INGLEWOOD, Calif. (July 10, 2008) - Augustin Stable's Cedar Mountain, a winner of two of three 2008 starts, will aim for his first graded stakes victory in a well-matched field of eight as Hollywood Park's 60-day Spring/Summer Meet closes Sunday with the 67th running of the Sunset Handicap.
The 5-year-old gelded son of Galileo finished third in his second U.S. start and first of 2008 in April at Santa Anita, then won an allowance/optional claiming race by four lengths here at the Sunset distance of 1½ miles on turf, before capturing the 1¾-mile Round Table Handicap by 2¾ lengths.
The Neil Drysdale trainee will have his work cut out as the Grade II event on the Lakeside Turf Course has drawn a quality field, which lines up as follows from the rail out:
Boule d'Or, with Tyler Baze up, will carry 115 pounds; Cedar Mountain, Rafael Bejarano, 117; Storm Trooper, Aaron Gryder, 112; Warning Zone, Mike Smith, 117; Fitz Flag, Jon Court, 114; Church Service, Brice Blanc, 117; Porfido, David Flores, 117, and Transduction Gold, Richard Migliore, 116.
Church Service, claimed by Mike Mitchell for Dr. Dan Capen and Robert Tjosvold for $50,000 in January, has started in three graded races since then and has a pair of seconds to go along with a victory in the Grade III Dallas Turf Cup in his last start. He was second in the San Luis Obispo in February and second - beaten a nose - in the Tokyo City Handicap in March.
Boule d'Or, a 7-year-old Irish-bred, faded after setting the pace in the Jim Murray Memorial Handicap here in May, but has been freshened and could prove dangerous with a comfortable pace. He scored a front-running victory two starts back in the 1½-mile San Luis Rey Hanidcap. He is two-for-three since trainer Jeff Mullins claimed him for $50,000 in January for Bob Bone, Don Johnson and Jim Robinson.
Warning Zone, the youngster in the field at age four, won a division of the Generous Stakes here two years ago and has been very competitive of late in graded company. Third in the San Luis Rey and second in the San Juan Capistrano, he finished fifth while making his most recent start in the Charles Whittingham Memorial Handicap.
Transduction Gold, a recent arrival along with owner/trainer John Glenney from Kentucky, won the Grade III Sycamore Handicap at the Sunset distance in 2007 at Keeneland. He finished second in the 1½-mile Louisville Handicap in May and was second here in the Round Table Handicap at 1¾ miles on June 14.
Chilean-bred Porfido has been steady if not spectacular, finishing fourth in the San Luis Obispo, second in the San Luis Rey, third in the San Juan Capistrano and third in the Round Table Handicap.
Storm Trooper, an 8-year-old German-bred owned by Monty Roberts, will be making his second U.S. start after finishing fourth in a one-mile allowance race at Golden Gate Fields in mid-June.
Argentine-bred Fitz Flag, also eight, registered his last victory in December of 2006 at Turf Paradise. Fourth in the San Luis Rey and San Juan Capistrano, he finshed second most recently in the Grade III Golden Gate Fields Turf at 1 3/8 miles on May 31.
The Sunset Handicap will run as the seventh race on a nine-race program Sunday at Hollywood Park. First post is at 1:20 p.m.
