Everest Stables aims to climax a championship meet at Hollywood Park Saturday with Two Step Salsa in the $350,000-added Swaps Stakes, a Grade II test for 3-year-olds at 1 1/8 miles on Cushion Track.
Everest, owned by Jeff Nielsen of Stillwater, Minn., has already wrapped up meet honors as leading owner with 13 victories, six more than its nearest rival. Nielsen named the stable after the real estate company he owns.
Nielsen, who bought his first horses after the opening of Canterbury Downs in the mid-1980s, now owns about 200 horses. Most of his California runners are trained by Julio Canani, who sent out Two Step Salsa to a pair of stakes victories at this meet, but he also has several with Marcelo Polanco, whose victories include the Railbird Stakes here with Million Dollar Run.
Two Step Salsa seeks to become the first horse to sweep the Lazaro S. Barrera Memorial Stakes, the Affirmed Handicap and the Swaps. He also seeks to better the placing of his sire, Petionville, who finished third in the 1995 Swaps behind Kentucky Derby winner Thunder Gulch and eventual two-time Breeders' Cup Mile winner Da Hoss.
Two Step Salsa, out of the Seattle Slew mare Two to Waltz, has won four of five starts and comes off a front-running 3¾-length victory in the Affirmed at 1 1/16 miles June 15.
Asked what he thought about the colt trying 1 1/8 miles for the first time, Canani said, "I don't know. We're going to find out."
Two Step Salsa drew post two in a field of six under regular rider Martin Pedroza. "He's probably the best 3-year-old I've ridden," said veteran Pedroza, who turns 43 next week.
"Martin won the (1991) Laz Barrera with Sea Cadet and a stake early in the year (the 1996 El Camino Real Derby) with Cavonnier," said Richie Silverstein, Pedroza's agent. "But at this point of the year, Two Step Salsa is the best 3-year-old we've been on."
Petionville, who stands at stud for Nielsen, won the 1995 Ohio Derby and Louisiana Derby. Everest also owns Island Fashion, a filly who won the Alabama and La Brea stakes in 2003 and won the Santa Monica Handicap and finished second in the Santa Anita Handicap in 2004. The stable also owns crack sprinter Sailors Sunset, winner of the 2006 Vernon Underwood Stakes and the 2007 Los Angeles Handicap here.
Trainer John Shirreffs, who won the Swaps last year with Tiago, seeks a repeat with Madeo for the same connections as last year, jockey Mike Smith and owners Jerry and Ann Moss.
Madeo, with two victories in four starts, comes into the Swaps with considerably less seasoning or accomplishments than Tiago. "Tiago had won the Santa Anita Derby and run third in the Belmont," Shirreffs said Thursday.
Madeo is by Mizzen Mast, sire of longshot Hollywood Gold Cup winner Mast Track, who scored his first added-money victory in the prestigious race June 28. Madeo also seeks his first stakes victory.
"They have different running styles," said Shirreffs, who wants Madeo to come from off the pace in contrast to the front-running Mast Track. Madeo comes off a second-place finish in the Alydar Stakes May 24, when as the prohibitive favorite he was upset by a neck by Trevor's Clever.
"He moved too soon in that race," said Shirreffs, hoping the colt will wait longer Saturday.
CHURCH SERVICE READY FOR SUNDAY SERMON
Trainer Mike Mitchell has not made many mistakes in major turf stakes during this meet. He won the Grade II Jim Murray Memorial Handicap with On the Acorn and finished second with Ever a Friend in the Shoemaker Mile and Monzante in the Charles Whittingham Memorial Handicap, a pair of Grade I races.
Mitchell considered entering Church Service in the Jim Murray but won it anyway with On the Acorn and shipped Church Service to Texas, where he won the Dallas Turf Cup Handicap at 1 1/8 miles by a nose over Storm Military at Lone Star Park on May 26.
Mitchell plans to return Church Service, on a Sunday appropriately, in the closing-day $150,000-added Sunset Handicap, a Grade II test at 1½ miles on turf.
"He's been a good little horse for us," said Mitchell of the 5-year-old gelding, who finished second in two graded 12-furlong stakes at Santa Anita before the Texas victory since being claimed for $50,000 in January at Santa Anita for Dr. Dan Capen and Robert Tjosvold.
"I remembered one race he won last year at a mile and a half," said Mitchell of a significant reason for the claim. "He just did get there in that last race in Texas. The mile-and-an-eighth may have been too short for him. A mile and a half should be a good distance for him."
Mitchell, the leading trainer at Santa Anita, has enjoyed a solid meet with 13 wins and 23 seconds with 74 starters. "Twenty-three seconds," said Mitchell. "That's the difference between first at Santa Anita and this meet." (John Sadler leads the trainer standings with 27 wins.)
Storm Trooper, another Sunset entrant, worked four furlongs on turf Thursday under jockey Aaron Gryder in :49.80 for his Southern California debut for trainer Sean McCarthy.
The well-traveled German-bred 8-year-old horse, owned by Monty Roberts, spent most of his career in Europe before finishing fourth in an allowance race at Golden Gate Fields June 19 in his United States debut.
Storm Trooper has seen more countries than most tourists. Stakes-placed in a pair of Group 1 stakes as a 3-year-old in his native Germany, Storm Trooper made later stops in France, Norway, Sweden, England and Denmark before being shipped to the U.S.
