CashCall Futurity Stakes; This Big Girl Is Looking For Some Candy

2013 CashCall Futurity Stakes; This Big Girl Is Looking For Some Candy

The 33rd and final running of the $750,000-guaranteed CashCall Futurity Stakes takes place this Saturday, December 14th and is an annual stop for future Triple Crown contenders. It will once again be the biggest event on the stakes calendar for the 2013 Autumn meet at Betfair Hollywood Park. This race is run at 1 1/16 miles on the cushion and is for 2 year-olds vying for a place in the starting gate for the 2014 Kentucky Derby.

The 2013 Cashcall Futurity is the 9th race of the day with a post time of 4:35 pm PST.

Inaugurated as the Hollywood Futurity, in 2007 the race name was changed to the CashCall Futurity under a sponsorship arrangement with the racing stable owner and founder of the CashCall consumer lending company, J. Paul Reddam. Originally raced at the current 8.5 furlongs, between 1985 and 1990 the event was run at 8 furlongs. In 1983, the race had a total purse of $1,049,725 making it the first million-dollar race for 2 year-olds and the richest Thoroughbred horse race at the time. It initially was raced on dirt until 2006 when Hollywood Park installed the synthetic racing surface known as the Cushion Track.

Six Futurity starters have gone on to win the Kentucky Derby: Gato Del Sol 1982, Ferdinand 1986, Alysheba 1987, Thunder Gulch 1995, Real Quiet 1998, and Giacomo 2005. With his win in 1987, Tejano became the first two-year-old to achieve career earnings of $1 million. Six have also come back to win the Preakness: Tanks Prospect, 1984; Snow Chief, 1985; Alysheba, 1986; Real Quiet, 1997; Point Given, 2000; and Lookin At Lucky, 2009. Three have won the Belmont Stakes: A.P. Indy, 1991; Thunder Gulch, 1994; and Point Given, 2000. Eleven CashCall starters have won a Breeders’ Cup race.

The race record is held by Afternoon Deelites set in 1994 in 1:40.74 and the most wins by a trainer are six by Bob Baffert (surprise!), in 1997, 1999, 2000, 2008, 2009 and 2011. Last year the race was won by Todd Pletcher and Violence, who was retired earlier this year due to injury.

This is a very good field and it’s sad that this is the last Futurity at Hollywood Park. It has been a great race in the past with some exceptional winners like Point Given and Snow Chief. The California horses looks pretty dominating to me with the winner having a say in the 2014 Triple Crown Trail.

Top billing for me goes to the Candy Ride/Common Hope/Storm Cat baby Shared Belief. The Jerry Hollendorfer trained boy that won the (GIII) Hollywood Prevue last out on November 11 at Betfair Hollywood Park going 7F where he was the pace-pusher, ran between horses to take over the lead in the stretch and won under a quick hand ride. Prior he broke his maiden first out on October 19th at Golden Gate on the synthetic going 6F where he also won in a hand ride by 7 lengths and was co-purchased there privately by Jim Rome’s Jungle Racing , Hollendorfer, Alex Solis II, Joshua Litt & KMN Racing. He has been training at Hollywood Park where he worked 6F in 1:12.60, 1/8 on December 9th and on December 1st, 6F in 1:12.60, 1/20. Shared Belief gets post #6 with Cori Nakatani in the irons.

Call me crazy on Candy Boy but I like his last race and I think he could make some noise here. On November 22 at Hollywood Park, albeit a Maiden Special Weight going 1 1/6 miles, he broke slow but moved up in the backstretch to reach the leader in the final furlong to win by 7 3/4 lengths with a little hand coaxing. The son of Candy Ride/She’s An Eleven/In Excess (IRE) is trained by John Sadler and has a race record of 4:1:1. He has recent workouts at Betfair Hollywood park going 5F on December 8th in 1:00.20, 6/48 and on December 1st working 4F in 48.00, 5/63. Candy Boy gets the services of Gary Stevens in the irons and exits post #4.

The Jerry Hollendorfer trained son of Bertrando, Tamarando will be looking to win his second straight race on Saturday after he rallied to win the Real Quite Stakes at Hollywood Park on November 23rd by 3 1/4 lengths going 1 1/6 miles. Prior, in the Golden State Juvenile Stakes at Santa Anita on November 1st, he was caught wide in the first turn, scraped the paint and rallied in the final furlong to finish third. He won the Front Runner Stakes (GI) over the same track on September 28 where he beat Bond Holder who is also competing here. On September 4th, he won his first (GI) in the Del Mar Futurity by one-half length. Tamarando has a race record of 7:3:1:2 and has been training at Hollywood Park, posting a 5F breeze in 1:00.00, 7/50 on December 7th and on December 1st worked 4F 48.60, 13/63. Tamarando exits post #2 with Bejarano aboard again.

I’m looking for the two Candy Ride sons to hit the board in the 2013 CashCall Futurity. Shared Belief looks to be the strongest to win in the 2013 CashCall Futurity and I’m hoping Candy Boy can pick up a piece. Shared Belief is going to be tough and we could see him barely winning over a longshot who runs his eyeballs out and he’s going to have to stretch out here, whereas Candy Boy does have a win at this distance on this track.

From a wagering standpoint Shared Belief and Tap It Rich should take the most money. B.A.B.’s (Bob A. Baffert) will be tough here and I think Tap It Rich will be a huge player down the road, just not sure about him here on the Cushion. However, I will use him in a pick 3. I think Tamarando will be the lesser bet of the two Hollendorfer’s here and his last race on this track was his best. He’s got the most impressive California track record on the Cushion and will be tough if he doesn’t get caught in traffic. Hollendorfer looks to have a one-two punch in here. I may play my $2 Exacta depending on odds before the race and hope a longshot gets caught in second. Otherwise, if the odds are too short on my picks I’ll use them in a Pick 3 starting with Race #7. So my top four are the #2,4,5,6. Good luck to all and run safe.

2013 Cashcall Futurity Post Positions & Odd
1. Electric Eddie 20/1 A.Delgadillo/B.Cecil
2. Tamarando 4/1 R.Bejarno/J.Hollendorfer
3. Bond Holder 8/1 M.Guiterrez/D.O’Neill
4. Candy Boy 15/1 G.Stevens/J.W.Sadler
5. Tap It Rich 9/2 M.Smith/B.Baffert
6. Shared Belief 7/2 C.Nakatani/J.Hollendorfer
7. Even Echo 30/1 F.Martinez/M.Cho
8. Brother Soldier 30/1 E.Maldonado/C.Dollase
9. Karma King 12/1 J.Talamo/C.Dollase
10. Poker Player 15/1 V.Espinoza/W.Catalano SCRATCHED
11. Sheikinator 20/1 R.Albarado/K.McPeek
12. Rankhasprivileges 15/1 M.Garcia/K.McPeek
13. Kobe’s Back 9/2 J.Rosario/J.W.Sadler
*Blinkers Off – Karma King
UPDATED RESULTS: 6, 4, 2, 3, 1, 8, 11, 12, 7, 13, 5, 9 

Related Links:
Hollywood Turf Cup
What to wear to Hollywood Park
Native Diver Handicap