INGLEWOOD, Calif. (April 24, 2008) - A contentious field of nine 3-year-olds will contest the $75,000 Harry Henson Stakes as night racing returns to Hollywood Park with a 7:05 post time on Friday.
The first of ten Friday night programs during Hollywood Park's 70th anniversary Spring/Summer Meet will also feature a performance by Blues Traveler in the Ascot Terrace following the nine-race card.
Wine On the Porch, from the barn of Mike Mitchell, aims for his second win in three starts in the Henson, which will be run at six furlongs on the Lakeside Turf Course. The son of Royal Academy, fresh from an allowance win at 6½ furlongs on the main track at Santa Anita, will break from the four-post under jockey Tyler Baze.
The field for the 54th running of the Harry Henson lines up as follows from the rail out:
Suit Yourself, Jose Valdivia Jr. up, carries 117 pounds; Two Step Salsa, Martin Pedroza, 119; Mr Keppel, Isaias Enriquez, 121; Wine On the Porch, Baze, 117; Possibi, Aaron Gryder, 121; Red Sky Dubai, Joseph Talamo, 119; Nevada Worrier, Jon Court, 119; Sky Cape, Victor Espinoza, 119, and Nordic Wind, Rafael Bejarano, 119.
Nevada Worrier won the Cavonnier Stakes for Jim Wallace last fall at Oak Tree and finished fourth in the Grade III Baldwin Stakes while making his most recent start in March.
Two Step Salsa, trained by Julio Canani, tries the turf for the first time after winning his first two starts.
Sky Cape, who finished fifth at the favorite last start in the Pasadena Stakes at one mile on turf, was beaten less than two lengths while finishing second in the Baldwin. A winner twice in 11 starts, the son of Najran broke his maiden while making his career debut here last May.
Irish-bred Mr Keppel won three of seven starts overseas and makes his North American debut for John Sadler - leading trainer at Hollywood Park's 2007 Autumn Meet.
Nordic Wind, who has a win and a second while running on grass at Turf Paradise in his last two starts, picks up the services of Bejarano for his Hollywood Park debut.
Possibi - fourth in the San Miguel in late March - has won three of six starts, but finished out of money at Ellis Park while making his only turf start to date.
Suit Yourself runs for the first time since finishing third in the Cavonnier, while Red Sky Dubai won his first two starts before finishing fifth in the San Miguel.
