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HOLLYWOOD NOTEBOOK NOVEMBER 21, 2008 by John Mucciolo A pair of stakes races took center stage at Hollywood Park last week. Audrey Skirball-Kenis S.: Trainer Jerry Hollendorfer et al's YOU LIFE ME UP (Lord Carson) took the early lead and held off a quartet of serious threats in the lane to post the mild upset in here under Mike Smith. The rapidly improving sophomore lass drilled 1 1/8 miles on the firm sod in 1:50 to post her second stakes win from her last three outings. Moccasin S.: Halo Farms' and Three Sisters Thoroughbreds' EVITA ARGENTINA (Candy Ride [Arg]) was last after a half-mile, but closed like a freight train to take this one going away for conditioner John Sadler. The juvenile miss earned his second stakes win of her career when finishing off seven-eighths on the Cushion in 1:21 2/5 beneath Tyler Baze. Track Stats From a total of 42 races held over the Inglewood racetrack during the week, favorites won at a 31 percent clip and the top two betting choices combined for 57 percent of the wins. From 29 frays contested on the vast main oval, seven animals won in wire-to-wire fashion (24 percent), while four of the 13 grassy tussles went all the way on the lead (31 percent). On Saturday, eight of the nine races were taken by horses breaking from posts 1-3, while Sunday saw a reversal, in that all nine winners broke from posts outside of the innermost three. Strange, but random, in my opinion, as horses are winning in wire-to-wire fashion, by stalking and pouncing, or by making one run from the rear. Whenever 52 percent of the winners for the meet are comprised of the top two betting choices, it's nearly impossible to claim that any particular bias is occurring. Early speed is an edge on the lawn, but not to the point where closers have no chance. Meet Totals
Post Positions (wins)
HORSES TO WATCH Wednesday (11/12) 7TH -- RUSH RUSH (More Than Ready) closed from last to register an excellent second-place finish in here for Michael Machowsky, finishing his final three-eighths in a splendid in :34 1/5 under victor Espinoza. The honest gelding has run really well in his last three outings over the Hollywood lawn. Thursday (11/13) 1ST -- MAGIC LAUNCH (Cee's Tizzy) was clearly third best in her debut run and has every right to improve in her second outing for conditioner Carla Gaines. We'd be shocked if the miss was a maiden for long. 2ND -- OCEANOGRAPHY (Aptitude) proved that he fits really well at this level, and he could be a nice money earner for Bobby Frankel if he's placed appropriately. The four-year-old colt has a nice stride and completed his final five-eighths in :30 3/5 in his two-turn synthetic debut. 3RD -- Trainer Robert Bean put in a claim for BRAVE SUN (Until Sundown) in here, and he had to be delighted with his five-length romp beneath Pedro Arambula. The dark bay has won two in a row over this oval, and he appears to be a strong win back candidate if he's not placed over his head. 5TH -- MOSTACOLLI MORT (Hold for Gold) had little pace to run at but still finished well to grab the runner-up spot in here for Julio Canani. The gelding has talent, and he should run as well or better for John Sadler, who wisely dumped $80,000 for the four-year-old. Friday (11/14) 2ND -- The well-bred DEACON'S CAT (Pulpit) had a strong first run for Richard Mandella and could make a lot of noise out west with steady improvement following this tilt. The sophomore, who earned an 86 BRIS Speed figure, will take my money in his subsequent effort. 5TH -- WAVELINE (Stravinsky) hadn't raced for nearly a year, but the Ben Cecil charge showed little rust with a smart tally on this day under Rafael Bejarano. The well-meant sophomore lass clocked six grassy panels in 1:08 4/5 and likely has a bright future. 8TH -- Under the radar conditioner Rafael Martinez could have found a diamond in the rough with FIGEAC (Elusive Quality), who rallied to be a clear second in his debut for low-percentage first-out trainer Paddy Gallagher. Claimed for $25,000, the gelding has a lively pedigree and should handle added ground with relative ease. Saturday (11/15) 2ND -- We've put STAND TALL (Tejano Run) in our Watch List on various occasions, and the Canani trainee delivered with a big closing kick once again at a square price. The gelding is void of early foot, but he always tries and rarely finishes out of the money when properly spotted. 3RD -- MEDJOOL (Monarchos), another Canani pupil, looked awesome late in drawing clear of this group, but be careful with this one as he beat very little on this day. We are well aware of the gelding's affinity for the synthetic surfaces, but he's still one dimensional and has never beaten much, often settling for minor awards versus better. 7TH -- BACK AT YOU (Stormy Atlantic) is a horse we will not back in his next one as he toppled a very uninspiring cast on this day for Peter Eurton. The juvenile obviously has room for improvement and he could make us look bad if he wins back, but we'll take our chances and omit him until the colt proves us wrong. A Look Ahead A pair of graded tests will be the centerpiece of the upcoming week at Hollywood Park. On Saturday, six-furlong specialists will contest the $100,000 Vernon O. Underwood S. (G3), while the Sunday feature is the $100,000 Hollywood Prevue S. (G3) for juveniles at seven-eighths. The following week is loaded, with the Turf Festival running from November 28-30. Friday has the $400,000 Citation H. (G1) and $100,000 Miesque S. (G3), Saturday's big ones are the $150,000 Hollywood Turf Express S. (G3) and $100,000 Generous S. (G3), while the Sunday action is led by the $500,000 Hollywood Derby (G3) and $500,000 Matriarch S. (G1).
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