felt like she handled it well. “Very soft.”