Kalookan Queen ready to rebound

INGLEWOOD, Calif. - It has been more than a year since Kalookan Queen lost two consecutive races, which may be bad news for her opponents in Sunday's $200,000 A Gleam Handicap at Hollywood Park.

Kalookan Queen finished second by a neck in the Grade 3 Desert Stormer Handicap on June 7, her first start since beating males in the Potrero Grande Breeders' Cup Handicap in March.

In the seven-furlong A Gleam, Kalookan Queen will be favored.

Kalookan Queen is the 122-pound highweight, a reflection on her record of nine wins in 21 starts and earnings of $782,049. Since returning from a year-long layoff in June 2001, she has won 5 of 10 starts.

"The Queen is great," trainer Bruce Headley said. "She's ready to go."

At Santa Anita earlier this year, Kalookan Queen was the undisputed leader among the female sprinters, winning the Grade 1 Santa Monica Handicap and the Potrero Grande.

Those results made her neck loss to Slewsbox in the Desert Stormer Handicap over six furlongs more of a surprise. Instead of taking her customary position near the front, Kalookan Queen was 2 1/2 lengths behind the leaders until the final furlong, when she rallied to just miss.

There are plenty of challengers for Kalookan Queen in the Grade 2 A Gleam, which has drawn 10 runners. Collect Call and Queen of Wilshire are dropping back in distance, while Irguns Angel is trying to extend her winning streak to three.

Collect Call was third behind Azeri in the Milady and Vanity handicaps earlier at this meeting. She won the British Columbia Breeders' Cup Oaks over 1 1/8 miles at Hastings Park last September, but has yet to win a sprint stakes in a graded race.

Queen of Wilshire has won her last two starts - the Grade 3 Hawthorne Handicap over 1 1/16 miles on dirt here on April 27 and the WinStar Distaff Handicap over a mile on turf at Lone Star Park on May 27. She has the tactical speed to stay near the pace.

Irguns Angel has won two starts this year after returning from surgery to remove a bone chip from an ankle. The 4-year-old Irguns Angel won an optional claimer at Hollywood Park on

May 2 and the Sunnyvale Handicap over six furlongs at Bay Meadows on June 2.

The A Gleam will be Irguns Angel's first start in a graded stakes since she finished seventh in the Fair Grounds Oaks in March 2001.

"She's has come back a different horse, much more mature," said trainer Alfredo Marquez. "I think she is a better horse at seven furlongs than at six."

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