Victory Is a Breeze for Tranquility Lake

When it comes to female turf horses, trainer Julio Canani is in an enviable spot.

How else can you explain being able to scratch a mare who had won three consecutive stakes and still easily win a Grade I race Sunday at Hollywood Park?

Opting to save Tuzla for a stakes race at Churchill Downs in three weeks, Canani had more than enough left with Tranquility Lake, who rolled to a 5 1/2-length victory as the 7-10 favorite in the $261,500 Gamely Breeders’ Cup Handicap.

Tranquility Lake, owned by Marty and Pam Wygod, went right to the front under jockey Eddie Delahoussaye. She completed the 1 1/8 miles on turf in 1:46. Tranquility Lake has won her last three races by combined 15 lengths since returning to turf.

Said Canani: “She does everything right. She matured unbelievably over the winter. “I’ve never had a horse that trains so voluntarily. She wants to do things on her own. She’s a good doer and an unbelievable runner.”

Midnight Line, the longest shot in the field of five at nearly 10-1, was second, 4 1/2 lengths ahead of Green Jewel. Then came Sapphire Ring, the 2-1 second choice who had beaten the Tranquility Lake in their two previous meetings, and Happyanunoit. Besides Tuzla, Cyrillic and Virginie were also scratched from the Gamely.

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About 24 hours after the disappointment of the Belmont Stakes, jockey Chris Antley and trainer Wayne Lukas got some consolation at Hollywood Park.

Magicalmysterycat, a $1.1-million yearling purchase trained by Lukas and ridden by Antley, became a stakes winner in her second start with a 1 1/4-length victory in thet $74,550 Cinderella Stakes for two-year-old fillies.

Magicalmysterycat, the 3-5 favorite while coupled in the wagering with fourth-place finisher Shimmering Night, completed the 5 1/2 furlongs in 1:06 over a main track that produced much slower times than normal.

Magicalmysterycat took the lead from Victory Coin coming into the stretch, then held off Sweet Defense.

“She broke well and then got bounced around a little bit, but she fought her way through it,” said Antley. “A key was . . . [getting] a little breather around the turn.”

Horse Racing Notes

Wired To Fly, who probably would have been favored in the Cinderella on the strength of victories in her first two starts, was scratched after being sold to a Kentucky-based syndicate for an undisclosed amount. . . . The win with Tranquility Lake was Julio Canani’s ninth from only 17 starters at the Hollywood Park meet. . . . Hollywood Park’s handle of $21,888,721 for Belmont Stakes Day was the fourth highest in the track’s history. . . . Malek and Chullo both had seven-furlong workouts on turf in 1:24 2/5 between the second and third races Sunday. Both horses are trained by Richard Mandella. Chullo is scheduled to start in Sunday’s $350,000 Shoemaker Breeders’ Cup Mile while Malek is being pointed toward the $1-million Sempra Energy Hollywood Gold Cup on June 27..