Shipper Holiday Star Faces 10 in Turf Cup

Sycamore Stakes (gr. IIIT) winner Holiday Star, in the best form of his career, ships in from Maryland for trainer Graham Motion to test the firm turf course at Del Mar in the $250,000 Hollywood Turf Cup (gr. IIT) Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 27.



Augustin Stable's 4-year-old son of Harlan's Holiday is among 11 older runners signed on for the 1 1/2-mile event that was a longtime fixture at Hollywood Park. Race 7 on the program, the Turf Cup is scheduled for an early post time of 2 p.m. PST.



Mike Smith replaces the retired Rosie Napravnik on Holiday Star, who tallied by half a length in the 1 1/2-mile Sycamore Oct. 16 over a soft Keeneland grass course for his initial stakes triumph. The gelding was denied by a nose while second in his prior two starts, the restricted John's Call at Saratoga Race Course and the listed PTHA President's Cup over yielding ground at Parx Racing Sept. 13.



Holiday Star, with four wins from 13 lifetime starts, drew post 2 and will tote 122 pounds.



Motion also shipped in T N T Stud's Brazilian homebred Alakazan Alakazan, who steps up to graded company off a front-running 2 1/4-length score in an allowance/optional claiming race at 1 5/16 miles Sept. 17 at Kentucky Downs. Rafael Bejarano has the call from post 7.



Another shipper with a big shot in the Hollywood Turf Cup is The Pizza Man, who finds a softer spot after finishing fourth last time in the Pattison Canadian International (Can-IT) at Woodbine Oct. 19. Trained by Roger Brueggemann for Midwest Thoroughbreds, the 5-year-old son of English Channel   led to midstretch after pressing the pace and finished 2 3/4 lengths behind the victorious Hillstar.



Prior to that, The Pizza Man finished fifth in Woodbine's Northern Dancer Stakes (Can-IT) as the 6-5 favorite, snapping a five-race winning streak that dated back to last year. Earlier this season, The Pizza Man won both the Stars and Stripes (gr. IIIT) and American St. Leger stakes at Arlington International Race Course.

Regular rider Florent Geroux accompanies The Pizza Man, who worked over the Polytrack at Del Mar Nov. 20, getting five furlongs in 1:01 4/5. They break from the far outside post with 122 pounds.



Other leading Turf Cup contenders are the locally based Finnegans Wake and Irish Surf.



Donegal Racing and Rockingham Ranch's Finnegans Wake was overmatched last time in the Longines Breeders' Cup Turf (gr. IT) at Santa Anita Park Nov. 1, finishing 10th at 58-1. He was second in the John Henry Turf Championship (gr. IIT) prior to that in his first start for current trainer Peter Miller. Previously in the barn of Dale Romans, the 5-year-old by Powerscourt won the Arlington Handicap (gr. IIIT) in July.



Gainesway Stable and Thor-Bred Stable's Irish Surf weakened in the 1 3/4-mile Las Vegas Marathon (gr. II) on the Breeders' Cup undercard at Santa Anita Oct. 31, but managed to hold onto second in the main track test. He was fifth in the John Henry before that for trainer Dan Hendricks and finished fourth in last year's Turf Cup when it was held at Hollywood Park. The Giant's Causeway   colt's most recent win came in the 1 1/2-mile Cougar II Handicap July 25 on the Del Mar Polytrack, which he took by 8 1/4 lengths.



Carrying top weight in the turf Cup is Mystery Train (ARG) at 126 pounds. The 4-year-old won a pair of group I races this spring in his native Argentina, but did little in two U.S. starts for trainer Darrell Vienna, the Pacific Classic and Awesome Again Stakes (both gr. I). Joe Talamo takes over on Mystery Train, who was unplaced in his only other race on grass.