Las Vegas, NV – Betfair Hollywood Park in Inglewood, California will play host to the Grade 2 Hollywood Park this Saturday, December 7. Fillies and mares three years old and upward will be featured as they go 1 1/16 miles on Hollywood Park’s synthetic track for a purse of $150,000.
A field of 10 has been confirmed of the Bayakoa Handicap – race 8 on Hollywood Park’s Saturday schedule. Post time is 4:05 PM. Let’s take a brief glance into the credentials of all 10 combatants for this Grade 2 stakes.
Broken Sword – Jerry Hollendorfer trained filly makes her graded stakes debut Saturday after seven career starts yielded two wins and three third place finishes. She is coming off an Allowance Optional Claiming score by 5 1/2 lengths at Golden Gate November 10 – her only win this year. Her career highlight came in July 2012 – a win in the minor Juan Gonzalez Memorial at Pleasanton. Hollendorfer has traditionally done very well in the Bayakoa and one of his two hopes lies with Broken Sword.
Curvy Cat – placed in her first 13 career starts for trainer Jerry Hollendorfer but has struggled a bit this year – two wins, a second and two thirds in 10 starts. She is coming off a second in the minor Cat’s Cradle Handicap here November 17 after a fifth in the Bangles and Beads Stakes in September, a fourth in the C.E.R.F Stakes at Del Mar in September and a fifth in her only graded stakes action – the Grade 3 Rancho Bernardo Handicap August 18. Curvy Cat’s last win came on this track – in the minor B. Thoughtful Stakes in April and she has placed in just two of six since. Hollendorfer hopes Curvy Cat can return to his early-career form so he can win his third Bayakoa in four years.
Fiftyshadesofhay – Bob Baffert trained filly has 12 career starts. She had a very nice second behind Beholder in the Grade 1 Las Virgenes Stakes March 2 and she won the Grade 3 Santa Ysabel by 5 3/4 lengths January 26 in her graded stakes debut with an impressive Beyer speed figure of 90. She was third in the Grade 1 Santa Anita Oaks April 6 also behind Beholder and had a nice two race win streak earlier this year – the Grade 2 Black-Eyed Susan Stakes at Pimlico May 17 and in the Grade 3 Iowa Oaks June 29 and has looked good in two starts since. Last time out was a third in the Grade 2 Indiana Oaks after a second in the Grade 1 Alabama Stakes in August. She has placed in her last seven graded stakes starts – no reason to think differently about this weekend.
Customer Base – finished 2012 with a nice second in the Grade 3 Autumn Miss Stakes at Santa Anita in October for trainer Tom Proctor and has placed in five of seven starts in 2013. She had a fifth in the Grade 2 Yellow Ribbon September 2 after a fourth in the Grade 2 John C. Mabee Stakes August 11, a win in the minor Lucie Manet Stakes July 5, a second in the Redondo Beach Stakes June 9 and a third in the Great Lady M. Stakes in May. Last time out she finished a good third in the Grade 2 Goldikova Stakes at Santa Anita November 3 after a second in the minor Swingtime Stakes October 5 also on that track. She has looked good in her last four graded stakes starts and could make some noise Saturday.
Charlie Em – British bred filly made her North American debut with a terrific win in the Grade 3 Senorita Stakes May 11 after eight starts at home produced three wins, a second and a third place finish. Last time out was a good third in the Grade 3 Autumn Miss at Santa Anita October 26 after another OK third behind Beholder in the minor Torrey Pines Stakes at Del Mar September 1, a seventh in the Grade 1 Del Mar Oaks in August and a fourth in the Grade 2 San Clemente Handicap here July 21. She will be looking for her first win since May and enters in so-so form.
Bayakoa Handicap betting at Hollywood Park with OffTrackBetting.com
Warren’s Veneda – Craig Lewis trained filly enters the Bayakoa on a nice two race win streak – last time out over Curvy Cat in the minor Cat’s Cradle Handicap here November 17 and an Allowance Optional Claiming at Santa Anita October 13. She has 10 starts in 2013 with five wins, a second and two third place finishes but has yet to run a graded stakes race. Warren’s Veneda has been impressive and appears ready for her step up in competition.
Charm the Maker – finished fourth in this race last year and has placed in two of five starts since – a win two back in the minor Adoration Stakes at Del Mar in September was followed by a third last time out in the minor Swingtime Stakes at Santa Anita October 5. She has 15 career starts with three wins, two seconds and three third place finishes but has looked decent overall in her last two starts. Charm the Maker’s last win on this track came in 2011 – the Sharp Cat Stakes.
Champagneandcaviar – Gary Mandella trained filly has 16 career starts with just four wins, two seconds and two third place finishes but is coming off a terrific Allowance Optional Claiming score at Santa Anita October 11 after failing to place in her previous four starts – all minor stakes action. Champagneandcaviar did win two straight minor stakes races in summer 2012 but hasn’t been the same since that time.
Spellbound – Richard Mandella trained filly has six career starts with a fifth and a pair of sixths in her first three starts. Since then she has won two straight – an Allowance February 24 followed a MSW score at Santa Anita January 4 and she finished fourth in her last start way back in April – in the Grade 1 Santa Anita Oaks. She had been in OK form before the layoff but starts for the first time in seven months Saturday.
Magic Union – John Sadler trained filly makes her graded stakes debut Saturday but has not looked good in minor stakes action so far in her career. Last time out was a sixth in the minor Swingtime Stakes at Santa Anita October 5 and she did have a seventh in the Panthers Stakes at Prairie Meadows in June for her only stakes finishes. Magic Union did win an Allowance Optional Claiming in her only other start on synthetic at Del Mar in August – one of three wins in her 11 race career.
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