INGLEWOOD, Calif. (May 8, 2008) - Great Britain-bred Champs Elysees, the 119-pound high weight, will square off with defending champion On the Acorn in Saturday's 19th running of the $250,000 Jim Murray Memorial Handicap at Hollywood Park.
Hall of Fame trainer Bobby Frankel, a record six-time winner of the Murray, will send out Juddmonte Farms' Champs Elysees and Gary Tanaka's Irish-bred Sudan in the Grade II event, which will be contested at 1½ miles on the Lakeside Turf Course.
Champs Elysees, a Group 3 winner in Europe, finished second here in December in the Hollywood Turf Cup while making his first North American start. He won the San Marcos in January at Santa Anita and he finished third in March while testing in the main track in the Santa Anita Handicap. The 5-year-old will try to give Juddmonte a record fifth win in the Murray.
Indizguys Stable's On the Acorn completed a rare and coveted double here a year ago, striking late to win the Jim Murray after capturing the San Juan Invitational Handicap at Santa Anita. He did not run again in 2007, and has yet to win in three 2008 starts. He finished third in the San Luis Obispo and fourth in the San Juan Capistrano and enters the Jim Murray with a race-high $593,812 in earnings.
"On the Acorn is doing super, better than last year," trainer Mike Mitchell said of the 7-year-old gelding. "But I have a lot of respect for Bobby Frankel's horse (Champs Elysees). He's a good horse - a very good horse."
Sudan, a Group 1 winner in Italy, will be making his second North American start following an eighth-place finish in the San Luis Obispo.
Church Service, meanwhile, a second Mitchell trainee who finished second in the San Luis Obispo, could be scratched in favor of running in the Dallas Turf Cup. Most recently, he finished second - beaten a nose - in the Tokyo City Handicap at 1½ miles on the main track.
Jeff Mullins will saddled Boule d'Or, winner of the San Luis Rey Handicap at the Jim Murray distance in his last start. The 7-year-old has won seven of 48 starts for earnings of $544,981.
The Jim Murray field lines up as follows from the rail out:
Boule d'Or, with Tyler Baze up, carries 115 pounds; Champs Elysees, Ramon Dominguez, 119; Church Service, Victor Espinoza, 113; Sudan, Jose Valdivia Jr., 115, and On the Acorn, Brice Blanc, 115.
The Murray, which will run as the third of ten races on Saturday's program at Hollywood Park, is one of three graded stakes races.
Bonfante, aiming for his third straight win, heads a nine-horse field along with 2007 Triple Bend winner Bilo in the $100,000 Los Angeles Handicap, while Irish-bred Sweeter Still seeks her second win in three starts in a contentious field of nine in the Senorita Stakes.
Post time Saturday at Hollywood Park is 1:20 p.m.
