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Salute the Sarge in Hollywood Juvenile Southern Equine Stable's SALUTE THE SARGE (Forest Wildcat) stormed to the lead between rivals in the stretch and gamely withstood the fast-closing Leonides (Richter Scale) to win Wednesday's $114,900 Hollywood Juvenile Championship S. (G3) by a nose. Now unbeaten in two starts, the Eric Guillot-trained colt completed six furlongs over the Cushion Track in 1:12 with jockey Michael Baze. Kinetic Motion (Hussonet) sprinted to the lead when the gates opened, establishing early splits in :21 4/5 and :45 1/5 before being overhauled at the top of the stretch, and the race appeared wide open with a quarter-mile left to run. Salute the Sarge, who rated in fourth until splitting foes in midstretch, asserted himself first, racing a bit greenly as he surged to the front, and Leonides finished up strongly on the outside to make it a two-horse contest in deep stretch. It was 3 1/4 lengths back to third-placer Whatever Whenever (Delaware Township) at the wire, and Rivergrade Boy (Grand Slam), 6-5 favorite Booted (A.P. Indy), Tide Water Bobby (Impeachment), County Tune (Gibson County), Sky Cape (Najran), Sierra Sunset (Bertrando), Kinetic Motion and Ravin d'Or (Golden Gear) rounded out the order of finish following the defection of Overextended (Monarchos). Sent off the 6-1 fourth choice, Salute the Sarge paid $15.20, $7.20 and $5 while keying the $28.90 exacta ($1) with 4-1 second choice Leonides, who returned $5.20 and $4. Whatever Whenever gave back $4.80 at 5-1 while rounding out the $145.30 trifecta, and the 2-6-8-12 superfecta with 76-1 Rivergrade Boy yielded $2,740.20 for $1. Salute the Sarge was bred in the Bluegrass State by Gulf Coast Farms and sold for $300,000 at the Barretts March two-year-old sale. He's out of the Grade 2-placed Dixie Ghost (Silver Ghost), who has also distinguished herself as the dam of Chelokee (Cherokee Run), recent winner of the Northern Dancer Breeders' Cup S. (G3), and stakes victress and Grade 2-placed Mymich (A.P. Indy). Salute the Sarge, who is named in honor of trainer Nick Hines, captured his career bow at Hollywood Park, winning a June 3 maiden special weight event by a half-length, and the bay colt has now earned $96,540.
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