This Time, Career Collection Gets Best of Bent Creek City

Unable to get close to Bent Creek City in the Cinderella Stakes nearly a month earlier, Career Collection turned the tables Saturday in the $104,700 Landaluce on Saturday at Hollywood Park.

Making her third start for owners John and Betty Mabee’s Golden Eagle Farm and trainer Wally Dollase, the 2-year-old General Meeting filly ran down the 3-10 choice in the final furlong to win by three lengths in 1:10 2/5 for the six furlongs.

Ridden by Corey Nakatani, Career Collection, the 6-1 second choice, was closest to the previously-unbeaten Bent Creek City through some rapid splits (21 2/5 and 43 4/5 for half a mile), then sailed past her, even though she ran her last eighth of a mile in a so-so 13 3/5 seconds.

A nervous sort who broke her maiden by 4 1/2 lengths in her debut on April 30, Career Collection lost by more than 11 lengths to Bent Creek City in the Cinderella when she was the 2-1 choice. Nakatani, who has been aboard for both of her wins, missed the only loss because of some minor surgery.

“I think she got stirred up that day,” he said. “She didn’t run her race. She got a little stirred up [Saturday], but I’ve been trying to spend time with her in the morning, walking her, getting her to relax and giving her some confidence.

“She got a little hotter than I wanted her to, but I rode her with a lot of confidence and she did the running today.”

Dollase credited son Craig and daughter Aimee, who assist around the barn, with Career Collection’s improvement, saying a lot of time has been spent schooling her in the paddock.

“You can see by her workouts that she has ability; it’s just a matter of her relaxing somewhere in the race so she can finish well,” Dollase said. “She had an outside post and that’s so important because all of these fillies are green and still learning.”

An easy winner of her first two starts for Northern California-based trainer Jeff Bonde, Bent Creek City finished 3 1/2 clear of 19-1 shot Unreal Squeal.

“She just came up really, really tired,” jockey Roberto Gonzalez said. “She ran like she was only ready to go five furlongs. She really stopped the last eighth of a mile. I don’t know what happened. I know they’re going to scope her [to check to see if she bled internally].”

*

Fifteen days after missing as the odds-on choice in the Mother Goose at Belmont Park, Sharp Cat is the 7-5 favorite in the $200,000 Hollywood Oaks today at Hollywood Park.

Making her first start in California since finishing sixth as the 2-1 choice in the Santa Anita Derby on April 5, the 3-year-old Storm Cat filly will have her first encounter with Star Of Goshen, the 9-5 second choice.

The winner of her first three races by an average margin of nine lengths, the daughter of Lord At War was 1-20 to win her fourth race, but stumbled at the start and finished a distant second in the Edgewood at Churchill Downs on May 24.

Returned to Santa Anita, where she won her first two starts, Star Of Goshen has trained well for the Oaks, which will be her first appearance in a graded stakes. Chris McCarron will ride.

Sharp Cat, meanwhile, will be looking for her first victory at the Oaks distance of 1 1/8 miles. She is winless in three tries at nine furlongs--the Mother Goose, Kentucky Oaks and Santa Anita Derby.

With Gary Stevens sidelined after minor knee surgery, Alex Solis will ride Sharp Cat for the first time since he was aboard for her maiden win last summer at Del Mar.

*

Free House worked six furlongs in 1:12 3/5 Saturday morning at Hollywood Park and is still possible for the $500,000 Swaps Stakes on July 20, according to trainer Paco Gonzalez.

“This is his home and he loves this track,” said Gonzalez, who trains the gray colt for owners Trudy McCaffery and John Toffan. “I think there’s a very good chance we’ll stay here and run in the Swaps.”

Horse Racing Notes

Ridden by David Flores for owner Don Dizney and trainer Bob Baffert, favored Anet easily won the $150,000 U.S.A. Stakes at Lone Star Park in Grand Prairie, Texas. P.T. Indy, ridden by Eddie Delahoussaye, was third in a race moved from turf to dirt because of wet weather. . . . Behrens remained unbeaten in four starts with a victory in the $150,000 Dwyer Stakes at Belmont Park in New York. Banker’s Gold, the favorite who was unbeaten in his first four starts, finished a distant third.