Race of the Week:Hollywood Prevue Stakes Contenders & Betting Tips

by Patricia Woo | Nov 20 2008

Hollywood Park is the backdrop for this week's feature race, the $100,000-added Gr. 3 Hollywood Prevue Stakes. It will be contested on Sunday, Nov. 23, and will feature 2-year-olds running seven furlongs over a Cushion Track surface. Here are three top contenders to keep in mind when you're choosing horses to bet on for our race of the week.

Unbeaten in three races, Backbackbackgone is one of the frontrunners. In his debut at Bay Meadows, the Put It Back colt scored a dominating 10-length win and followed it up two weeks later with a four-length victory in the $99,800 Willard Proctor Memorial Stakes in May. Sore shins prevented him from racing during the summer, resulting in a layoff that lasted nearly five months. But he returned to form in the $80,100 Jack Goodman Stakes at Santa Anita in October, a race he won by a nose. The Florida-bred colt is trained by Peter Miller, and jockey Rafael Bejarano, who was aboard for Backbackbackgone's Goodman Stakes win, should again get the mount.
 
The Doug O'Neill-trained Azul Leon will be hoping to repeat his previous success at Hollywood Park; he won his first graded stakes race in July at the $100,000 Hollywood Juvenile Champion Stakes. His last start was a disappointing ninth-place finish in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile in October. Previous to that, Azul Leon was sixth in the $250,000 Gr. 1 Norfolk Stakes in September and won the $150,000 Gr. 2 Best Pal Stakes in October on a disqualification. The Lion Heart colt has been in training at Hollywood Park and in a recent five-furlong workout clocked in at 1:01.40. Jockey Garrett Gomez, who scored an amazing four victories in this year's Breeders' Cup, will be aboard Azul Leon for the first time.

Canadian invader Congor Bay is also expected to make the trip from Toronto, Canada, to Hollywood Park, according to trainer Mark Casse. Congor Bay will be coming off two wins at Woodbine Racetrack in October. "Seven furlongs should be a good distance for him, and we're staying on synthetic," said Casse. "I'm not sure how good he is. I'm sure this will be a stern test."

Among the others expected are Arashi Cat, who will be ridden by Clinton Potts; Jack o' Lantern, who posted a recent five-furlong workout time of 1:00.40; and Ventana – whose trainer, Bob Baffert, won his fourth Hollywood Prevue Stakes title last year with Massive Drama. Who will be this year's Hollywood Prevue Stakes champion?
 
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