They’re Taking Stock in Futurity

Shortly after Artax finished a six-furlong workout in 1:12 1/5 Monday morning at Santa Anita, jockey Chris McCarron had a message for the colt’s trainer, Randy Bradshaw.

“Bring ‘em all on,” McCarron said, obviously impressed by the son of 1991 Hollywood Gold Cup winner Marquetry.

The Hall of Fame rider will get his wish Sunday when Artax takes on as many as 11 other 2-year-olds in the $425,200 Hollywood Futurity.

Even though the Grade I Futurity will be only Artax’s third race, Bradshaw shares McCarron’s enthusiasm.

“I’m pretty confident and he’s pretty confident,” Bradshaw said. “[Artax] couldn’t be doing any better. He’s pretty hard not to get confident over. He doesn’t make any mistakes. He’s a handsome horse who’s got a lot of ability.”

Owned by the Paraneck Stable of Ernie Paragallo, who campaigned Unbridled’s Song, Artax had a troubled trip and finished a distant third in his sprint debut on Oct. 26. He stretched out to 1 1/16 miles--the Futurity’s distance--three weeks later at Hollywood Park and won by nine lengths over a good track.

“He got three races worth of experience in his first start,” said Bradshaw, a longtime assistant to Wayne Lukas who has had ample success since going out on his own several years ago.

“He’s a little different than your normal horse. I think this is a genuine horse. He’s a horse that will develop and get better. Plus, I think he’ll get a mile and a quarter or a mile and a half and he’s got the kind of temperament that you want in a young horse. Nothing bothers him.”

The Futurity will not have an accomplished field. Only two of the probable participants have won more than two races--Buttons N Moes and The Cynic--and one of the main contenders, Nationalore, who finished third in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, is a maiden.

The Grade I, which since its first running in 1981 has produced seven starters that went on to win at least one Triple Crown race, is actually more like an allowance race, so many owners and trainers are electing to run for the large purse.

Bradshaw, who also plans to start Kentucky shipper Dawn Exodus in the Futurity, has had Artax with him since August, after the colt had originally been sent to the trainer’s division at Churchill Downs.

After Artax worked three furlongs there in 34 seconds, it was decided to send him west because of the looseness of the surface at Churchill Downs.

“If he’s as good as we think he is, we’ll space his races out [early in 1998] and leave him here for the series leading up to the Santa Anita Derby,” said Bradshaw, who won the Louisiana and Ohio derbies in 1995 with Petionville.

A promising 2-year-old who won’t be running in the Futurity is Orville N Wilbur’s.

Fourth in his debut in early May, the son of Out Of Place, who is a son of Cox’s Ridge, Orville N Wilbur’s returned to the races with a 4 1/2-length victory on Nov. 7, beating maidens in 1:08 1/5 for six furlongs.

Now trained by Wally Dollase and owned by a partnership that includes original trainer David La Croix, the bay colt was back in action Thursday, easily defeating six rivals in a rapid 1:21 for seven furlongs.

If Thursday’s race hadn’t drawn enough horses, Dollase might have started the bay colt in the Futurity, but he got his first wish.

“This is perfect,” he said before Orville N Wilbur’s second win. “We have something else in mind down the road and the progression would be to look for something at a mile or a mile and a sixteenth next time.

“I think he’s special. He’s done everything right. He’s certainly given me the impression that he is definitely going to be a stakes horse.”

Jockey Corey Nakatani is also a fan.

“He’s an extreme pleasure to ride,” he said. “I think he’s the real deal and I would have been really confident if he had run in the Futurity.”

Dollase will be starting the favorite in the female equivalent of the Futurity, the $243,000 Hollywood Starlet, Saturday’s feature.

Career Collection, a distant second to Countess Diana in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies, will top a small field. Only five others were entered Thursday morning--Love Lock, Marie J, Proper Code, Snowberg and Well Chosen.

“She’s doing really well,” said Dollase of Career Collection, who scored her biggest victories in the Landaluce and California Cup Juvenile Fillies. “Everything’s a go for Saturday.”

Horse Racing Notes

The Hollywood Futurity will be televised on Fox Sports West from 3:30-4 p.m. Sunday. The other Grade I race on Sunday’s card is the $500,000 Hollywood Turf Cup and 14 horses could be entered this morning for the 1 1/2 mile race. Sandpit, who will race for the final time in the Turf Cup, worked five furlongs in 1:00 1/5 on turf Wednesday morning for trainer Richard Mandella.