Racing luck will be key in wide-open Hollywood Derby

DEL MAR, Calif. – When a turf horse gets stopped, it is tough to get going again. When a turf festival gets stopped, same thing.

Del Mar’s seven-stakes turf festival begins Saturday, finally, after being postponed two days by rain. And while a wet turf course adds an element of uncertainty to a card topped by the Grade 1 Hollywood Derby, hopes are the fall meet can finish with momentum.

Based on quality, it’s a good bet. The seven graded turf stakes scheduled or rescheduled to closing weekend – the meet ends Sunday – include four good ones Saturday.

Race 2 is the Grade 3 Jimmy Durante Stakes for 2-year-old fillies at a mile and includes exciting, well-bred Princesa Caroline. Race 4 is the Grade 3 Red Carpet Handicap for fillies and mares at 1 3/8 miles, led by Siberian Iris. Race 6 is the Grade 2 Seabiscuit Handicap for older horses at 1 1/16 miles; Prince Earl will try to upset sharp shipper Sacred Life. Race 8 is the Hollywood Derby.

All hope for clean trips Saturday. So does Del Mar, where the fall season unfolded in fits and starts. Rain cancellations trimmed the four-week meet from 15 racing days to 13 days and forced turf stakes Thursday and Friday be postponed. It was not the smoothest meet for Del Mar. Likewise, it was not the smoothest trip last out for key Derby contenders.

New York-based Digital Age and California-based Nolde enter the $300,000 Hollywood Derby from different coasts, but they share the same hard-luck story. Both are Grade 2 winners compromised by trouble finishing off the board last time out. With better racing luck Saturday, either could upset a wide-open Derby.

Seven of the 13 that entered the 1 1/8-mile Derby are one-time graded winners, including Neptune’s Storm, tepid 9-2 favorite by track linemaker Russ Hudak. Neptune’s Storm finished third last out in the Grade 2 Twilight Derby at Santa Anita won by Mo Forza, 5-1 second choice in the Hollywood Derby.

Chad Brown trains Digital Age and Standard Deviation, co-third choices at 6-1; Mr Dumas won a Grade 3 last out at Churchill Downs; Henley’s Joy is the field’s only Grade 1 winner with form disguised by a compromising trip last out. Front-runners Kingly and Neptune’s Storm are graded winners, allowance winners Moody Jim and Uncle Bull seek upsets. Others include Proud Pedro, Originaire, and Succeedandsurpass.

Digital Age is no slam dunk, but Brown believes the springtime Grade 2 winner is better than his last start indicates.

“He was in trouble the entire race, he got a really bad trip,” Brown said, referring to a fifth-place finish in the Grade 2 Hill Prince at Belmont Park.

Digital Age brushed the gate at the start, after which things got worse. He was bumped into the first turn, got rank, pulled hard, and lost position while pacesetters lollygagged through slow fractions.

Front-runners dominated the race, closers including Digital Age made no impact, and Brown figured that was the final 2019 start for Digital Age.

“I was going to shut him down for the year, because he’d had such a long season,” he said. “I kept him in training for a couple weeks after that just to see, and he’s tough as nails this horse.”

Digital Age trained forwardly and wanted more.

“He’s sound, and moving well, why not keep him for the Hollywood Derby?” Brown said. As for his eighth-place finish two back at 1 1/2 miles, Brown said “In hindsight, it was a poor decision to run him in there. He just doesn’t want to go that far.”

Hill Prince third-place finisher Standard Deviation also shipped to Del Mar.

“He doesn’t possess that big turn of foot that you like to see on the grass, but he’s steady and improving,” Brown said.

When it comes to bad trips, few compare to Nolde, the Del Mar Derby winner coming off a last-place finish in the Grade 2 Twilight Derby at Santa Anita. From start to finish, it was a nightmare.

Nolde bobbled at the break, was shuffled early, got rank, pulled, was unsettled most of the race, uncorked a wide kamikaze move on the far turn, and finished last. The race was a debacle that handicappers can simply disregard. Based on his Del Mar win two starts back, John Shirreffs-trained Nolde should be a contender in the Hollywood Derby.

Richard Baltas starts two – consistent pace-presser Neptune’s Storm and stretch-runner Succeedandsurpass, respective third- and second-place finishers in the Twilight Derby.

Neptune’s Storm “doesn’t have that big turn of foot, but he’s dangerous when he is close to the lead,” Baltas said. Prior to his third last out, Neptune’s Storm won the Hill Prince at Belmont. Neptune’s Storm figures to press the pace likely to be set by Kingly.

Succeedandsurpass “just seems like he’s getting better and better,” Baltas said. “He has more of a turn of foot.” Succeedandsurpass improved each successive start and will be rolling late.