Hollywood Gold Cup Hopefuls to Work Tuesday

Trainers of the four leading contenders for the $750,000 Hollywood Gold Cup (gr. I) will send their charges out Tuesday morning for their final major preparations for the 1 1/4-mile race.

Bob Baffert will use the work to decide whether he will race Captain Steve on short rest in Sunday's race. When last out, Captain Steve finished second to Guided Tour in the Stephen Foster Handicap (gr. II) on June 16 at Churchill Downs.

"He's still on track to work Tuesday, and then Bob will decide (whether to enter in the Gold Cup)," said assistant trainer Tim Yakteen.

The top three finishers in the Californian Stakes (gr. II) – Skimming, Futural, and Aptitude – are also expected to work on Tuesday.

Bobby Frankel trains both Skimming, to be ridden by Garrett Gomez, and Aptitude, no rider named.

Futural's trainer Craig Dollase will give a leg up to Chris McCarron prior to the race.

The only other horse listed by Hollywood Park as probable for the Gold Cup is Power Wing, who will be ridden by Julio Garcia.

Also on Sunday's Hollywood Park card is the seven-furlong, $300,000 Triple Bend Breeders' Cup Handicap (gr. II), for which Caller One has been assigned highweight of 126 pounds. 126 pounds is two more than any Triple Bend winner has carried in the 50-year history of the race. Intent (1952), Porterhouse (1956), and Windy Sea (1963) each carried 124 pounds to victory.

"We'll run there," trainer Jim Chapman said Sunday. "Weight won't stop us."

2000 Triple Bend winner Elaborate will likely attempt a repeat, a feat not accomplished since Porterhouse won in 1955 and '56.

Others pointing toward the Triple Bend are Grey Memo, Redatore, Hollycombe, Stormy Jack, Explicit, Squirtle Squirt, and Lord Grillo.