Could be a big day for Garrett Gomez

Garrett Gomez, two-time Eclipse Award-winning jockey, is sitting on a big afternoon today at Hollywood Park. He'll be aboard horses in the two Turf Festival races that figure to go postward as the favorites -- Bridgetown in the $100,000 Grade 3 Generous Stakes for 2-year-olds at a mile and Ventura in the $300,000 Matriarch, a Grade 1 event for older fillies and mares at one mile.

Bridgetown looks as close to a lock as anything on the weekend's Turf Festival agenda, having lost by only three-quarters of a length to the talented Pounced in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf on Nov. 7 at Santa Anita. The Speightstown colt went postward at 8-1 in his last, but is 6-5 on the morning line today and figures to go off at odds-on against seven foes. If anybody upsets the favorite, it figures to be either Who's Up, with Victor Espinoza in the saddle, or Alfarabi, who'll be ridden by Rafael Bejarano.

The Matriarch is a little more wide-open, despite the presence of Ventura and her 7-5 morning-line price. The trio of Diamondrella, Rutherienne and Tuscan Evening also have shots because Ventura is better at one-turn miles than the two turns she'll be running today. She's vulnerable, though she definitely deserves to be the favorite.

I like Bridgetown in the Generous and I'll single him in the pick six. I'm picking Diamondrella in the Matriarch, though I'll also use the other aforementioned distaffers in exotics and the pick six. If you want to use an outsider in the Generous, consider the aforementoned duo and Ace of Aces, who lost a maiden race by a nose in his debut in Ireland on Sept. 22.