Irish Derby (Ire-I) champion Grey Swallow heads a field of six in Saturday's $250,000 Jim Murray Memorial Handicap (gr. IIT) on the Hollywood Park turf. Trainer Bobby Frankel Friday scratched King's Drama, the 122-pound high weight, leaving Grey Swallow as the key attraction in the Jim Murray, the richest of three graded stakes on the Hollywood card.Grey Swallow, winner of the 2004 Irish Derby for renowned trainer Dermot Weld, enters the 1 ½-mile Jim Murray with five wins in 12 starts for earnings of $1.4 million. He has not started since finishing third last fall in the Canadian International (Can-I) at Woodbine outside Toronto. Grey Swallow was disqualified and placed fourth that day, but still finished ahead of King's Drama, who faded to eighth after setting the pace on a yielding turf course. Since then, King's Drama has won two of four starts, connecting in the Red Smith Handicap (gr. IIT) at Aqueduct in November and in the San Luis Rey Handicap (gr. IIT) last month at Santa Anita Park. The Jim Murray also drew defending champion Runaway Dancer from the barn of trainer Dan Hendricks. Runaway Dancer, a 7-year-old gray gelding, rallied from last to win the 2005 Jim Murray at odds of 17-1 for trainer Dan Hendricks. He has failed to win a race since then, but has finished a fast closing second on two occasions and relishes the Jim Murray distance. Solis picked up the mount on Grey Swallow when regular rider Patrick Smullen was unable to make suitable travel arrangements to fulfill an engagement Sunday in Ireland. Solis also rides Surf Cat in the $150,000 Mervyn LeRoy Handicap and Siren Lure in the $100,000 Los Angeles Handicap.
$250,000 Jim Murray Memorial Handicap (gr. IIT, Race 6, 3:50 p.m.), 3 & Up, 1 1/2 Miles (Turf)
PP. Horse, Weight, Jockey
1. Macduff (GB), 113, Corey S. Nakatani
2. Brecon Beacon (GB), 111, Aaron T. Gryder
3. Grey Swallow (IRE), 121, Alex O. Solis
4. Golden Rahy (KY), 115, Omar Figueroa
5. One Off (GB), 114, Jon Kenton Court
6. Runaway Dancer (KY), 115, Jose Valdivia, Jr.
7. King's Drama (IRE) -- SCRATCHED
