By Alan Carasso
Juddmonte homebred Salamis (Speightstown) largely avoided traffic issues in what ended up a sit-sprint renewal of the GI Hollywood Derby, and, with clear sailing through the final furlong, was along in the final strides to give his late sire his second new graded winner on the program.
The half-brother to Sunday's GI Matriarch Stakes hopeful Segesta (Ghostzapper) was taken back to the latter third of the field by Umberto Rispoli, with odds-on Test Score (Oscar Performance) riding the rails to his inside and Salamis had cover on the back of Tom's Magic (Justify) behind a dawdling half-mile in :49.92.
With no traffic to his outside, Salamis continued to follow the move of Tom's Magic around the turn, while Test Score was ridden more for luck, sweating on an inside run beneath Juan Hernandez. Rispoli steered Salamis off Tom's Magic's heels with three-sixteenths of a mile to race and accelerated sharply down the center of the track to be along in the nick of time. Test Score was hopelessly blocked for a run entering the final furlong and kicked hard once clear, but all too late.
“We had a nice chat this morning,” said Rispoli. “Chad (Brown)
was pretty straight-forward, which was to pump him out of the gate. Don't be afraid, just let him settle. Come around with your right side clear. I worked on him out of the gate. I was a little bit worried with the slow pace, but I know Chad's horses always have a nice turn of foot.”
It was a record-breaking fifth Hollywood Derby for Brown dating back to 2016. He previously shared the record with Charlie Whittingham.
Placed in a pair of starts at two, Salamis was third on seasonal debut at Keeneland in April and returned from a four-month absence to graduate at Saratoga Aug. 8. With that box finally ticked, the dark bay rolled to a 1 1/4-length victory in the Sept. 28 Gio Ponti S. at Aqueduct and was exiting a better-than-it-looked fifth, beaten just two lengths, in the GIII Bryan Station Stakes in Lexington Oct. 25.
Pedigree Notes:
Salamis is the 71st graded winner and 27th top-level scorer for Speightstown. The sire's 4-year-old son Call Sign Seven caused a 68-1 upset in the GII Seabiscuit Stakes earlier on the program.
A Group 3 winner in France while under the care of Pascal Bary, Antonoe was turned over to Brown once repatriated and came with a flying finish to win the GI Just A Game Stakes ahead of a third to stablemate Lady Eli (Divine Park) in the GI Diana Stakes about six weeks later.
A half-sister to MSP Upbeat Mood (Mizzen Mast), the dam of the French listed-placed Light Mood (Fr) (City Light {Fr}), Antonoe is also responsible for the 2-year-old filly Directive (Gun Runner) and a yearling full-sister to Salamis. The mare was most recently covered by Justify.
👏 #4 SALAMIS ($8.20) prevailed in the $300,000 Hollywood Derby (G1) at @DelMarRacing! The @JuddmonteFarms homebred by Speightstown had @umbyrispoli aboard for Chad Brown! pic.twitter.com/n4cogvSVhj
— FanDuel Racing (@FanDuel_Racing) November 29, 2025
Saturday, Del Mar
HOLLYWOOD DERBY-GI, $301,500, Del Mar, 11-29, 3yo, 1 1/8mT, 1:50.74, fm.
1–SALAMIS, 122, c, 3, by Speightstown
1st Dam: Antonoe (GISW-USA, GSW-Fr, $565,377), by First Defence
2nd Dam: Ixora, by Dynaformer
3rd Dam: Imroz, by Nureyev
1ST GRADED STAKES WIN, 1ST GRADE I WIN. O/B-Juddmonte (KY); T-Chad C. Brown; J-Umberto Rispoli. $180,000. Lifetime Record: 7-3-0-2, $353,363. *1/2 to Segesta (Ghostzapper), MGSW & MGISP, $1,010,275. Werk Nick Rating: B+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree or free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Tom's Magic, 122, c, 3, Justify–Dixie Chicken, by Rahy.
1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE, 1ST G1 BLACK TYPE. ($200,000 Ylg '23 KEESEP). O-CJ Thoroughbreds and Mo Speed Racing; B-Sean & Dorothy Fitzhenry (ON); T-Michael Stidham. $60,000.
3–Test Score, 122, c, 3, Lookin At Lucky–Joy of Learning, by Kitten's Joy. O-Amerman Racing LLC; B-Jerry Amerman (KY); T-H. Graham Motion. $36,000.
Margins: NK, NK, 1 1/4. Odds: 3.10, 4.80, 0.80.
Also Ran: Tempus Volat, Kokosan, Friendly Confines, Maaz (Fr), Copp. Scratched: Noble Confessor.
Click for the Equibase.com chart or the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.
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