INGLEWOOD, Calif. (Dec. 8, 2007) - Second-choice Sunriver assumed command early and sprinted away on the turn for home while favorite Champs Elysees was trapped on the rail en route to a 2 ¾-length victory under jockey Garrett Gomez in Saturday's $250,000 Hollywood Turf Cup at Hollywood Park.
Champs Eylsees, ridden by Julien Leparoux, finished well when he finally got clear in the stretch, but he was never a threat to the winner, who covered 1 ½ miles on a turf course listed as good in 2:27.07. Third-choice Spring House finished another 2 ¼ lengths back in third under Tyler Baze. Sudan was a late scratch, reducing the field to seven in the Grade I event.
"He's a really nice horse and he's a very versatile horse," Gomez said. "He's a horse that's always going to be forwardly placed. He's never going to be far off the pace unless it's wickedly fast and that makes him double dangerous. The race that he got beat a nose in (Man O' War) was the best race on his form up until today. The form says he was in front, but he wasn't. I was laying third behind a wall of horses into the first turn. It's a pleasure to ride this horse. Hopefully, he can keep moving forward."
While the Turf Cup ran true to form, trainer Jerry Hollendorfer registered his 4,994th career victory with 30-1 shot Heatseeker as jockey Michael Baze completed a four-win day in the $111,800 Native Diver Handicap.
The Turf Cup victory was the 73rd in a stakes race this year for Gomez, who broke Jerry Bailey's 2003 North American record of 70 stakes here Nov. 11 in the Moccasin Stakes. It was the 56th graded win of the year for trainer Todd Pletcher, just one shy of the North American record he set in 2006. Pletcher is seven shy of the record 100 stakes winners he saddled a year ago.
"It looked like he was doing it the right way and the fractions were reasonable, he ran a big race," Pletcher said. "I didn't feel like the distance was an issue even though his record might indicate different. My main concern was whether or not the forecast was going to be accurate and whether we would get some rain or not. I left the ride up to Garrett. We felt like we could very well be on the lead, but we weren't intent on having it, it worked out that we way."
Sunriver, a 4-year-old homebred son of Saint Ballado owned by Aaron and Marie Jones, won the Peter Pan before finishing third in the 2006 Belmont Stakes. Three starts later Pletcher moved him to turf, where has now won three of six starts. Six-of-sixteen overall, he boosted his earnings to $816,414 with the winner's share of $150,000.
He paid $6, $3.20 and $2.40. Champs Elysees returned $3.20 and $2.40, while the show payoff on Spring House was $2.40.
"I had a good race, but the winner was in front, and I was behind some horses who weren't going anywhere," Leparoux said. "Sometimes you have to be patient and wait for the time to be able to go between horses. The winner got out in front easily, and he got a couple lengths in front of me, and it was too late to come back. He ran really good. I had a lot of horse left at the finish - he was not done running. He had a lot left. He'll be okay - he's a nice horse."
In the Native Diver, Heatseeker rallied late while posting a Cushion Track record of 1:47.23 for 1 1/16 miles under 115 pounds. Earlier Baze rode Soul City Slew to victory in a Cushion Track record 1:20.50 for seven furlongs.
Hollendorfer, meanwhile, is just six wins shy of becoming only the fourth trainer to reach the 5,000-mark. The others are Dale Baird (9,442), Jack Van Berg (6,378) and King Leatherbury (6,225).
"I'd like to concentrate on this win, this is a really nice horse by Giant's Causeway and he just did everything right today," Hollendorfer said. "We've been working and working with him and he did really well. Michael has worked him four times. He had some speed to set him up so he laid off the pace and ran them down."
Heetseaker won for the fifth time in 12 starts, rewarding backers with payoffs of $63.40, $20.60 and $10.60. Rackateer, 1 ¼ lengths back under Rafael Bejarano, paid $9.40 and $5.40, while Isipingo returned $6.20. Favorite Ravel finished fourth in the field of ten.
"Jerry just told me that there were a few speed horses and try to sit just behind them," Baze said. "This is the kind of horse you have to be patient with because he has a huge kick and you just have to save it for that last part. Fortunately I had a nice outside trip and was able to wait and wait and wait. They all bunched up in front of him and he was just dragging me along, waiting to go."
Heatseeker, a 4-year-old Irish-bred, banked $71,800 to raise his earnings to $262,223.
