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Unusual Suspect flies home in turbulent Turf Express

Unusual Suspect split rivals late in the Hollywood Turf Express (Benoit Photo) Barry, David and Dyan Abrams' homebred UNUSUAL SUSPECT (Unusual Heat) was last at the eighth-pole in Saturday's $150,000 Hollywood Turf Express H. (G3), but suddenly inside the final sixteenth, the California-bred sophomore caught fire beneath Tyler Baze. Exploding between rivals, the 16-1 shot got up in time to deny fellow Cal-bred Bonfante (Fruition) by a nose. Almost as eye-catching in the stretch drive was the chain reaction of interference caused by the early leader Fast Parade (Delineator), whose waywardness prompted an inquiry and ultimately resulted in his being disqualified and placed last. Fast Parade shot straight to the front, reeling off splits of :23 1/5, :45 2/5 and :57. Desert Code (E Dubai) and Bonfante were among those in hot pursuit, while Unusual Suspect was content to settle in the rear. In midstretch, Fast Parade was still in charge, but he began to tire in his first outing off a nearly nine-month layoff, and he commenced a drift to the right. That opened the door for Bonfante to come barreling through along the inside, and he claimed the advantage. As Fast Parade bore out, he carried a strongly rallying Desert Code farther out, veering into the path of the closers gearing up behind him. Unusual Suspect, blissfully free of all the trouble, closed ground rapidly late to catch Bonfante. The dark bay sizzled six furlongs in 1:09 on the firm course, returning $34.20, $15.20 and $6.80.

"I was last at the top of the stretch -- I got to watch it all," Baze said of the melee. "I hit him once, and he took off like a rocket. I saw (the trouble) happen, and I saw that hole open up and I'm saying to myself, 'Stay open.' This horse gave me 100 percent. I couldn't have had a more perfect trip."

The 9-1 Bonfante yielded $10.20 and $6.60 and completed the Cal-bred exacta ($1) worth $144.10. Desert Code regrouped to grab third, a mere nose behind Bonfante, giving back $7 at 10-1. The $1 trifecta totaled $1,260.50, and with the 5-1 Quietly Mine (Belong to Me) another neck away in fourth, the 1-5-7-4 superfecta ($1) was good for $6,722.10.

El Manuel (Chi) (Hussonet) crossed the wire in fifth, followed by Fast Parade, Night Chapter (GB) (Night Shift), Moth Ball (GB) (Royal Applause [GB]) and T. D. Vance (Rahy). The stewards scrutinized the rough and tumble stretch run, and judging Fast Parade the culprit, demoted him from sixth to last.

With this third career stakes coup to his credit, Unusual Suspect improved his scorecard to 19-6-3-2, $469,136. The Barry Abrams trainee garnered the Bay Meadows Derby in September, and he was exiting a 1 3/4-length victory versus older state-bred rivals in the Cal Cup Mile H. Unusual Suspect has also placed in four stakes, including the first division of the Generous S. (G3) as a juvenile.

Unusual Suspect was produced by the winning Penpont (NZ) (Crested Wave), making him a full brother to multiple stakes-winning juvenile filly Golden Doc A, who dead-heated for third in Saturday's Miesque S. (G3) at Hollywood. They have two younger full siblings, an unnamed yearling filly and a weanling colt.

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