By Jessica Martini
Gary Hartunian and Calumet Farm's Hollywood Don (Tapit), a two-time winner on turf and coming off a ninth-place effort in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf, returns to the main track for Saturday's GI Los Alamitos Futurity.
“This time of year there is just not a lot of turf racing for 2-year-olds and early 3-year-olds,” explained trainer Peter Miller. “The emphasis is on dirt racing, so we want to see if we can't convert him into a dirt horse. Right now, I'd say he's better on turf, but hopefully that changes next Saturday.”
Hollywood Don broke his maiden over the Del Mar turf in August before adding the Sept. 5 Del Mar Juvenile Turf S. In his only dirt appearance, the dark bay colt was third behind likely juvenile champion Nyquist (Uncle Mo) in the Sept. 26 GI FrontRunner S.
“He trains good on the dirt, he can handle it,” Miller said of Hollywood Don, who worked seven furlongs last Tuesday in 1:28.40 at San Luis Rey Training Center. “The horse is training very well. I think he is getting bigger and stronger.”
Hartunian's Rockingham Ranch purchased Hollywood Don for $245,000 at this year's OBS April sale. Out of multiple graded stakes winner Ocean Drive (Belonging), he is a half-brother to multiple stakes winner West Ocean (Elusive Quality).
Toews on Ice (Archarcharch) worked six furlongs at Santa Anita Sunday in 1:15.40 in preparation for Saturday's Futurity. Owned by Karl Watson, Mike Pegram and Paul Weitman, the colt is coming off a 1 1/4-length win in the GIII Bob Hope S. He broke his maiden at Los Alamitos when winning the Sept. 20 Barretts Juvenile S. and added the Oct. 18 Speakeasy S. at Santa Anita before his Bop Hope victory at Del Mar Nov. 14. The 1 1/16-mile Futurity will be Toews on Ice's first start past seven furlongs.
Toews on Ice, named after the Chicago Blackhawks' Jonathan Toews, could be one of three Futurity runners from the Bob Baffert barn. Baffert could also be represented by Michael Lund Petersen's Mor Spirit (Eskendereya) and Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa al Maktoum's Arabian Leopard (Scat Daddy). A maiden winner at Santa Anita Oct. 23, Mor Spirit is coming off a runner-up effort behind Airoforce (Colonel John) in the Nov. 28 GII Kentucky Jockey Club S. Arabian Leopard graduated in his fifth start last time out, taking a 6 1/2-furlong special weight at Del Mar by 1 1/2 lengths Nov. 29. Both Baffert runners turned in five-furlong works of 1:00.80 last Wednesday at Santa Anita.
Also considered possible for the Futurity are: Frank Conversation (Quality Road), I'malreadythere (Crown of Thorns), Sorryaboutnothing (Repent) and Urlacher (Discreet Cat).
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