Hollywood Derby GI
$300.000 Three Year Olds
1 1/8 Miles Turf
Del Mar November 29, 2025

This year marks the twenty second running of this G1 event. The first ten were run at the much missed and much loved (by this writer) Hollywood Park. This will be the twelfth edition at Del Mar so at least the tradition of the race has been carried forward and that allows the memory of the historic tinsel town racetrack to linger on. 

1. Neon Lightning (Nakamura Stables/I. Castillo) Made his first start in a G1 event in his last start and earned a triple digit SRF figure. His reward? A thirteenth place finish. Prior to that race he was coming off a four length stakes win and a score in the $2,000.000 Gun Runner at the lucrative KD meet. Back in amongst his own age and looking for a graded stakes win to go along with his gaudy bank account. Expect him to be forwardly placed especially from this post.

2. Zion Birdie (La Canada Racehorses/F. Pennington) What a great record of consistency since being gelded and entering his first stakes race last September as a two-year-old. He is a nose and a head away from being a two-time BC winner. He missed by a nose in last year’s BC Juvenile Turf, and he missed by a head in this year’s BC Mile. In nine straight stakes races he has been worse than second only two times and one of those was the aforementioned BC Mile where he finished third. He has raced only five times this year so consider him not only fast but fresh. 

3. Bold Decision (Mb Stables/M. Gutierrez) Has blossomed since being gelded in April. Successful progression from an allowance win to a State Bred stakes bred win to a G2 win. Tried a G1 against older in his last race and pressed the pace before fading to a credible third going a full mile and a half. He cuts back to what might be a more preferable distance here. Trainer is one to keep an eye on (sarcasm…)

4. Fourth Estate (High Voltage/F. Prat) He was proving himself to be one of the best three-year-old turf stars when he ran a strong second in the G1 Belmont Derby then took the G1 Saratoga Derby this past summer. However, the three races that followed were not very good, but they were at longer distances, and he unfortunately drew post thirteen in the BC turf. Hard to pick him off of recent form but works show he is still fast and the cut back to a distance where he was most successful could be what he needs to find the winners circle again.

5. Negril (Winning Link Stables/U. Rispoli) Very lightly raced with only five lifetime starts. Has two wins on his resume and made a good impression in jumping into graded competition when he finished second in the G2 Twilight Derby in his last start. His works are not as flashy as some but has not failed to fire in any test thus far so it would not be surprising if he ends up right there at the wire. 

6. Pinewood Derby (Blazin D/A.R. Rodriguez) He did not start at age two and his trainer’s patience has paid off. He has won four of his eight starts this year and only finished outside of the top three one time. He is coming into this race on a three-race winning streak and his last two starts were graded stakes. He has won a G2 and a G3 and seems poised to complete the set with a G1 win here.

Smaller field and all the speed seems to have drawn to the inside. If they set an honest pace, I think Pinewood Derby will be able to come through with his running style and his current stellar form. Zion Birdie is pure class and his two BC near misses make him the standout class and he seems a safe bet for being in the exacta. Neon Lightning makes his tenth start of the season and his thirteenth-place finish in his last is misleading just on placing. I’ll go with him to round out the trifecta.

Categories: Grade I, STAKES ARTICLES