THE $700,000 MATRIARCH -- THE RACE FOR THE ECLIPSE
DIXIE PEARL TRIES TO PUT IT ALL TOGETHER
Dixie Pearl served notice with an impressive run down the Santa Anita hillside course in the Autumn Days Handicap, but trainer Richard Mandella knows the 4-year-old filly will need to save her best performance for the $700,000 Matriarch (Gr. I) on Dec. 1.
"It's a very tough race," Mandella said. "But this is the only Matriarch around. If you've got a good turf horse, this is where you'd better be."
The daughter of Dixieland Band stormed from the back of the pack to take the Autumn Days by two lengths, and finished third by a half-length in the Yellow Ribbon (Gr. I).
"She nearly got them," Mandella said. "It looked like she had the real thing, and she just missed."
In the Yellow Ribbon, Dixie Pearl gained the lead in midstretch, only to relinquish it to Donna Viola in the final furlong.
In order to pull off the upset, Dixie Pearl will have to get past Timarida, the spectacular Irish filly of John Oxx's.
"Timarida has been very impressive," Mandella said. "But you expect a tough race for this kind of money."
In other developments:
Trainer Ben Cecil said Matriarch-nominee Tamise will be arriving in the next week, but is unlikely for the race.
Probables for the 16th running of the $700,000 Matriarch, for fillies and mares at 1 1/4 miles over the turf: Alpride, no rider; Auriette, no rider; Bail Out Becky, no rider; De Puntillas, Kent Desormeaux; Dixie Pearl, Rene Douglas; Duda, no rider; Hollywood Dream (s), Cash Asmussen; Memories Of Silver (s), Robbie Davis; Olimpia Dukakis, no rider; Real Connection (s), no rider; Timarida, John Murtaugh; Wandesta, Corey Nakatani, and Windsharp, Eddie Delahoussaye.
Possible: Admise, no rider.
GRADED STAKES WINNER ODYLE RETIRED
San Felipe Stakes (Gr. II) and Volante Handicap (Gr. II) winner Odyle was injured while preparing for the $500,000 Crown Royal Hollywood Derby on Dec. 1, and has been retired.
"He has a small tear in his tendon," trainer Paco Gonzalez said. "That will keep him out for six months. So if everything went perfect, the earliest he could make it back would be ten months. So we decided to retire him."
Gonzalez said Odyle injured himself while galloping Wednesday. The 3-year-old son of Alleged retires with four wins, three seconds and earnings of $479,500 from ten starts.
Odyle gained attention from the start of his career, running second in the 1995 Norfolk Stakes (Gr. II) as a maiden. He then finished ninth in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile (Gr. I), but rebounded to run second in the Hollywood Futurity (Gr. I). He broke his maiden in his sixth career start in February, and stamped himself as a legitimate Kentucky Derby contender with his San Felipe Stakes win. The colt was sidelined for six months following the race, but returned to take the Relaunch and Volante handicaps this fall.
LETTHEBIGHOSSROLL ON TRUST HANDICAP
Old-timer Letthebighossroll will try to rebound from his loss in the Cal Cup Sprint in Sunday's $100,000-added On Trust Handicap for California-breds.
The 8-year-old finished off the board for the first time in seven starts this year, running eleventh as the 8-5 favorite in the Cal Cup. Trainer Bob Baffert, who explained his gelding didn't appreciate being stuck down on the rail in that race, will get to see his runner break from the outside in the On Trust.
In order to avenge his loss, Letthebighossroll will have to turn the tables on Testimony and Creston, who finished first and third in the Cal Cup Sprint, respectively.
In other developments:
Klassy Kim drilled four furlongs in :48 3/5 Friday in preparation for the On Trust.
Post positions from the rail out for Sunday's $100,000-added On Trust Handicap, to be run at seven furlongs for California-breds three and up: Creston, Eddie Delahoussaye, 117; Testimony, Alex Solis, 116; Play It By Ear, Corey Black, 114; Klassy Kim, Martin Pedroza, 116; Kern Ridge, Rene Douglas, 114; Kingdom Found, Kent Desormeaux, 118; Patriotaki, Julio Garcia, 114, and Letthebighossroll, Gary Stevens, 121.
FULL WEEKEND OF SIMULCASTS ON TAP
Fans will enjoy a full slate of simulcasts this weekend at Hollywood Park. Saturday's simulcasts include the Red Smith Handicap from Aqueduct at 12:45 p.m., and the Mrs. Revere Stakes from Churchill Downs, 1:32 p.m.
Sunday's lineup includes five stakes from Turf Paradise: Claiming Stakes, 1:45 p.m.; AQHA Distance Challenge, 2:15 p.m.; Sooner Trailer Derby, 2:45 p.m., American Airlines Juvenile, 3:15 p.m., and the AQHA Challenge Cup, 3:45 p.m.
TIME FOR BEAU JINGLES TO STEP UP IN CITATION
After an impressive allowance win in June, Beau Jingles jumped up to Grade II company and finished a disappointing eighth. Four races later, the 4-year-old now sports a three-race win streak as he takes the class hike back into graded stakes company in the $300,000 Citation Handicap (Gr. II) on Saturday, Nov. 30.
"It's time for him to step up," said trainer David Hofmans, who saddled Alphabet Soup to win the $4-million Breeders' Cup Classic (Gr. I). "He likes this turf course and he's doing very well right now."
Beau Jingles was supplemented to the Citation for $17,500. He heads into the contest following stakes wins in the Steinlen and Henry P. Russell, and has won four of his last six since being switched to the turf.
"I don't think it was the turf as much as his age," Hofmans said. "He was immature like most Riverman's are. He just needed time to develop. Now he's developed into a pretty solid horse."
LUKAS TURFSTER MARLIN TO GO IN CROWN ROYAL HOLLYWOOD DERBY
Trainer D. Wayne Lukas, who saddled Marlin to a 13th-place finish in the Breeders' Cup Turf (Gr. I), is going to throw that race out and look for an improved effort in the $500,000 Crown Royal Hollywood Derby (Gr. I) on Sunday, Dec. 1.
"He should love the Hollywood turf -- it's tailor-made for him," Lukas said. "He never handled the Woodbine turf at all. He doesn't care for a real yielding course."
Marlin, who has been a model of consistency on the lawn, finished off the board in the Breeders' Cup for only the second time in ten turf starts. The 3-year-old won the Secretariat (Gr. I) and finished third in three graded stakes, the American Derby (Gr. II), the Man O' War (Gr. I), and the Turf Classic (Gr. I) in his four races prior to the Breeders' Cup.
"We'd like to have more turf runners like him," Lukas said. "We've had a champion and won the Arlington Million with Steinlen. It's just that our program is not geared to the turf."
SANDTRAP TRIES TO SLOW DOWN IN HOLLYWOOD TURF EXPRESS
Trainer Ben Cecil hopes his 3-year-old, Sandtrap, can ration his speed in the $200,000 Hollywood Turf Express (Gr. II) on Nov. 29.
"I wasn't happy with his ride last time," Cecil said of his race in the Morvich Handicap, going 6 1/2-furlongs down the Santa Anita hillside course. "He certainly didn't need to go 42 (seconds) and change off a six-month layoff."
Sandtrap finished sixth in the Morvich behind Comininalittlehot and Turf Express-hopeful Wild Zone.
"He's a definite possibility," Cecil said. "I was hoping to find a race on the dirt to get him ready for the Malibu. But I don't think he'll be without a chance in the (Hollywood) Turf Express."
FINISH LINES: Trainer Jeremy Noseda said Daylight in Dubai, who was supplemented to the $250,000 Generous Stakes, is due to arrive from England on Saturday . . . Announcer Luke Kruytbosch will be calling the races at Turf Paradise on Sunday. Ed Burghart, the voice of Los Alamitos, will step in for Kruytbosch.
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