Bourbon Bay, Miss Match work for Hollywood Turf Cup

Multiple Grade 2 hero Bourbon Bay and Grade/Group 1 queen Miss Match each

worked seven furlongs on the firm Hollywood Park turf course Sunday morning for

Saturday's Grade 1 Hollywood Turf Cup.

Bourbon Bay was clocked in 1:29 under exercise rider Debra Biggs, while Miss

Match was timed in 1:29 2/5 with jockey Mike Smith to the satisfaction of

trainer Neil Drysdale.

Bourbon Bay, five-year-old gelding who has won five graded stakes, seeks to

rebound from a last-of-eight effort in the Grade 1 Northern Dancer Turf Stakes

at Woodbine September 18.

"He didn't care for the course," Drysdale said of the disappointing effort in

Canada.

Bourbon Bay seeks to follow in the footsteps of his sire, Sligo Bay, who won

the race in 2002. The only father-son team to win the Turf Cup in its 28-year

history are Bien Bien in 1992 and Bienamado in 2000.

Garrett Gomez, who won the Turf Cup aboard Boboman in 2006 and Sunriver in

2007, seeks his third win in the race in the past five runnings.

Miss Match, a six-year-old mare who won the Grade 1 Santa Margarita Handicap

at Santa Anita in March, will be ridden for the first time by Smith in a battle

against males.

"She needs distance," explained Drysdale of choosing this spot for the

Argentine-bred mare, who trailed in the Breeders' Cup Ladies' Classic last out.

Champion Miss Alleged, a four-year-old filly, is the only female to win the

Turf Cup (1991), but others have been close. Megahertz finished second in 2004.

Queen to Conquer (1981) and Zalataia (1983) were also second, and Trishyde

(1992) was third. Treat Gently, the 2-1 second choice last year, finished

fourth.

Ashtar, winner of the Group 1 El Derby in Chile inFebruary, worked a bullet

six furlongs in 1:12 3/5 on the Cushion Track for trainer Ruben Cardenas.

Hector Berrios will ride the four-year-old Chilean-bred colt, who finished

fourth in the Grade 2 Clement L. Hirsch Stakes at Santa Anita in his latest.

Sanagas, winner of the Grade 3 Sycamore Stakes at Keeneland in his last start

October 20, is scheduled to fly in Wednesday from trainer Graham Motion's

training center in Fair Hill, Maryland. The five-year-old German-bred gelding by

Lomitas has won six of nine starts and will have regular jockey Rajiv Maragh

aboard.

Other probable starters are California Cup Classic winner Norvsky (Rafael

Bejarano), Goldwaki (Brice Blanc) and Falcon Rock.