Mast Track returns to Hollywood for Californian

MAST TRACK (Mizzen Mast) has dropped five straight starts at other venues

since winning the 2008 Hollywood Gold Cup (G1), but he remains a perfect one-for-one over the Cushion Track in Inglewood, California. The five-year-old horse

will return to Hollywood Park for Saturday's $250,000

Californian S. (G2), which will serve as a tune-up for a title defense in

the July 11 Gold Cup, and he'll face 11 opponents in the 1 1/8-mile event.

Owned, bred and trained by Bobby Frankel, Mast Track has been freshened off a

disappointing seventh in the Charles Town Classic in mid-April. He led wire-to-wire in last year's Gold Cup, but will likely be tracking the speed on Saturday

under David Flores. There's a lot of early zip in the field.

Four-time stakes victor BALL FOUR (Grand Slam) exits a wire-to-wire tally in

the May 9 Mervyn LeRoy H. (G2) at Hollywood and will likely show speed once

again with Joseph Talamo. Once-beaten stakes winner RAIL TRIP (Jump Start), who

has the services of Jose Valdivia Jr., figures to revert to front-running

tactics following his runner-up effort in the Mervyn LeRoy.

Grade 2 hero AWESOME GEM (Awesome Gem) will be a late-running threat

following his rallying third in the Berkeley S. (G3), and Mervyn LeRoy third

DAKOTA PHONE (Zavata) also owns a strong closing kick.

Earlier on the program, five horses will square off over 1 3/4 grassy miles

in the $100,000

Round

Table H. (G3). Grade 2 winner and multiple Grade 1 runner-up OBRIGADO (Fr)

(Enrique) is the top draw.