INGLEWOOD, Calif. (June 28, 2008) - Mast Track, a 10-1 shot given a dream trip on the lead by jockey Tyler Baze, hung on in the stretch to post a 2¼-length victory over 2-1 favorite Go Between in Saturday's 69th running of the $750,000 Hollywood Gold Cup at Hollywood Park.
Mast Track became the third Gold Cup winner for trainer Bobby Frankel - his first as owner/trainer/breeder - and the first for Baze, who was to ride Lava Man before the three-time winner was withdrawn from consideration earlier in the week.
"This is my first Gold Cup," Baze said. "What an accomplishment. It's just a dream being here. Everything just worked out right. We knew there was no speed in the race. They put blinkers on him because they wanted him to make the lead. I just let him get comfortable by himself and find his own stride. He just jumped into the bridle at the three-eighths and from then on it was just a matter of could we hold them off or not. I said, 'come on and just take one more breath,' and he did. When he took that last breath, I just smooched to him and he really exploded."
Frankel, who saddled Marquetry to a front-running victory and a Gold Cup record payoff of $56.80 in 1991, used the same tactics this time, but left the instructions with assistant trainer Humberto Ascanio as he watched the race from New York.
"Bobby told me this morning to make sure this horse was put onto the lead," Ascanio said. "When they went the first quarter in :24:41, I had a good feeling. Then they went three-quarters and I thought, 'man, that's it.' I was a little bit worried the last sixteenth of a mile, Gomez was getting after him, but he still had a lot left. This feels great."
Frankel's second Gold Cup win came in 2001 when Aptitude finished second, but was moved up when Futural was disqualified for interfering with Aptitude's stablemate Skimming in the stretch.
Gomez, aboard Skimming that day, had a different sort of problem Saturday as Go Between could not overcome the leisurely pace. He did not seriously threaten the winner, but he did finish two lengths clear of third-place finisher Student Council with Shaun Bridgmohan up. California-bred McCann's Mojave finished fourth in the field of nine, followed by Big Booster, Tiago, Racketeer, Perfect Drift and Spice Route.
"There just wasn't much pace," Gomez said. "I tried to do everything that we could do without putting my horse on the lead or in second. He handled everything I needed him to do. I got right to the fence. I had plenty of time to catch that horse. But when they went that slow, when my horse kicked in, the other horse kicked too. The horse in front had been in front by himself for too long. I thought McCann's Mojave would sooner or later go up and sit second or something, but he never did. I didn't want to be laying second, I wanted to be behind the first flight. The winner got to go too slow and we couldn't get it done."
Mast Track, a 4-year-old son of Mizzen Mast, won an allowance race two starts back and finished fifth on turf in the Shoemaker Mile here on Memorial Day. He covered the 1¼ miles in 2:01.37, shattering the record of 2:03.21 Lava Man set a year ago when the Gold Cup was run on Cushion Track for the first time.
"Last time when he ran in the Shoemaker Mile, (Jose) Valdivia rode him and he told me to tell Bobby that he needed blinkers," Ascanio said. "Bobby has a lot of confidence in this horse. After Heatseeker scratched it was anybody's race I guess."
Heatseeker, named the 7-5 morning-line favorite, was declared from the Gold Cup on Friday due to a filling in his left front ankle. Eastern shipper Go Between inherited the favorite's role with Oaklawn Handicap winner Tiago the second choice.
Tiago, who had won one of three meetings with Heatseeker in 2008, was never a threat Saturday.
"I thought Tiago would run a little better, not today, next time," trainer John Shirreffs said.
Mast Track won for the fifth time in ten starts, collecting $450,000 to boost his bankroll to $614,622. He paid $23.60, $11.20 and $7.40. Go Between returned $3.40 and $3. The show payoff on Student Council was $4.
Trainer John Sadler, meanwhile, swept the three stakes on the undercard with Whatsthescript in the $250,000 American Handicap, Dearest Trickski in the $150,000 A Gleam Handicap and Emmy Darling in the $100,000 Landaluce Stakes.
"I don't think I've ever won three stakes races (in a day) to be honest with you, but it feels good," Sadler said. "We've been building towards this - we have had some really good meets. We won this meet here in the fall, and came in second at Santa Anita. I'm really blessed to have some really good clients and some really good horses."
Whatsthescript, winner of the Generous Stakes here two years ago, scored a $60.20 upset under jockey Isaias Enriquez in the American as odds-on favorite Daytona finished sixth under Alex Solis.
"The only race that we had no luck was in Kentucky (American Turf), and that was my fault," Enriquez said. "I should have taken cover but they kept pushing me wider and wider and that cost me the race. I wasn't going to make that mistake again. I was right behind horses and as soon as a hole opened I went for it and he just exploded. This is the best horse I've ever ridden and I think this was his best race."
Whatsthescript, an Irish-bred son of Royal Applause, covered 1 1/8 miles on the Lakeside Turf Course in 1:46.34 while banking $150,000 to raise his earnings to $337,734.
"I was expecting him to run a good race," Sadler said. "If you look two works back he had a mile that was just unbelievable here, he worked a mile in 1:37."
Daytona, a winner of six of his previous seven starts, pressured pacesetter and eventual runner-up Storm Military, but tired in the stretch.
"He felt fine, he just didn't fire today, that's all," Solis said. "I was laying right where I wanted to be but when we turned for home he just didn't have any fight in him. But I think he's okay, at least we're hoping."
Dearest Trickski won for the sixth time in seven starts since being claimed for $32,000 in the Grade II A Gleam, connecting by 2¼ lengths over previously unbeaten Magnificience.
She covered seven furlongs on Cushion Track in 1:21.55 under Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith to collect the winner's share of $90,000, giving her lifetime earnings of $540,108. The win mutuel was $15.80.
"When things were going good we used all the races and decided to give her a little rest after the Sunshine Millions," Sadler said. "Then she got a little longer rest than we originally planned - she got sick - so that kind of set her back for the prep race. She almost needed a rest last time, and what's so great about Tom (Mankiewicz) is that when she finally lost a race he said it was okay. We just put our heads back to work and looked forward to the next one and she's just been terrific."
In the $100,000 Landaluce, David Flores guided 3-1 third choice Emmy Darling to a two-length victory over second choice Glitter City as favorite Cosmic Queen finished third in the field of seven 2-year-old fillies.
"I was mainly concerned about the break," Flores said. "She broke well today, better than I thought she would. I got into the bit with her early and just tried to slow her down and let the speed go. She dropped in and the fence was wide open and that made it easy for her. She's got a nice turn of foot."
Emmy Darling covered six furlongs on Cushion Track in 1:09.52 while paying $8.40 to win. The winner's check of $61,740 increased her earnings to $71,340.
