Railbird Stakes Has Spotlight

With Perfect Drift sitting out the Preakness after finishing third in the Kentucky Derby, jockey Eddie Delahoussaye will be a fairly busy man at home today.

Delahoussaye has mounts in six of the nine races at Hollywood Park, among them Fun House in the $100,000 Railbird Stakes.

The seven-furlong Railbird drew only five entrants and will be run as the third, so it won’t be part of the pick six.

When the race is history, one of the 3-year-old fillies will have her first graded stakes victory and the most likely winner is Fun House or September Secret.

Owned by Verne Winchell’s VHW Stables and trained by Ron McAnally, Fun House has won two of five and is shortening up after finishing a disappointing fifth in the Fantasy Stakes at Oaklawn Park on April 12. In her debut here last Dec. 8, the Prized filly beat maidens by three lengths.

A daughter of Our Emblem, who sired Kentucky Derby winner War Emblem, September Secret has won two of three for trainer Mike Machowsky and the Lo Hi Stable. She also broke her maiden at Hollywood Park, winning by a length in a quick 57 flat last June 10.

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Startac, who earned his biggest win in the Grade I Secretariat last Aug. 18 at Arlington Park, will make his first start beyond 11/4 miles when he takes on eight others in the $75,000 Jim Murray Memorial Handicap on Sunday.

Named to honor The Times’ Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist who died in the summer of 1998, the Murray goes at 11/2 miles on the turf. Owned by the family of the late Allen Paulson and trained by Laura De Seroux, Startac was third behind Ladies Din and Thady Quill in his first race in five months on April 24.

Other contenders include Straight Flush, who has won three of four at 12 furlongs; the Bobby Frankel-trained Skipping; Sharbayan, who was impressive winning an allowance at Keeneland for trainer Wally Dollase on April 11, and recent local winner The Price Spirit.

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Looking for her first win in the $361,000 Kindergarten Futurity, which will be run for the 48th time tonight at Los Alamitos, trainer Donna McArthur will saddle three of the 10 participants.

Her 2-year-olds Morning Snow and Style N Grace are hardly slouches, but most of the attention in the 300-yard race will be focused on Lonely Moon Sign.

A California-bred son of Royal Quick Dash, Lonely Moon Sign has been dominant in his first two starts. He won his debut under jockey Sam Thompson by three-quarters of a length on April 20, then became the fastest qualifier for the Kindergarten two weeks later.

In winning by 13/4 lengths, Lonely Moon Sign, who is owned by Jesus and Sandra Soto, completed the 300 yards in :15.44.

“The thing about him is that he has not made any mistakes, knock on wood,” McArthur said. “I don’t think they can beat him if he continues to break like he has been.”

While McArthur is looking for her first win in the Grade I, Jaime Gomez will attempt to become the second trainer to win the race three years in a row. Having won with Secret Card and Sassy Smith, Gomez will be represented by Suzy Cartel, a maiden who will break from the rail.