Momentum Returns Monday

Hollywood Park is waiting until the end of the holiday weekend before offering its best races.

The $350,000 Shoemaker Breeders’ Cup Mile and the $350,000 Gamely Breeders’ Cup Handicap, both Grade I’s on the turf, will be run Monday.

Nine were entered Friday morning for the Shoemaker, including Momentum, who hasn’t raced since finishing second to Pleasantly Perfect in the Goodwood Breeders’ Cup Handicap at Santa Anita on Oct. 6, 2002.

Owned by J. Paul Reddam and trained by Craig Dollase, Momentum, a 6-year-old son of Nureyev, began his career racing on the turf in Europe. He became a supplemental entry to the Shoemaker for $7,000 on Wednesday. Before going to the sidelines because of a tendon injury, Momentum had finished second in the Pacific Classic and Hollywood Gold Cup as a 4-year-old.

“He worked real well on the grass” Sunday, Dollase said. “He had originally run on the grass in Europe before we bought him. He can go both ways.”

The favorite in the Shoemaker could be Leroidesanimaux -- another supplemental entry -- who is trained by Bobby Frankel. A Brazilian-bred owned by T N T Stud, he set a course record for 1 1/16 miles in winning the Inglewood Handicap on May 1. He has won three of four since coming to this country.

Other contenders are Designed For Luck, who was second as the 2-1 favorite in the Inglewood, King Of Happiness, who was impressive in a recent allowance victory, San Francisco Breeders’ Cup Handicap winner Singletary, Sweet Return, who won the Hollywood Derby at 16-1 over this course last fall, and Tsigane.

Dell Place and Glick are the other entrants in a race where all will carry 124 pounds.

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Dimitrova, who won the American Oaks in her first U.S. start last summer, will make her first appearance in the Gamely since finishing last in the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf last fall.

She will carry co-highweight of 122 pounds along with multiple stakes winner Megahertz. Noches De Rosa and Quero Quero complete the field in the 1 1/8-mile race.

Owned by Michael Bello, Megahertz, who has won 10 of 25 and earned $1,369,094, will be trying to give Frankel his seventh Gamely victory and third in the last four years. Frankel won with Happyanunoit in 2001 and with Tates Creek last year.

Noches De Rosa, whose biggest U.S. victory came at 11-1 in last year’s Santa Ana Handicap at Santa Anita, will be making her first start on the Hollywood Park turf in the Gamely. Quero Quero has won two of four here for trainer Paulo Lobo.

The Monday card also includes the $75,000 Ack Ack Handicap, an ungraded race for older horses at 7 1/2 furlongs. Buddy Gil, the 2003 Santa Anita Derby winner who ended a four-race losing streak April 16, drew the outside post in the field of nine.