Gentlemen's Club to Try Stakes

Gentlemen's Club, the first winner from Gentlemen's first crop as a sire, will move up to stakes company for his next start.

The Richard Mandella trainee won at first asking Sunday in a five-furlong maiden race. Under Alex Solis, he stopped the timer in :59 flat.

"I thought five furlongs would be too short for him, and I was worried about the one hole, but he ran good," Mandella said. "The Hollywood Juvenile Championship will be next."

The Hollywood Juvenile is a six-furlong race set for July 20.

Gentlemen's Club was the first starter sired by the Hollywood Gold Cup (gr. I) winner. His dam, Fire The Groom (by Blushing Groom), won the Wilshire Handicap (gr. II) at Hollywood Park as well as the grade I Beverly D. Stakes. Gentlemen's Club is a half-brother of July Cup (Eng-I) winner Stravinsky (by Nureyev) and sold for $550,000 at the 2001 Keeneland July yearling sale. R. D. Hubbard and Constance Sczesny own the chestnut colt.

Mandella has a Gentlemen-sired filly out of Reluctant Guest who probably won't start until next year. "My son (Gary) has two, a filly and a colt, and likes them both," the conditioner said.