Compari, winner of the Arcadia Handicap (gr. IIT) three weeks ago, bids for his seventh win in succession in the $100,000 Inglewood Handicap (gr. III) over the turf at Hollywood Park April 25.
The 4-year-old California-bred gelding has not lost since finishing third in his debut on Feb. 26, 2009, at Santa Anita Park.
“We want to see how he runs on the grass here,” trainer Marty Jones said. “If he likes it, he will probably run back in the Shoemaker.”
The $250,000 Shoemaker Mile (gr. IT) will be run on the Hollywood turf on May 31.
Compari is owned by his breeders, John Harris, John Nicoletti and Don Valpredo, and is by Redattore out of the Dixieland Band mare Southern Charm.
Likely a heavy favorite in the Inglewood, Compari improved to 5-0 on grass with a front-running victory as the 2-1 favorite in Santa Anita's Arcadia on April 3. The winning time for the one-mile Arcadia was a sharp 1:34.03.
With six victories in seven tries and earnings of $422,640, Compari will be ridden again by Garrett Gomez. They will break from post 2 while carrying top weight of 120 pounds.
The Inglewood, at 1 1/16 miles on turf, will be run on the one-year anniversary of Compari’s first stakes win in the TVG Snow Chief Stakes.
The first graded race of the 60-day spring/summer meet at Hollywood, the Inglewood is the eighth race on the program and is set for 4:35 p.m. PDT. Eleven passed the entry box, although two, grade II winner Monterey Jazz and multiple stakes victor Gallant Son, are also entered in the San Francisco Mile (gr. IIT) at Golden Gate Fields a day earlier.
Owned by A&R Stables and Class Racing Stable and trained by Craig Dollase, the speedy Monterey Jazz has started only once in 2010. He was second to Bold Chieftain in a $38,940 allowance on the Golden Gate main track on April 2, finishing three-quarters of a length behind the California-bred millionaire after racing to a six-length lead on the backstretch.
A 6-year-old Thunderello horse out of the Dynaformer mare Reefside, Monterey Jazz should welcome a return to Hollywood Park. He has won all three of his starts on the turf there, including a 3 1/4-length victory in the American Handicap (gr. IIT) last July 4. Monterey Jazz, who set the one-mile turf course record at Hollywood of 1:32.59 prior to the American, has won eight of 23 lifetime while earning $684,480.
Monterey Jazz, who carries 119 pounds, breaks from post 6 with Martin Garcia aboard.
Gallant Son (Malabar Gold—Explicity, by Exploit) has raced twice on the turf, winning the Pasadena Stakes for trainer Frank Lucarelli facing 3-year-olds at Santa Anita in March 2009.
Other than Compari, only one other entrant in the Inglewood comes into the race off a victory. That would be Rummysecret War (Sea of Secrets—Chiquitita, by Air Forbes One), who captured a starter allowance at one mile on the Santa Anita turf April 2 for trainer Oscar Garcia.
Gallagher Equine's British-bred Red Alert Day (Diktat—Strike Hard, by Green Desert) ran fifth in Santa Anita's Frank E. Kilroe Mile (gr. IT) in March for trainer Neil Drysdale. He returned with a last-place effort as the 2-5 choice in a four-horse conditional allowance at one mile April 9.
His stablemate, Irish-bred Dark Islander (Singspiel—Lamanka Lass, by Woodman) ran second in that race and is also entered in the Inglewood by Drysdale.
$100,000 Inglewood Handicap (gr. III, Race 8, 4:35 p.m.), 3 & Up, 1 1/16 Miles (Turf)
PP. Horse, Jockey, Weight, Trainer
1. Glowing Praise (GB), B Blanc, 112, E G Harty
2. Compari (CA), G K Gomez, 120, M F Jones
3. Lease of Life (KY), T Baze, 114, M R Mitchell
4. Dark Islander (IRE), J Rosario, 113, N D Drysdale
5. Great Siege (IRE), V Espinoza, 114, D E Hofmans
6. Monterey Jazz (KY), M Garcia, 119, C Dollase
7. Acclamation (CA), J Talamo, 116, D Warren
8. Rummysecret War (KY), S R Amador, 108, O L Garcia
9. Red Alert Day (GB), R Bejarano, 114, N D Drysdale
10. Quindici Man (KY), A Quinonez, 114, C A Lewis
11. Gallant Son (KY), M E Smith, 115, F Lucarelli
