ALPRIDE PROBABLE FOR THE MATRIARCH
Jenny Craig's Alpride breezed five furlongs at Santa Anita Park Tuesday morning
and trainer Ron McAnally pronounced the multiple Grade I stakes winner as probable
for Sunday's $700,000 Matriarch at Hollywood Park.
"It was so foggy out, I think the clockers missed the work," McAnally said. "But she went an easy five furlongs, I would guess in right about a minute. Chris (McCarron) said she felt strong, and right now we're looking at running her."
The addition of Alpride increases the Matriarch field to 13 horses, with Jo Knows and Twin Bet also under consideration.
The Matriarch, 1 1/4 miles on turf for fillies and mares, is the centerpiece of this weekend's $2-million Turf Festival at Hollywood Park. The six-race Festival kicks off Friday with the $200,000 Hollywood Turf Express (Gr. III) and the $200,000 Miesque Stakes (Gr. III).
As for Alpride, the 4-year-old Irish-bred will be looking to pick off her second Grade I event in two weeks. She scored in the $600,000 Yellow Ribbon Stakes Nov. 12 at Oak Tree, and appears to have bounced back from that 1 1/4-mile race in a satisfactory manner.
FRANKEL TO TRIPLE-TEAM MATRIARCH
Bobby Frankel lost the brilliant mare Possibly Perfect with a ligament injury, but it
doesn't mean the Hall of Fame trainer will come to Sunday's Matriarch empty-handed.
In fact, Frankel plans to run three fillies in the race -- Angel In My Heart, Wandesta and
Sleep Easy.
Sleep Easy worked six furlongs in 1:15 1/5 on the main track Tuesday, a drill that Frankel said went "very well," and added that he planned to run the Juddmonte Farms filly in the Matriarch.
Frankel -- off to a sizzling four of eight start at the meet -- has been all around the Matriarch the last two years. Toussaud and Skimble ran second and third for Frankel in 1993, with Toussaud just missing against the great Flawlessly, and Frankel finished third last year with Wandesta.
In other Matriarch developments:
* Alywow suffered an ankle injury while training at Woodbine and Canada's 1994 Horse of the Year has been retired and will thus miss the Matriarch.
* Windsharp worked five furlongs in 1:00 4/5 for trainer Wally Dollase.
Probables for the 15th running of The Matriarch: Alpride, Chris McCarron; Angel In My Heart, Cash Asmussen; Bail Out Becky, Shane Sellers; Balanka, no rider; Caress, Rene Douglas; Duda, Jerry Bailey; Flagbird, Eddie Delahoussaye; Matiara, Freddie Head; Morgana, Gary Stevens; Sleep Easy, Kent Desormeaux; Wandesta, Corey Nakatani; Windsharp (s), G. F. Almeida, and Bold Ruritana (s), Todd Kabel.
Possible: Jo Knows, no rider, and Twin Bet, no rider.
LONGLINER TO FACE BIG FIELD IN CROWN ROYAL HOLLYWOOD DERBY
Rick Barnes' Longliner, winner of the $80,000 La Puente Stakes last spring at
Santa Anita, will take a shot in Sunday's $400,000 Crown Royal Hollywood Derby (Gr. I), trainer Gary Jones said.
"It's a longshot, but there isn't much else to run him in, and that's a pretty good purse," Jones said Tuesday.
Actually, if you draw a line through Longliner's last race -- a dismal 10th in the Grade III Bay Meadows Derby Oct. 14 -- the Flying Paster colt doesn't look that bad. Since making the switch to turf, Longliner has two wins and two seconds from seven starts including the victory in the La Puente and a close second to Perfect in the Grade III Ascot Handicap at Bay Meadows.
Jones said the Bay Meadows Derby was in fact a throw-out. Already being treated for a quarter-crack, Longliner might have been running on an extremely sore foot.
"We couldn't believe how bad he ran . . . it was too bad to be true," Jones said. "But, when we pulled off his shoes, we found the answer. He had had his shoes changed up there and the nails on one of 'em --the same foot with the quarter crack -- had been driven right into the meat of the hoof. Try running on that! And then, when he got back here, he had a slight temperature. You can just draw a line through the race."
Probables for the 55th Hollywood Derby: Da Hoss, Corey Nakatani; Green Means Go, no rider; Hawk Attack, Kent Desormeaux; Helmsman, Chris McCarron; Lake George, Corey Black; Mr Purple, no rider; Perfect, Laffit Pincay Jr.; Petit Poucet, Cash Asmussen; Tabor, Gary Stevens; Via Lombardia, Eddie Delahoussaye; Our Gatsby (s), no rider; Shemaran (s), Pat Valenzuela, and Virginia Carnival (s), Alex Solis.
Possible: Labeeb, no rider, and Score Quick, G. F. Almeida.
JOHANN QUATZ TO MAKE SWAN SONG IN CITATION HANDICAP
Tadahiro Hotehama's Johann Quatz is scheduled to make his final start in
Saturday's $300,000 Citation Handicap (Gr. II), trainer Ron McAnally said.
Johann Quatz, a 5-year-old French-bred by Sadler's Wells, will then be shipped to France to begin a career at stud. In mid-1996, Johann Quatz will move on to Australia, where he also will serve as a stud.
Although he hasn't won a race since capturing the Grade II Col. F. W. Koester at Oak Tree in Oct. 1993, Johann Quatz has been competitive against some of the world's best grass horses. His greatest achievement was a second place finish to Barathea in the 1994 Breeders' Cup Mile, an effort that earned Hotehama $200,000.
Overall, Johann Quatz --31-6-3-7 -- has bankrolled $832,427.
In other developments:
* Bobby Frankel said Tinners Way will not run in the Citation, but added Opera Score was possible for the race.
Probables for the Citation Handicap, to be decided at 1 1/8 miles on turf: Romarin, Kent Desormeaux, 120; Fastness, Gary Stevens, 120; Royal Chariot, Alex Solis, 117; Silver Wizard, Alex Solis, 117; Celtic Arms, Pat Valenzuela, 116; Earl Of Barking, G. F. Almeida, 116; Johann Quatz, Eddie Delahoussaye, 114; Opera Score, Chris Antley, 113.
Possible: Lost Soldier, no rider, 112, and Labeeb, no rider, 110.
BOLD COMMOTION JOINS CAST FOR GENEROUS STAKES
Robert and Beverly Lewis, who watched their Grade I winner Hennessy go down
to a tough defeat as the odds-on choice in last Sunday's Hollywood Prevue Breeders'
Cup, will have a rooting interest in Saturday's $250,000 Generous Stakes for 2-year-olds.
Bold Commotion, who figures to be a long price in the Generous, worked five furlongs in 1:00 4/5, handily, Tuesday at Santa Anita for trainer Michael Mollica. In his most recent start, a non-winners of one allowance at Oak Tree on Nov. 9, Bold Commotion set the pace before fading to a third-place finish at 26-1 odds.
A Canadian-bred by Bold Ruckus, Bold Commotion broke his maiden at first asking July 26 at Del Mar, but is winless in three subsequent starts.
Another Generous Stakes probable, Never To Squander, drilled three furlongs in :37 2/5, handily, at Hollywood Park.
Probables for the the 14th Generous Stakes, to be decided at one mile on the turf: Red Shadow (s), no rider; Old Chapel (s), Gary Stevens; Blushing Richard (s), Alex Solis; Strangelove (s), Chris Antley; Ayrton S, Chris McCarron; Cruzin West (a), no rider; Heza Gone West (a), no rider; Never To Squander, no rider, and Bold Commotion, Pat Valenzuela. (a, Randy Bradshaw-trained entry.)
PEMBROKE IN FINAL TUNE-UP FOR HOLLYWOOD TURF EXPRESS
Darley Stud Management's Pembroke -- the 121-pound high weight in Friday's
$200,000 Hollywood Turf Express (Gr. III) -- turned in what figured to be the final
workout of his career Tuesday, drilling three furlongs in :34 4/5, handily, over a fast
main track. The work was the third fastest of 25 at the distance.
Trainer Gary Jones has announced that the Turf Express will be the final race for Pembroke. The 5-year-old by Gone West has won seven races and $270,740 in a 17-race career that includes a world record of 1:00 2/5 for 5 1/2 furlongs on turf.
In other Turf Express developments:
* Sharp Point worked six furlongs in 1:18 4/5, and apprentice Brice Blanc has picked up the mount at 112 pounds.
* Supplemental nomination O'Martin will be ridden by Chris Antley.
* And Cyrano Storme, who beat Pemboke in a $55,000 allowance race on June 1, will be ridden by Rene Douglas.
Probables for the 11th running of the Hollywood Turf Express, to be decided at 5 1/2 furlongs on turf: Pembroke, Kent Desormeaux, 121; Distinctive Hat, Laffit Pincay Jr., 118; Cyrano Storme, Rene Douglas, 116; Powis Castle, Gary Stevens, 115; Lakota Brave (s), Alex Solis, 115; Bold N' Flashy, no rider, 114; O'Martin (s), Chris Antley, 113; Silver Kite (s), no rider, 113; Comininalittlehot (s), no rider, 113; Sharp Point (s), Brice Blanc, 112.
COLCON PREPS FOR MIESQUE STAKES
Jack Kent Cooke's Colcon drilled a half-mile in :50 2/5, handily, at Hollywood
Park Tuesday in final preparation for Friday's $200,000 Miesque Stakes (Gr. III) for 2-year-old fillies.
Although she has been campaigning at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky., where her victories include a $25.40 upset in a Nov. 8 allowance race at one mile on turf, Colcon has several ties to the West Coast. By Pleasant Colony out of Continental Girl, Colcon is a half-sister to 1990 Strub Stakes winner and $1.8-million career-earner Flying Continental. And she was trained by Daniel "Speedy" Smithwick, who conditioned Cooke's string of California runners for several years before transferring his base to Kentucky last winter. Richard Mandella has assumed training duties in California.
In other Miesque developments:
* Gastronimical blew out three furlongs in :36 2/5 for trainer Gary Jones.
Probables for the Miesque, a Grade III event at one mile on turf : Canta's Crusade, Eddie Delahoussaye; Cosmic Fire, no rider; Gastronomical, Kent Desormeaux; Antespend (s), Chris Antley; Colcon (s), Gary Stevens; Jade Hawk (s), no rider; Like A Hawk (s), Rene Douglas; Majestic Dream (s), no rider; Miss Mercedes (s), no rider; Platinum Blonde (s), Laffit Pincay Jr.; Slide By (s), G. F. Almeida, and Wheatly Special (s), Alex Solis.
The Running Horse (http://www.isd1.com/alauck)