‘Unbelievable Horse’ Rallies to Win Hollywood Turf Cup at Del Mar
DEL MAR, CA – An “unbelievable horse” surged to victory in teh Hollywood Turf Cup at Del Mar on Saturday, according to jockey Umberto Demuro. The horse scored an impressive win,marking Demuro’s 11th victory in 39 mounts during the fall meeting.
demuro noted the horse’s tendency to be “lazy at the beginning,” creating challenging moments for the rider.”But as you go down the stretch, he goes,” Demuro saeid. “He wanted to go and you don’t want to interrupt his rhythm. He’s a clever horse. He knows what to do. And he’s a one-pace horse.If you go too soon, he stops when you get to the front. If you go too late, he doesn’t make it. When he came down the stretch, he wanted to win the race.”
The Hollywood Derby,featuring eight 3-year-olds competing at 1 1/8 miles on the grass,is also on the card. Trainer Chad Brown will send out Salamis,while Tom’s Magic also shipped in from the east. Test Score (Juan Hernandez) is the morning-line favorite, having recently won the Grade II Twilight Derby at Santa anita on Oct. 25.
Early odds have test Score at 5-2, Tom’s Magic (Antonio Fresu) at 7-2, and Salamis (Umberto Rispoli) at 9-2. Other contenders include Maaz, Tempus Volat (Demuro), and Kind Confines.
The Hollywood Derby is the ninth race. The 1 1/16-mile Seabiscuit for older horses will open the stakes action as the fifth race, featuring Stay Hot (Hernandez) as the 5-2 favorite. El Potente (Hector Berrios) is the second favorite.
The one-mile Durante has drawn 11 2-year-old fillies, with hypergamy (fresu) aiming for a second straight Del Mar win.
In Friday’s races, Antonio Fresu secured two wins, moving within one win of Umberto Rispoli’s leading 14 wins in the jockey standings. John Sadler also had two winners, tying george papaprodromou for the lead in the trainer standings at nine wins each.A remarkable sixth race on Friday saw a 1-2-3-4-5-6 finish, with odds of approximately 719-1.
