Are you going Hollywood?
Thanks to Art Wilson for letting me contribute to his blog.
It's opening day of the Hollywood Park autumn season, the Rodney Dangerfield of Southern California's racing meets. For some people, it's a letdown after the excitement of last week's Breeders' Cup at Santa Anita. But as Art reports in his story today previewing the season, Hollywood Park hopes it will get some benefit from following the Breeders' Cup.
I've always liked the Hollywood fall meet more than most people, maybe because when I started covering racing in 1991, the Turf Festival stakes program was just beginning, and such grass stars as Itsallgreektome, Miss Alleged, Flawlessly and Fraise were headliners. Flawlessly was a particular favorite of mine.
In recent years the meet has been headlined by 2-year-olds. In the past 10 years, the horses voted 2-Year-old of the Meet have included Excellent Meeting, Captain Steve, Point Given, Lion Heart, Declan's Moon and Brother Derek.
Are you interested in the Hollywood fall meet, or are you in post-Breeders' Cup depression? Any personal memories of this meet? Care to share your strategies for betting it?
I've always preferred the Fall Meet versus the Spring/Summer meet (even though I hit a sizeable Pick Six during the 2007 Spring/Summer meet).
The Turf Festival always features good betting races and the 2YO stakes (the Futurity and the Starlet) are intriguing.
Being that I live in El Segundo, Hollywood Park is my "home" track and always have been partial to that venue.