Hollywood Park Is Set for Opener

Another offspring of Cee’s Tizzy might win a stakes race today. But the purse at Hollywood Park is only a small percentage of the $2.4 million that Tiznow earned for winning Saturday’s Breeders’ Cup Classic at Churchill Downs.

Tiznow ran in the $4.2-million Classic; Theresa’s Tizzy, a 6-year-old gray mare, is running in the $70,000 Safely Kept Handicap as Hollywood Park launches its 35-day fall meeting.

Cee’s Tizzy, a 13-year-old stallion whose injury-marred career limited him to six starts and only one stakes placing, sired Theresa’s Tizzy, through a mating with the gray broodmare Theresa’s Pleasure. Three years later, Cee’s Tizzy was bred to Cee’s Song and the result was leading horse-of-the-year contender Tiznow.

Out of more than 200 named foals, Cee’s Tizzy has sired six stakes winners. Besides Budroyale, who is Tiznow’s full brother, and Tiznow, the list includes Theresa’s Tizzy, who preceded Tiznow to a stakes winner’s circle when she won ungraded races at Golden Gate Fields in 1998 and Santa Anita and Hollywood Park last year.

Like Budroyale, who has earned $2.6 million, Theresa’s Tizzy has bounced around the claiming ranks. She has been bought out of races three times, most recently by her current trainer, Noble Threewitt, for $16,000 at Del Mar in 1998. Going into today’s race, Theresa’s Tizzy has a record of 14 victories in 32 starts and purses of $605,971.

Before being claimed by Threewitt, from trainer Vicky Vogt, Theresa’s Tizzy had won five of 10 races, and she won the day she was claimed. Since then, the mare, who was bred by Lester W. Smith, has been trained by Threewitt in Southern California and Bill Morey Jr. in the Bay Area.

Theresa’s Tizzy’s last start, on Aug. 26, produced her first graded victory, in the Grade III Rancho Bernardo Handicap at Del Mar. Theresa’s Tizzy’s claiming days ended when she ran for an $80,000 tag, and wasn’t taken, at Golden Gate in April 1999.

Whereas the Rancho Bernardo was on dirt, today’s race is on grass, a surface Theresa’s Tizzy has tried only three times without any success. In her last two turf starts, in 1999, she was eighth and 10th during the Oak Tree meet at Santa Anita. Theresa’s Tizzy has never raced on the grass course at Hollywood Park.

Laffit Pincay, who has won five of the 11 times he has ridden Theresa’s Tizzy, including the Rancho Bernardo, has the mount again today. Pincay, who will be 54 Dec. 29, was the leading rider, with 31 victories, at the Oak Tree meet that concluded Monday. Last year’s late Hollywood meet marked another riding title for Pincay, and on Dec. 10 in Inglewood he passed the record-holding Bill Shoemaker by riding Irish Nip to victory for his 8,834th victory. Pincay hit the 9,000-victory mark on Oct. 28 at Santa Anita.

Hookedonthefeelin, trained by Bob Baffert for Mike Pegram, is expected to go off favored in the 5 1/2-furlong Safely Kept and, at 121 pounds, is co-high weight with Theresa’s Tizzy. Hookedonthefeelin, who’ll be ridden by David Flores, won the Cascapedia Stakes on dirt at Santa Anita on Oct. 19. Hookedonthefeelin has been ninth and sixth in two grass starts this year, but in her only other turf race, she won a 5 1/2-furlong allowance at Hollywood last December.

Hollywood Park’s fall meet runs through Dec. 24, with racing Wednesday through Sunday. Friday-night cards, with first post at 7 o’clock, are scheduled for this Friday and Nov. 17. All other first posts are 12:30 p.m., except the 11 a.m. start on Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 23.

The five Grade I races during the meet are the Matriarch and Early Times Hollywood Derby on Nov. 26, the Hollywood Turf Cup on Dec. 2, the Hollywood Futurity on Dec. 16, and the Hollywood Starlet on Dec. 17. The Matriarch and the Hollywood Derby are the concluding stakes in the three-day turf festival that starts on Nov. 24.

Horse Racing Notes

Noble Threewitt, 89, has saddled 491 winners at Hollywood Park and ranks sixth on the list. The late Charlie Whittingham is No. 1 with 859 victories and the next four trainers--Bobby Frankel, Ron McAnally, Mike Mitchell and Mel Stute--are still active. . . . The track today will unveil Whittingham’s Pub & Deli, on the view level of the clubhouse. Charlene Whittingham, the trainer’s daughter, has donated a lot of memorabilia that will be displayed in the new restaurant.

Hollywood Park’s betting opportunities will include a pick four on the last four races on every card, and a guaranteed $1-million pick six on Nov. 26. . . . A year ago, Bob Baffert was the leading trainer with 11 victories, three more than Richard Mandella. . . . Laffit Pincay has ridden 2,853 of his winners at Hollywood. Bill Shoemaker is second with 2,416 and Chris McCarron, in third place, starts the meet with 1,847.

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Up Next

* Meet--Hollywood Park

* Dates--Today-Dec. 24 (35 days)

* Post times--12:30 p.m. except for 11 a.m. on Nov. 23 and 7 p.m. on Friday and Nov. 17.

* Significant races--$200,000 Miesque Stakes (Nov. 24); Hollywood Turf Express (Nov. 24); $500,000 Citation Handicap (Nov. 25); $200,000 Generous Stakes (Nov. 25); $500,000 Matriarch (Nov. 26); $500,000 Early Times Hollywood Derby (Nov. 26); $400,000 Hollywood Turf Cup (Dec. 2); $200,000 Hollywood Futurity (Dec. 16); $200,000 Hollywood Starlet (Dec. 17).

* Leading jockey (1999)--Laffit Pincay (32 wins)

* Leading trainer (1999)--Bob Baffert (14 wins)