Labamta Babe in allowance

INGLEWOOD, Calif. - The rain fell from Thursday through Saturday. The tote board did not work on Friday and Saturday. The turf course was dormant and the main track had too many short fields.

Things can only get better when Hollywood Park offers its sole Monday program of the meeting, in conjunction with Veterans Day.

Hollywood Park has an eight-race program on Monday, highlighted by a $49,000 allowance race-optional claimer over 1 1/16 miles. All of the races are on the main track as Hollywood continues to protect its turf course in advance of the major turf stakes in late November.

The field for Monday's feature is led by Labamta Babe, who won the Santa Catalina Stakes for 3-year-olds in January, but was knocked off the Triple Crown trail by injury. Trained by Bobby Frankel, Labamta Babe has made two starts since returning in the summer. He finished eighth in the Grade 1 King's Bishop Stakes at Saratoga and fifth in an allowance race at Belmont Park.

The other entrants are Fleetstreet Dancer, Proceed with Care, Jimmy Z, Almostashar, and Out of Mind. Proceed with Care and Out of Mind are entered to be claimed for $62,500; the others will start under allowance conditions.

Fleetstreet Dancer won a $40,000 claiming race over a mile at Santa Anita on Oct. 9, the day he was claimed by Doug O'Neill. Before that race, he was uncompetitive in two starts at Del Mar.

The other four are in serious need of a confidence boost.

Proceed with Care was sixth in allowance races at Del Mar and Hollywood Park during the summer. He figures to be the longest shot in the field.

Jimmy Z finished seventh at 77-1 in the Pacific Classic at Del Mar on Aug. 25, and was a disappointing third in an allowance race at Santa Anita on Oct. 13.

Trained by Ron McAnally, Jimmy Z was favored at Santa Anita when he closed from last in a field of eight to lose by two lengths.

Almostashar won an allowance race at Belmont Park on June 23, but was well beaten at Saratoga a month later.

Out of Mind drew the outside post. A 7-year-old trained by Richard Mandella, Out of Mind is winless in eight starts dating back to the 2000 Mervyn LeRoy Handicap over this track and distance. He was fifth in the Pomona Invitational Handicap, his most recent start. Out of Mind will be ridden by Julie Krone.

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