Make Music for Me, a maiden who finished a closing second to Lookin at Lucky in both the Best Pal Stakes (gr. II) and Del Mar Futurity (gr. II), will likely start in the $750,000 CashCall Futurity (gr. I) at Hollywood Park Dec. 19, a race that figures to have several promising 2-year-olds in the starting gate.
Make Music for Me, a son of Bernstein, is winless in five starts and comes off a disappointing sixth-place finish as the 2-to-5 favorite in a maiden race at the Futurity distance of 1 1/16 miles Nov. 22 at Hollywood, but is still a threat.
“I hope he gets a better trip this time,” trainer Alexis Barba said. “He got behind a wall of horses and couldn’t get out.”
Make Music for Me showed great promise in the two Del Mar races and finished fourth in the Breeders’ Futurity (gr. I) at Keeneland before hitting the sour note at Hollywood.
“I’m pleased with the way he is doing,” said Barba of the colt, who worked five furlongs in 1:00.40 on Dec. 9. “I hope to get back on track and see if he can duplicate his races at Del Mar.”
Jockey Mike Smith, who won the 2003 race on Lion Heart, has the mount. Make Music for Me has earned $118,700 for owners Ellen and Peter Johnson.
A field of seven is probable for the Futurity, headed by Lookin at Lucky . The Eclipse Award contender, an unlucky second in his last outing in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (gr. I), heads a trio of candidates from the stable of Bob Baffert, who won the race for a fourth time last year with Pioneerof the Nile.
Baffert plans to enter Lookin at Lucky, Generous Stakes (gr. IIIT) runner-up Marcello, and either Conveyance or The Program.
Other probable starters include Breeders’ Futurity winner and Breeders’ Cup Juvenile third-place finisher Noble's Promise , Hollywood Prevue Stakes (gr. III) runner-up Get My Fix, and Prevue third-place finisher Seattle Ruler.
Seattle Ruler worked five furlongs in a bullet 59.40 seconds at Hollywood Dec. 13 for trainer Mike Harrington.