James Scatuorchio and John Iracane’s Bittel Road, the lone graded stakes winner among eight 2-year-old turfers, highlights the $100,000 Generous Stakes (gr. IIIT) Nov. 29 at Hollywood Park.
The Generous, a one-mile event, is one of two graded stakes on the Hollywood ticket. It will go to post as race 5 on the 10-race program.
Bred in Kentucky by Iracane, Bittel Road enters the Generous off an eighth-place finish in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Oct. 25 at Santa Anita. The son of Stormy Atlantic pressed the pace and was in contention until weakening in the stretch under John Velazquez.
Prior to the Breeders’ Cup, Bittel Road was undefeated in three lifetime starts. The Todd Pletcher trainee earned his graded stakes score by winning the Woodford Reserve Bourbon Stakes (gr. IIIT) by a head Oct. 5 at Keeneland. He also won the With Anticipation Stakes Aug. 29 at Saratoga.
Mike Smith gets the mount on Bittel Road for the first time and they will break from post 1 while carrying top weight of 122 pounds.
Pletcher’s other entrant is Klaravich Stables and William Lawrence’s Hype, a More Than Ready colt who broke his maiden on the Hollywood grass last out at third asking. Hype was a $300,000 Keeneland September yearling purchase.
Woodbine shipper Insurgence also broke his maiden last out, as he took a one-mile turf event by 2 1/4 lengths for trainer Mark Casse. The son of Pulpit worked five furlongs in 1:00.60 over the Hollywood main track Nov. 23.
Shipping in from England to make his first North American start is Battle of Hastings, a Royal Applause gelding who has won two in a row for trainer Michael Bell.
$100,000 Generous Stakes (gr. IIIT, Race 5, 2:32 p.m.), 2-Year-Olds, 1 Mile (Turf)
PP. Horse, Weight, Jockey
1. Bittel Road (KY), 122, Mike E. Smith
2. Mr. Rod (KY), 117, Chantal Sutherland
3. Hype (KY), 117, Michael C. Baze
4. Battle of Hastings (GB), 117, Tyler Baze
5. Mensa Heat (CA), 115, Clinton L. Potts
6. Insurgence (KY), 117, Joel Rosario
7. Bourbon Bay (KY), 117, Rafael Bejarano
8. Liturgical (KY), 117, Brice Blanc
