Surf Cat May Hit a Hollywood Triple

In 1981 Eleven Stitches became the only horse to win the Mervyn LeRoy, Californian and Hollywood Gold Cup in a single year, although he needed the disqualification of Caterman in the Gold Cup to complete the sweep.

Spectacular Bid won the LeRoy and Californian in 1980, then didn’t run in the Gold Cup.

Another Review, in 1992, and Even The Score, in 2004, also won the first two races, then finished third in the Gold Cup.

After Surf Cat, a talented 4-year-old son of Sir Cat, had won the Potrero Grande Breeders’ Cup Handicap on April 2 at Santa Anita, Bruce Headley, who trains the colt for wife Aase and Marsha Naify, said Surf Cat would be pointed to all three races at Hollywood Park.

It remains to be seen whether Surf Cat can match Eleven Stitches’ feat, but he will be favored to win the first of those races when the LeRoy is run for the 27th time today.

A Grade II at 1 1/16 miles, the LeRoy, named in honor of the producer-director who served as Hollywood Park’s president for 34 years, is one of three stakes on today’s card. The others are the $250,000 Jim Murray Memorial at 1 1/2 miles on turf and the $100,000 Los Angeles Handicap at six furlongs.

Purchased for $25,000 as a yearling, Surf Cat has won six of 10 and has been second three times. In his only poor performance, he was sixth in the Pacific Classic last Aug. 21 at Del Mar.

Surf Cat, who won two sprints to begin his year at Santa Anita, has run well in Inglewood before. He has won two of three over the main track, including a five-length victory in the Swaps Breeders’ Cup last July 9.

Under Alex Solis, Surf Cat will be odds-on in the LeRoy against Spellbinder, Keep On Punching, Timias, Dixie Meister and Gallardo.

Solis also has the horse to beat in the Grade II Murray. He will ride Grey Swallow, the 2004 Irish Derby winner, who will make his first U.S. start against a field that includes defending champion Runaway Dancer, who will be trying to become the first horse to win the race twice. San Luis Rey Stakes winner King’s Drama was scratched from the Murray on Friday.

With Solis on Grey Swallow, who has won five of 12 for top trainer Dermot Weld, Jose Valdivia Jr. has picked up the mount on Runaway Dancer for trainer Dan Hendricks.

Owned by RL Stables, Runaway Dancer was 17-1 when he won the Murray a year ago. The 7-year-old Runaway Groom gelding is winless in five starts since, including a last-place finish in his most recent appearance in the Arcadia Handicap on April 8 at Santa Anita.

“Runaway Dancer is doing super,” Hendricks said. “The difference from last year is that he had a bad race in between. He didn’t get anything out of the Arcadia.”

A Grade III, the Los Angeles Handicap attracted eight sprinters, headed by 120-pound highweight Siren Lure, who will also be ridden by Solis.

One of his opponents will be Thunder Touch, a 5-year-old Gulch horse who has won six of 17, racing primarily in New York and Florida. Now in the barn of Vladimir Cerin, Thunder Touch will be ridden by Martin Pedroza.

The field is completed by Pure As Gold, Areyoutalkintome, Cigar Pal, Oceanus, Prorunner and Secret Ridge.