Hollywoodboulevard has struck up a highly profitable relationship with jockey Willie Figueroa and the combination is now undefeated from four joint efforts after Hollywoodboulevard justified favouritism in the Three Troikas Stakes over 1450m on the Turffontein inner course on Saturday. The veteran rider fondly known as “Figgy” first partnered Hollywoodboulevard when she capsized red-hot favourite Igugu to win the valuable Ready To Run Cup in November and the combination has been in irrepressible form since, writes Matthew Lips.
The tight inner course is not ideal for Hollywoodboulevard and her style of racing from well off the early pace, but she had won a conditions race over the Three Troikas course-and-distance in mid-January and went off as the 16/10 favourite in this conditions event for three-year-old fillies. Last season’s Gr 1 winner Happy Archer was the 7/2 second favourite in her first start since a very disappointing effort behind Hollywoodboulevard in the Gr 3 Fillies Mile in November. Success Counts, a Gr 3 winner in November at Happy Archer’s expense on much more favourable weight terms than these, was the 5/1 third choice in a field of eleven.
Success Counts wasted no time in picking up the baton after the jump and went off to set a decent enough pace ahead of Without Malice and Wicomico, with Fair Rosalind and Chances Are next in line as Hollywoodboulevard settled towards the rear of the field. The favourite did encounter some traffic problems racing into the first turn, but would almost certainly have been held up amongst the backmarkers even without it. Carey’s Qui was last of all as Success Counts steered them into the straight, where she soon came under pressure as Without Malice loomed up alongside. Success Counts and Fair Rosalind began to back-pedal inside the last 300m, leaving Without Malice to make the best of her way home with Princess Of Light and Mina Salaam starting to unwind challenges wider out.
Hollywoodboulevard, meantime, was starting to make eye-catching progress. Taking the brave route down the inside rail, she steadily ate into Without Malice’s advantage and collared the latter close home before running on well to beat George Scott’s gallant filly by half-a-length, while conceding 3 kgs to the runner-up. Mina Salaam ran on steadily to finish a length further away in third, but Princess Of Light couldn’t find the necessary finishing kick inside the final furlong and was 2.25 lengths further behind in fourth. Happy Archer was never seen with a chance before she finished 4.5 lengths behind the winner in fifth, and while she may improve on what was her first appearance for 10 weeks this was still a well below-par effort from the daughter of Dubawi. Success Counts eventually finished eighth.
Hollywoodboulevard had beaten Without Malice by four lengths in the Fillies Mile in November, but that was at level weights and – more significantly perhaps – that race was contested on the more galloping standside course. They will be back on the standside track for the Gr 2 Gauteng Fillies Guineas on February 26th and it is very hard to visualize any of those who finished behind Hollywoodboulevard in the Three Troikas reversing that form.
Hollywoodboulevard is trained by Charles Laird, who praised stable jockey Anton Marcus for stepping aside and allowing Figueroa to continue his excellent relationship with the winner. Laird also noted that he was reluctant to run his filly again on the inner course, but that he’d had no choice as she needed another outing ahead of the Fillies Guineas. Bred in Australia, Hollywoodboulevard is a daughter of Dubai World Cup winner Street Cry, a hugely successful sire whose progeny also include the terrific American mare Zenyatta. She is the fourth foal and first known winner of the unraced Filante mare Soneria and was purchased by Summerhill Stud as a weanling in Australia before being sold to her current connections for R900 000 at the 2009 Ready To Run Sale in Gauteng. Owned by Markus and Ingrid Jooste, Hollywoodboulevard has won five of her nine races and earned R1 142 175.
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Three Troikas S. (SAf-G3) (2/5)
Turffontein, South Africa, February 5, R165.000, 1450m, turf, good, 1.27.06 (CR 1.25.80).
HOLLYWOODBOULEVARD (AUS), 58.0, b f 3, Street Cry – Soneria (AUS) by Filante (NZ). Owner Mrs I Jooste and Mr M Jooste; breeder Cescastle (Pty) Ltd (AUS); trainer C S Laird; jockey G Figueroa (R103.125)
Without Malice (SAF), 55.0, b f 3, Jet Master (SAF) – Al Nibari (SAF) by Al Mufti
Mina Salaam, 53.0, b f 3, Medaglia d’Oro – Circle Of Life (SAF) by Complete Warrior
Margins: ½, 1, 2¼
Also ran: Princess Of Light (SAF) 53.0, Happy Archer (AUS) 57.5, Stormy Coast (SAF) 55.0, Chances Are (SAF) 51.0, Success Counts (SAF) 56.0, Wicomico (SAF) 53.0, Carey’s Qui (SAF) 55.0, Fair Rosalind (SAF) 58.0, Stratisfaction (SAF) 55.0
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