The filly Necessary Evil maintained a comfortable edge over her four male rivals and sprinted away in the stretch to win the $100,000 Hollywood Juvenile Championship (gr. III) (VIDEO) as the strong favorite at Hollywood Park July 12.
Now unbeaten in two starts for trainer Doug O'Neill, the 2-year-old daughter of Harlan's Holiday always looked like the winner for Joel Rosario, who with the victory, had taken the first three races on the Hollywood program. Necessary Evil tallied by three lengths under a strong hand ride, completing the six furlongs on Cushion Track in a time of 1:09.98.
"Boy is she fast," Rosario said. "She won nicely the first time but I think she did even better today. She's a very nice filly. At the top of the stretch she changed leads perfectly. In fact, she does everything perfect."
Necessary Evil could have run against her own sex in the $100,000 Landaluce Stakes later on the program. But O'Neill and owners Dapple Stable and Glencrest Farm opted to go for the graded race.
O'Neill completed a sweep of the 2-year-old championship stakes at Hollywood two races later when J. Paul Reddam's Repo held off 3-5 choice Well Deserved by three-quarters of a length in the $100,000 Landaluce.
A $160,000 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky purchase last July, Necessary Evil is out of the Unbridled Song's mare Song and Danz. Don Ameche III bred the bay in Kentucky.
Necessary Evil broke her maiden against fillies at first asking as the favorite in a five-furlong special weight heat at Hollywood May 31 by 3 3/4 lengths. She was timed in :56 3/5.
In the Hollywood Juvenile Championship, she again went to the lead after breaking behind Coo Cachoo, who led briefly before the filly advanced to the front along the inside. Rosario had Necessary Evil handily in front through early fractions of :22.36 and :45.73.
O'Neill stablemate Classical Slew angled out and attempted to increase the pressure coming out of the turn, but Necessary Evil skipped away under a couple of cracks of the whip before finishing under hand urging. Zip Quick, ridden by Joe Talamo, rallied along the inside to get second by 1 1/4 lengths over Classical Slew and Garrett Gomez. Grace Upon Grace and Coo Cachoo trailed.
"I had second thoughts (about her beating colts) because the colt (Classical Slew) was training awesome also," said assistant trainer Leandro Mora, subbing for the vacationing O'Neill. "The last workout they worked together she was a little bit too tough for him. That's when we started thinking she could be competitive."
Mora said he would talk to O'Neill and the owners about what is next for the promising filly.
"She's been for sale since the get go," he said. "She didn't sell at Pomona, so she's still for sale."
Necessary Evil, who won under 115 pounds, earned $60,000 for the victory and returned $4.40, $3 and $2.10. Zip Quick, coming off a maiden win for trainer Patrick Biancone, returned $4 and $3. Classical Slew, who won the Willard Proctor Memorial last time out, was $2.10 to show.
Repo, who lost to Well Deserved by one length in the Cinderella Stakes in her last start, was ridden to victory by Corey Nakatani. Reddam paid $15,000 for the California-bred daughter of In Excess at Barretts in March. The bay filly is out of the stakes-winning dam Miss Nicolie.