Heatseeker Scratched From June 28 Hollywood Gold Cup

The 7-5 morning line favorite in the $750,000 Hollywood Gold Cup Stakes (gr. I), Heatseeker, is out of the Saturday race because of a left ankle injury.

Heatseeker, winner of the Santa Anita Handicap and The Californian, was assigned high weight of 123 pounds for the 1-mile race at Hollywood Park.

“I am sorry about it, especially with all the exposure we’ve gotten, but unfortunately we can’t run a horse with a filled ankle and some heat in it,” Heatseeker’s trainer Jerry Hollendorfer said Friday. “We deal with these problems on a daily basis, it’s unfortunate we have to with a horse like Heatseeker.”

That leaves the Hollywood Gold Cup field of nine older horses for the race, including Oaklawn Handicap winner Tiago, Pacific Classic winner Student Council, and Go Between, second to Heatseeker in the Santa Anita Handicap.

Go Between was installed as the 5-2 favorite on a revised morning line. The colt shipped in from the East Coast earlier this year to win the Sunshine Millions Classic.

Tiago, the second choice at 3-1, will carry 121 pounds under jockey Mike Smith. Tiago is a half brother of 2005 Kentucky Derby winner Giacomo, both trained by John Sherriffs.

Student Council is listed at 9-2 in the morning line.

Perfect Drift, the oldest horse in the race at age 9, also is the richest, with almost $4.7 million from 11 wins in 47 starts. The third-place finisher in the 2002 Kentucky Derby, Perfect Drift hasn’t won since 2005 and is coming off a 10-month layoff.

A notable absentee is Lava Man, who has won the past three Hollywood Gold Cups. Lava Man finished third in the Charles Whittingham Memorial on June 7 at Hollywood Park, and race horse trainer Doug O’Neill pulled him out of the Hollywood Gold Cup last weekend.

The field of the 1-mile Hollywood Gold Park on June 28 at Hollywood Park, in post position order with jockeys, weight and morning line odds:

  1. Mast Track ridden by jockey Tyler Baze carries 113 lbs. with morning line odds of 12-1
  2. Perfect Drift ridden by jockey Victor Espinoza, 115 lbs., 8-1
  3. Tiago ridden by jockey Mike Smith, 121 lbs., 3-1
  4. Racketeer ridden by jockey Joel Rosario, 113 lbs., 8-1
  5. Student Council ridden by jockey Shaun Bridgmohan, 117 lbs., 9-2
  6. Go Between ridden by jockey Garrett Gomez, 118 lbs., 5-2
  7. McCann’s Mojave ridden by jockey Frank Alvarado, 115 lbs., 12-1
  8. Big Booster ridden by jockey Corey Nakatani, 116 lbs., 8-1
  9. Spice Route (GB) ridden by jockey Alex Solis, 113 lbs., 15-1

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The Hollywood Gold Cup, which has been won by such racing legends as Seabiscuit, Swaps, Citation and Cigar, will the 10th race in Hollywood Park’s June 28 horse racing program. Hollywood Gold Cup post time is 4:30 pm PST.

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"Heatseeker Scratched From June 28 Hollywood Gold Cup" was posted on 27 June 2008 10:45 PM under Horse Racing News, Horses, Racing Picks & Betting Tips, Stakes Races

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