Church Service will make a run for it in the Jim Murray

Those waiting for Church Service’s second victory, especially Jump Sucker Stable, the five-member partnership that owns the gelding, and trainer Lisa Lewis, finally were rewarded April 7.

Successful in his debut on the Saratoga turf in the summer of 2005, Church Service raced a dozen times more before he won again, running the best race of his life and ending the drought with a decisive victory in an optional claimer on the Santa Anita grass.

A source of disappointment and frustration for Lewis since his promising start 21 months ago, Church Service will try to maintain momentum when he makes his first start in a graded stakes on turf in the $250,000 Jim Murray Memorial Handicap today at Hollywood Park.

A Grade II at 1 1/2 miles, the Murray, named in honor of the former Pulitzer Prize winning columnist for The Times, is one of three graded races on the card. The others are the $100,000 Los Angeles Handicap for older sprinters and the $100,000 Senorita for 3-year-old fillies on turf. Both the L.A. Handicap and the Senorita are Grade III races.

After giving the San Juan Capistrano at Santa Anita some consideration, Lewis decided to wait for the Murray with the 4-year-old Church Service. A 9-1 longshot on the Santa Anita Derby undercard, Church Service won by 4 1/4 lengths, running the Murray distance in 2:26 2/5 .

In the interim, Church Service, who was purchased for $32,000 as a yearling, has flourished. He might be on the verge of fulfilling the promise Lewis had foreseen for him.

“He’s always showed a lot of talent, but he’s had issues,” she said. “When he was younger, he got sick and it took him longer to recover than we expected.

“He’s done well since coming to California. He seems to have turned the corner and likes the firm turf out here. He doesn’t care for soft going, something which he hit sometimes in the East. He’s always been a little tough mentally. He would get worked up and nervous, but he has matured. He ran a big race last time.”

Lewis, 38, was born into the sport -- both her mother, Penny, and father, Jim, were trainers -- and has spent most of her career training on the East Coast, but decided to move her stable to California last fall. She had wintered at Santa Anita several years earlier.

She was encouraged by the installation of Cushion Track at Hollywood Park. “I feel comfortable out here and I like that the [California] tracks are going synthetic,” she said. “I’m really enjoying being here and I’m going to try to make it work.

“I’ve lost some horses because some of my owners are based on the East Coast, but I’m hoping to pick up some clients, now that I am committed to stay. You are a little nervous when you’re making a big change like this.”

Although acknowledging Church Service is facing much better horses than he did last month, Lewis, who has 12 horses and hopes to expand her stable to about 20, believes the gelding is ready for another good effort today.

“I’m confident and the rider [Brice Blanc] is confident in the horse,” she said. “Brice is very patient and knows that this horse likes to sit back and make one run. If [Church Service] can be competitive with these horses, we’ll all be really happy.”

The 119-pound high weight in the Murray is Prospect Park, a 6-year-old son of Sadler’s Wells who is looking for his first win since he won a Group III in France on Sept. 24, 2005.

The field is completed by Notable Guest; On The Acorn, three weeks removed from a victory in the San Juan Capistrano; Runaway Dancer, who won the 2005 Murray and was third last year; and Fitz Flag.

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bob.mieszerski@latimes.com