Eleven 2-year-olds are set for the inaugural running of the $200,000 King Glorious Stakes Dec. 16, the featured event on the final day of the 2012 Betfair Hollywood Park autumn meet.
The King Glorious is part of the Golden State Series for California sired or bred horses. The seven-furlong Cushion Track event is scheduled as the ninth race on the Dec. 16 card with an expected post time of 4:35 p.m. PST.
Monument, owned and bred by Lee and Susan Searing's C R K Stable, captured the California Cup Juvenile at Santa Anita Park by nearly three lengths Oct. 13 for trainer John Sadler. The Cindago colt looks to bounce back from a last-place finish in the Grey Goose Breeders' Cup Juvenile (gr. I) in his first graded stakes appearance six weeks ago.
Out of the stakes-placed Beautiful Crown mare Grant Marty a Wish, Monument is two-for-two against state-bred rivals. In addition to his Cal Cup victory, he broke his maiden at first asking against $40,000 claimers at Del Mar Aug. 2. In between those two races, he won a starter allowance at Del Mar and ran second to CashCall Futurity (gr. I) contender Carving in the C.B. Afflerbaugh Stakes at Fairplex Park.
Juan Hernandez will be aboard Monument for the first time. They break from post 6 with top weight of 121 pounds.
The other stakes winner in the field is Strong Wind, who scored in Del Mar's Graduation for trainer Steve Knapp by 4 1/4 lengths Aug. 1. The son of Tribal Rule, owned by a partnership that includes the Roncelli Family Trust and Bill and Sue Tomasic, returns to the scene of his maiden-breaking win June 30 by 6 1/4 lengths.
Strong Wind has four starts over the Cushion Track, including a fourth-place finish in the Hollywood Juvenile Championship (gr. III) following his maiden triumph. Joe Talamo has the mount on Strong Wind, who will wear blinkers for the first time. They break from post 4.
Fighting Hussar, a $3,000 supplement to the King Glorious, comes off a first-level allowance win at Hollywood going 6 1/2 furlongs. Trained by Hector Palma for B G Stable, the gray son of Rockport Harbor has won two of five starts with two thirds.
Havoc, undefeated in two outings, ships back to Southern California for trainer Bill Morey and the Joseph P. Morey Jr. Revocable Trust. The Exchange Rate gelding won a starter allowance at Golden Gate Fields Nov. 23 following a debut maiden claiming score in which he was snapped up for $30,000 at Santa Anita Park five weeks earlier.
Donald Dizney's homebred Surfcup won his debut over maidens for trainer Bob Baffert by a nose going one mile on turf at Hollywood Nov. 23. He could be dangerous right back at a shorter distance on a new surface.
Another to watch is Vegas Racing Team's Hazardous, a $16,000 claim at Golden Gate in September that ran fourth in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Sprint Nov. 2. Trained by Carl O'Callaghan, the Candy Ride gelding won a claiming race at Santa Anita by more than 13 lengths prior to the Breeders' Cup.
Lovmeister has lost seven in row—six of them in stakes—for trainer Walther Solis since breaking his maiden in his debut at Hollywood against maiden special weights back in April. The Nineeleven colt was third last time out to Fighting Hussar, losing by one length.
Solis also entered Awesome Annie, the lone filly in the race.
$200,000 King Glorious Stakes (Race 9, 4:35 p.m.), 2YOs, 7 Furlongs (All Weather)
PP. Horse, Jockey, Weight, Trainer
1. Lovmeister (CA), M A Pedroza, 117, W Solis
2. Hazardous (CA), G K Gomez, 115, C O'Callaghan
3. Awesome Annie (CA), O Mojica, 117, W Solis
4. Strong Wind (CA), J Talamo, 119, S Knapp
5. Fighting Hussar (CA), R Bejarano, 119, H O Palma
6. Monument (CA), J J Hernandez, 121, J W Sadler
7. Back to Bako (CA), M E Smith, 115, B R Heap
8. Weewinnin (CA), J Valdivia Jr., 115, B J Koriner
9. Surfcup (CA), M Garcia, 117, B Baffert
10. Havoc (CA), A T Gryder, 115, W E Morey
11. Tiz a Minister (CA), T Baze, 117, P G Aguirre
Blinkers On: Strong Wind; Blinkers Off: Back to Bako