Killer Graces takes out Starlet rivals

Borislow et al's Killer Graces fanned three-wide rounding the turn of

Saturday's Grade 1, $402,000

Hollywood Starlet Stakes and rallied in the lane to be

a half-length in

front of Charm the Maker on the wire of the 8 1/2-furlong affair. Jockey

Joe Talamo piloted the Jerry Hollendorfer pupil to finish in 1:44 on

Hollywood Park's Cushion Track.

Lady Pecan took the lead entering the first turn of the race, setting

splits of :23 2/5, :47 1/5 and 1:12 1/5. Maiden Mi Vida ran behind and

to her outside, with Charm the Maker keeping in close attendance down on

the inside. Weemissfrankie, who was trying to sweep the

California Grade 1 stakes for juvenile fillies, was content to bide her

time in last as the 4-5 favorite.

As the field neared the turn, Mi Vida suddenly began loosing ground

and Killer Graces, who had been loping along in fourth on the backstretch,

moved up to start her run. The chestnut lass found herself three wide

rounding the turn, with Charm the Maker to her inside and Lady Pecan

maintaining her spot on the rail.

Killer Graces began her career with Rafael Deleon at Hollywood on May 1,

running second by a nose, but reappeared on June 11 to take the Cinderella

Stakes under Hollendorfer's tutelage. The juvenile daughter of Congaree captured

the Landaluce Stakes next out and ran respectively, though off-the-board, in Del

Mar's Grade 3 Sorrento Stakes and Grade 1 Del Mar Debutante.

Hollendorfer saddled Killer Graces in her first conventional dirt appearance

at Fonner Park following those two efforts, and his charge responded with a

runner-up placing in the Soviet Problem Stakes. This was her second try at the

current Hollywood meet, having also run second in the Sharp Cat Stakes on

November 13, and the two-year-old lass now boasts an 8-3-3-0 mark. The winner's

share from the Starlet shot her earnings to $394,830.

"I think she kind of likes

Hollywood Park. She's done very well here," Hollendorfer said. "Now we have to get her to carry it

over to another track. She was down on the inside last time (when second in the

Sharp Cat) and I don't think that helped her very much. She was in the clear

today and I think that might have helped us a little. We had some frustrating

times with her at Del Mar.