Hollywood Park weekend features California Gold Rush

The opening weekend of racing at Hollywood Park features the $1.3-million California Gold Rush program, with a 10-race card today that is limited to California-bred horses and has six races worth $150,000 or more.

There’s a good chance a horse related to Unusual Heat, California’s most successful stallion, will win. Sons and daughters of Unusual Heat won 28 races at the Santa Anita meeting.

Trainer Barry Abrams, the co-owner of Unusual Heat, will have four horses by Unusual Heat running in the Gold Rush: Bel Air Sizzle in the $150,000 Fran’s Valentine Stakes; Medzendeekron in the $150,000 Khaled; Golden Doc A in the $150,000 B. Thoughtful, and Pretty Unusual in the $200,000 Melair.

The richest race on the card is the $250,000 Snow Chief Stakes for 3-year-olds at 1 1/8 miles on the Cushion Track. Feisty Suances and Unbridled Roman, the fifth- and sixth-place finishers in the Santa Anita Derby, are among the 11 entrants.

It’s the final weekend of racing before next Saturday’s Kentucky Derby, and several jockeys with mounts in the Kentucky Derby will be riding, including Eclipse Award winner Garrett Gomez.

-- Eric Sondheimer