Turf Paradise: Camp Victory meets Grandpa Roy in Monday feature

A 7-year-old mired in a 13-race losing streak since scoring in a Grade 1 stakes almost two years ago and a remarkable 10-year-old who has racked up five wins over the past two seasons provide the two most intriguing storylines in Monday's featured eighth race at Turf Paradise.

Camp Victory, the winner of the Grade 1 Triple Bend Handicap at Hollywood Park in June 2012, drops to the lowest class level of his career when he runs for the optional $20,000 claiming tag in a one-mile turf race that also is open to second-level allowance runners.

Grandpa Roy also runs for the $20,000 tag when he seeks his third straight win and his 19th career victory in a field of 10 older horses.

Camp Victory was claimed out of a winning performance for $40,000 in February 2011 by California trainer John Sadler. Two starts later, Camp Victory missed by a nose in the Grade 3 San Simeon Handicap on turf at Santa Anita. He went on to finish second or third in five graded stakes before winning the seven-furlong Triple Bend on Cushion Track with a career-best 112 Beyer Speed Figure.

It has been all downhill since then, however, although as recently as last May, Camp Victory was still competitive enough to finish third in the Grade 3 Los Angeles Handicap. Robertino Diororo, the leading trainer at Turf Paradise, took a chance on Camp Victory by claiming him for $40,000 in October. In his first start for his new connections, Camp Victory finished fourth as the 6-5 favorite in the Walter Cluer Memorial at Turf Paradise.

Most recently, Camp Victory was a non-threatening sixth against $25,000 claimers at Santa Anita.

In contrast, Grandpa Roy’s recent form is extremely sharp. After going 3 for 8 as a 9-year-old last season, Grandpa Roy is 2 for 4 this year, winning for tags of $16,000 and $25,000 in his two most recent races. All 18 of his lifetime victories have come over the local turf course.

The field also includes the comebacker Miceli, whose 3-year-old campaign in 2013 included a runner-up finish in a $100,000 stakes at Saratoga and a close fourth in the Grade 3 Jefferson Cup at Churchill Downs. From a small sampling, trainer Adam Kitchingman is 0 for 5 with turf-route runners like Miceli returning from a break of 61 to 180 days.

Buymeabond and Dontmesswithkitten both look to clear their second allowance condition after winning allowance races in their last starts with Beyers of 75 and 76.