Hollywood Gold Cup

Fewer Graded Races, Net Loss Of Four Grade I Events For 2024

A total of 429 graded stakes races--down from 440 in 2023--and four fewer top-level events will be contested in 2024, the American Graded Stakes Committee of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association announced following its two-day grading session Dec. 14 and 15. The Committee reviewed 970 overall with purses of at least $75,000 and also assigned listed status to a further 213 races. Some 10 races were upgraded from their previous status--one new Grade I and nine Grade Iis. Four new Grade III events were also listed. Fourteen new listed...

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Defunded Takes Them Coast To Coast in Gold Cup

Caught late and forced to settle for second when racing for Sean McCarthy in last year's GI Hollywood Gold Cup, Mike Pegram, Karl Watson and Paul Weitman's Defunded (Dialed In) wrested command of the 2023 iteration soon after the start and led past every pole to give trainer Bob Baffert a ninth victory in the event, breaking a tie with the legendary Charlie Whittingham for the most wins in the history of the race. Favored at 3-5, the chestnut broke well and took his five rivals along at a comfortable...

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The Week in Review: Do We Really Need So Many Stakes Races?

They could only scrape together a field of four for Saturday's GII Mother Goose S. at Belmont Park, run two weeks after they had a field of four in the GI Acorn S. Saturday's third race at Belmont fared no better. Only four went in the Wild Applause S., and three of them were trained by Chad Brown. And it isn't just a NYRA problem. The number of stakes run across the country that have attracted five horses or fewer is alarming. Since May 7, GI Kentucky Derby Day, there...

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Will Take Charge Colt Upsets Hollywood Gold Cup

There Goes Harvard, the second-longest shot in a field of five, pulled off the upset under invading rider Irad Ortiz, Jr. in the GI Hollywood Gold Cup S. Monday at Santa Anita. Taking six starts to break his maiden, doing so on the Ellis turf last summer, the chestnut was second in the Runhappy Ellis Park Derby on the main track two tries later. Runner-up off a seven-month layoff in a local dirt optional claimer Mar. 19, the homebred dead-heated for the victory in a similar spot Apr. 17 before...

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Stilleto Boy Aims for Gold Cup Glory

Steve Moger's Stilleto Boy (Shackleford), who has been knocking on the door to top-level success, will attempt to gain that first Grade I victory while facing four rivals in the GI Gold Cup at Santa Anita Monday. The chestnut gelding, 7-5 on the morning line, was second in last year's GI Awesome Again S. and third in the GI Malibu S., GI Pegasus World Cup Invitational, and GI Santa Anita H. before scoring a front-running victory in the Apr. 30 GII Californian S. last time out. Pegram, Watson and Weitman's...

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Ready For Our Close Up?

"Wait a minute, haven't I seen you before? I know your face... You're Norma Desmond. You used to be in silent pictures. You used to be big." "I am big. It's the pictures that got small."

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This Side Up: Ready for Our Close-Up?

"Wait a minute, haven't I seen you before? I know your face... You're Norma Desmond. You used to be in silent pictures. You used to be big." "I am big. It's the pictures that got small." That, unforgettably, is how we meet Gloria Swanson in Sunset Boulevard; and that, you fear, is rather how we meet the faded star of Memorial Day Weekend. Aptly, the first name carved onto the Hollywood Gold Cup has itself become that of an Oscar nominee. Seabiscuit was followed by some of the icons of...

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Letter to the Editor: John Fulton

On Memorial Day, we saw a great race between Country Grammer and Royal Ship (Brz), a horse that I purchased in Brazil for Fox Hill Farm and Siena Farm. Two classy horses battling to the wire and neither giving up. But, what Royal Ship was giving up was weight to the winner and that is the issue that I want to address. Why, in a Grade I stakes race, or any graded stakes for that matter, are the horses not running with equal weights or, at least, weight for age...

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Country Grammer Battles Back In Gold Cup

Narrowly favored at 9-5 in Monday's GI Hollywood Gold Cup, WinStar Farm's Country Grammer (Tonalist) became his Lane's End-based stallion's first Grade I winner, narrowly outbattling Royal Ship (Brz) (Midshipman) in a rousing finish. Away alertly, the former Paul Pompa runner was taken hold of to sit second as longshot Brown Storm (Chi) (Scat Daddy) rolled to the front showed the way through moderate splits of :22.92 and :47.16. Switched off nicely in the two path for the run down the backstretch, Country Grammer was asked for a bit of...

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Santa Anita Releases Winter/Spring Stakes Schedule

Starting with three prestigious Grade I stakes on opening day, Saturday, Dec. 26, Santa Anita's 2020-21 Winter/Spring stakes schedule will offer fans and horsemen a total of 95 stakes through closing day, June 20. This will include 10 Grade I events and 60 graded stakes. Santa Anita's traditional Winter/Spring opener will be highlighted by the seven furlong GI Runhappy Malibu S. for 3-year-olds, the seven furlong GI La Brea S. for 3-year-old fillies, and the GI American Oaks, for 3-year-old fillies at a mile and one quarter on turf, all...

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Improbable Rolls Home in Hollywood Gold Cup

Improbable gave the Bob Baffert a measure of consolation following Authentic (Into Mischief)'s defeat in the GI Santa Anita Derby, winning the GI Hollywood Gold Cup in a common gallop as the 6-5 favorite. Sent along by Drayden Van Dyke to stalk a steady pace set by longshot Brown Storm (Chi) (Scat Daddy) from second, the $110,000 Keeneland November weanling and $200,000 Keeneland September yearling traveled well within himself through the middle stages before being sent into the lead at the three-eighths pole. While he was traveling supremely well, he...

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Six Go for Gold

The late-blooming 5-year-old Midcourt (Midnight Lute) will look to record his first win at the highest level in Saturday's GI Hollywood Gold Cup. The authoritative 2019 GIII Native Diver S. and 2020 GII San Pasqual S. winner was a close third as the 3-5 favorite when last seen going this same 1 1/4-mile distance in the GI Santa Anita H. Mar. 7. Trainer John Shirreffs takes off the blinkers for this. Higher Power (Medaglia d'Oro), fifth in this race last year, broke through in a big way with a dominating...

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