Trainer Bobby Frankel, already odds-on to win his second consecutive Eclipse Award, will attempt to draw further away from his peers by starting up to nine horses in Hollywood Park's Turf Festival Nov. 23-25. In fact, he may corner the field in the Grade I Hollywood Derby, run for $500,000 at nine furlongs, by sending four horses to the post. Likely for the Nov. 25 Derby are Juddmonte Farms' Mizzen Mast, Amerman Racing's Blue Steller, Flaxman Holdings' Aldebaran, and the Niarchos Family's Denon.Frankel also supplemented Starine to the $500,000 Grade I Matriarch, also run Nov. 25 at nine furlongs. Other Frankel charges for the festival include Decarchy in the $500,000 Citation Handicap Nov. 24, Nunatall in the $200,000 Miesque Nov. 23, and Blue Air Force and Speak in Passing in the $200,000 Hollywood Turf Express the same day.
Neil Drysdale will also have a presence in the festival, with plans to start four: Freefourracing in the Matriarch, Tiger Trap in the Derby, and Irish Prize and Sarafan in the Citation. In addition, Drysdale has acquired Matriarch nominee Crystal Music from English conditioner John Gosden after the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf (gr. I), and Miesque Stakes supplementary nominee Arabic Song from trainer Pascal Bary.