Showing Up Not Alone in Hollywood Derby

(from Hollywood Park report)
Roy and Gretchen Jackson, whose Lael Stables campaigned Derby winner Barbaro, will give West Coast racing fans a chance to see their second exceptional 3-year-old, Showing Up, the probable favorite for Sunday's $500,000 Hollywood Derby (gr. IT) at Hollywood Park.

Showing Up, who arrived Tuesday for the 1 ¼-mile Lakeside Turf Course event, will attempt to solidify his credentials as the nation's leading sophomore grass runner.

The son of Strategic Mission enters the Hollywood Derby with six wins in eight starts and earnings of $1,310,500. Shifted to turf after finishing sixth in the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum Brands (gr. I), he has won three of his last four starts, including the $1 million Colonial Cup and the Secretariat (gr. IT) at Arlington Park.

Showing Up will have plenty of quality company Sunday as Hollywood Park's 15th Turf Festival culminates with the Derby and The Matriarch, also a grade I event with a $500,000 purse.

The Derby, which drew an 11-horse field, will run as the sixth race on Sunday's program, which begins with a 12:30 p.m. post time. The 14-horse Matriarch, for fillies and mares at one mile on the turf, is slated as the eighth of ten races.

Cecil Peacock's Brother Derek is the richest horse in the Derby field, with six wins in 13 starts and earnings of $1,533,458. The 2005 Hollywood Futurity winner and 2006 Santa Anita Derby (both gr. I) champion will be making his first start on turf. He finished fourth in the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness (gr. I) and was fifth while making his most recent start in the Breeders' Cup Classic – Powered by Dodge (gr. I).

Irish-bred Dark Islander won the Oak Tree Derby (gr. IIT) in his first U.S. start and aims for his third straight victory and fourth win in his last five starts.

Frost Giant, another European import, won a pair of group III events in four European starts before finishing fifth against older horses in the Turf Classic (gr. IT) at Belmont Park. He will run coupled with Kip Deville, runner-up to Showing Up in the Colonial Turf Cup and winner of a non-graded stakes race in mid-October at Keeneland.

Neil Drysdale aims for his third Hollywood Derby win with Oak Tree Derby runner-up Obrigado. Also entered is Crested, second in the Hawthorne Derby (gr. III), Irish-bred Ivan Denisovich, who won a group II at Newmarket in 2005, and German-bred Vega's Lord, winner of five of ten starts in Europe and second in a group II while making his last start on Sept. 2. Big Mistake makes his first stakes start after a pair of wins, and Zann aims for his first stakes win after finishing second in the Bien Bien Nov. 1.

An overflow field was entered for the Matriarch, which includes 11 graded/group winners.

Trainer Bobby Frankel, who has guided six of the last nine Matriarch winners, aims for a record-tying seventh as he saddles the Juddmonte Farms entry of Price Tag and Mirabilis.

Price Tag is a group I winner at Longchamp in France. Mirabilis, a graded winner in the U.S., finished fourth most recently in the Just a Game Handicap (gr. IIT) on a yielding course at Belmont Park.

Mea Domina, a 5-year-old mare trained by Ron McAnally, is the richest horse in the field with earnings of $705,628. She won the Gamely Breeders' Cup (gr. IT) at Hollywood a year ago and captured the Palomar (gr. IIT) at Del Mar in September.

Beautyandthebeast, aiming for her third straight victory, has won four races at one mile. The 4-year-old Drysdale-trained filly won the Las Palmas Handicap (gr. IIT) in her most recent start.

Attima, a 3-year-old Great Britain-bred filly, won the Honeymoon Handicap (gr. IIT) on the Inglewood lawn in June and the San Clemente Handicap (gr. IIT) at Del Mar in July.

Ready to Please, trained by Todd Pletcher, won the Fantasy Stakes (gr. II) at Oaklawn Park in April and finished second in the Pebbles at Belmont Park while making her first turf start on Oct. 9.

Memorette, a 4-year-old California-bred daughter of Memo, has won four of 21 starts, including the Beverly Hills (gr. IIT) on the Hollywood turf in June.

Irish-bred filly Clinet won five of 24 starts in Europe and finished second while making her U.S. debut in the Las Palmas. Three Degrees, another Irish-bred filly, won the Honeymoon last year and finished third in the 2006 Yellow Ribbon (gr. IT).

Society Hostess ships in from the East in search of her third straight win. Pommes Frites, also shipping in, has won eight of 16 starts including the Athenia (gr. IIIT) at Belmont Park.

$500,000 Hollywood Derby (gr. IT, Race 6, 3:04 p.m.), 3-Year-Olds, 1 1/4 Miles (Turf)
PP. Horse, Jockey
1. Dark Islander (IRE), Jose Valdivia, Jr.
2. Big Mistake (KY), Corey Nakatani
3. Vega's Lord (GER), Aaron Gryder
4. Crested (GB), Victor Espinoza
5. Frost Giant (KY), Edgar Prado
6. Showing Up (KY), Cornelio Velasquez
7. Ivan Denisovich (IRE), John Velazquez
8. Zann (KY), David Flores
9. Kip Deville (OK), Julien Leparoux
10. Brother Derek (CA), Alex Solis
11. Obrigado (FR), Garrett Gomez
Each assigned 122 pounds.

$500,000 Matriarch Stakes (gr. IT, Race 8, 4:05 p.m.), Fillies & Mares 3 & Up, 1 Mile (Turf)
PP. Horse, Weight, Jockey
1. Attima (GB), 123, Victor Espinoza
2. Ready to Please (KY), 120, John Velazquez
3. Memorette (CA), 123, Kent Desormeaux
4. Mea Domina (KY), 123, Tyler Baze
5. Beautyandthebeast (GB), 123, Corey Nakatani
6. Clinet (IRE), 123, Jose Valdivia, Jr.
7. Three Degrees (IRE), 123, Alex Solis
8. Price Tag (GB), 120, Edgar Prado
9. Society Hostess (KY), 123, Garrett Gomez
10. Pommes Frites (KY), 123, Jose Santos
11. Cambiocorsa (CA), 123, Jon Court
12. River's Prayer (CA), 120, Clinton Potts
13. Mirabilis (KY), 123, Patrick Valenzuela
14. Danzon (KY), 120, Julien Leparoux
Also Eligible
15. Sohgol (IRE), 123, Jorge Chavez