HOL Turf Cup (Grade 2)- $200.000 Purse
DMR- For Three Year Olds and Upward
One Mile and One Half on the Turf
November 27, 2020

Out west on Friday, we will see some well-accomplished turf horses, including a former BC Turf champion, go to post for the 16th running of the Grade 2 HOL Turf Cup.  It is an interesting field, because there is more variety here, than normal, in the paths taken by runners to get here. The race first appeared on the schedule in 2003 and was won by the great Alpha Ultimo, though in the early years, the race did not get run every year. In 2014, the race found a new home at DMR after the closure of HOL. Last year, the race was won by Winter Solstice, for John Henry, and that gelding has continued to have a good career, running in the BC Turf earlier this month. However, the bigger story is jockey Mario Gutierrez, who has ridden the winner in the last three years. Can he make it four? Let’s meet his mount and everyone else!

#1- Dead Madness (John Henry, ridden by Mario Gutierrez)- This is who Gutierrez will be looking to extend his streak with, and he can do it with the same trainer. He also is able to ride a former BC Turf winner, doing so in 2019. Dead Madness ran in the BC Turf this year as well, the only horse running in this race that did so, but was not as productive in it. He also did not run well in the race before it, Hirsch Turf Classic yet prior to that he won the Arlington Million. Don’t write him off yet, and he seems to check off a lot of the boxes you want in making a pick for the race.

#2- Steel Forestry (Luz International, ridden by F Prat)- A great story of an excellent claim. Luz International did so for $25.000 at SAR after the very lightly raced four year old gelding won a turf sprint. It was not going to be more of the same for Steel Forestry after the claim, and the trainer did an excellent job with him, and sent him long in their first race together, which by the way, was the Grade 2 City Of Hope Mile at SA. I’m very impressed with the way he ran that race, too, and I would be confident enough in him to make him my pick off of that. However, we’re adding another half mile here, and that is an unknown. This horse’s true talent is possibly untapped, so if nothing else, he is one to watch.

#3- Stallsome (Maxmillion Farm, ridden by Ru Fuentes)- Maxmillion has won this race once before, doing so in 2016 with Dogs Dragon. His career has been a little unconventional to get here as well, starting out in maiden claimers, and acquired by Maxmillion in April 2018. He then spent 16 months in the barn without a race, but the results progressively got better once he was back on the track. That culminated, for now, with his last start, winning the Grade 3 Sycamore at KEE. Now, he hopes to take another step forward.

#4- Flushed (Diablo Diablo, ridden by V Espinoza)- Lightly raced three year old gelding was acquired by the trainer about a week after winning a N1X allowance at SAR. The aspirations of Diablo Diablo were much higher, and Flushed was placed into the $750.000 SAR Derby, but did not perform well. Next up, it was the Grade 2 Henry Championship at SA, for a third of the purse, and he closed to be fourth. He still seems to have a bit to prove, but he might like going the maximum distance, and this is the type of race that seems to suit him right now.

#5- Fuji (Smokey Stover, ridden by A Cedillo)- The three year old colt by What Have You Done is coming off back to back races at this distance, and nearly came home with a win in the Grade 1 Northern Dancer BC Turf last month. He finished second, and got his picture taken with the winner, but maybe if he had more than two weeks of rest, he would have performed better. Rest is not a problem here. The biggest win of his career to date is the Grade 3 MTH Cup, on yielding turf, in May.

#6- Money Truck (Spankys Barn, ridden by D Van Dyke)- In his last race, the Grandeur gelding ran second in the $400.000 Breeders Stakes, which is for Canadian breds up at WO. That effort saw him earn just a 89 SRF, so take that however you will. Off of that, he is going to try unrestricted company again, which he has done a few times in his past, without much success. Both the LA Derby and the DMR Derby saw him fail to hit the board over the summer. He’s working well, and there’s no reason to not take this shot. Though from a wagering perspective, maybe not the ideal pick.

#7- Quest For Fame (Rheingold Stables, ridden by Ru Gonzalez)- If it’s raining, this is your pick. He has won three of his last four races, all of which have come on off tracks, with two of them listed as soft. The highlight there is the Grade 3 Bewitch. The one race that came on firm turf was the Grade 3 Waya, where he was fourth and beaten five lengths. Coming to sunny California is not likely to bring you an off track, and firm turf is a near certainty for the race. That said, this is a great opportunity to prove he can win at this level when the sun is out, as well.

#8- Annihilator (Eastern Equine, ridden by G Franco)- After winning the first two races of his career, Annihilator was rewarded for that by being gelded a month later. Unfortunately for the trainer, that has not led to more wins as of yet, though with a little more luck at the wire we could be talking about much different results with him. His best effort to date was finishing third in the $750.000 SAR Derby in August, however his run in the Grade 1 Pattison, his last start, concerns me. You could take the angle with him the other way, too, and say this is not the Pattison or the SAR Derby. He could really go either way to me.

#9- Big Bang Raj (Rock Creek, ridden by U Rispoli)- The good news is, prior to being acquired by Rock Creek in private sales for $80.000 in late August, Big Bang Raj won three out of four. The bad news is, two of these wins were at MNR. Rock Creek saved him from the free track,and ambitiously entered him in the Grade 3 OK Derby for their first race together a month later. It led to a double digit finish, but only missing by three lengths, he showed he could be competitive. However, only finishing fourth of seven in the Bulldog Handicap at FNO, a $50.000 CA-bred race, is a concern. He’ll make his turf debut here. We’ll see.

#10- Just Chillin (Nakamura Stables, ridden by T J Pereira)- This gelding by Revolutionary was picked up in the December 2019 auction for $50.010, and has gone on to be productive during his four year old season. However, with his other placement, the trainer had bigger hopes than a couple of wins in overnights. That was leading up to his winning the Grade 3 Singspiel at WO in mid-September. He’s been resting since then, so he should be poised to run well.

Prediction: 5-2-3-1

— NS

Categories: Grade II, STAKES ARTICLES