Comininalittlehot Sets a Turf Course Record

Impressive in two victories over the Hollywood Park grass last summer, Comininalittlehot came back firing in the $105,100 Morvich Handicap at Santa Anita Sunday.

In his first start in almost four months, the 5-year-old gelding, ridden by Kent Desormeaux, beat Wild Zone by a length in a course-record 1:11 2/5 for about 6 1/2 furlongs.

In the process, Comininalittlehot, owned by Gary and Tim Burke and trained by Mike Mitchell, may have earned himself a trip to Hong Kong.

Mitchell and the Burkes are hoping he is invited to the $500,000 Hong Kong International Bowl on Dec. 8 at the Shatin. The distance of the race is seven furlongs.

“We were a little hard on him at Hollywood during the summer, so we decided to freshen him up,” said Mitchell. “It worked.”

It was the 10th win in 35 starts for Comininalittlehot, who sat third down the hill while Wild Zone and Sandtrap dueled through some torrid fractions (21 2/5, 42 4/5 for the half-mile). He got the lead with about an eighth of a mile to run.