Continental Red Looks to End Slump

Although Continental Red trains at Hollywood Park all year, the 8-year-old gelding hasn’t done much running in the afternoon on the main track.

When he enters the gate late this afternoon for the $750,000 Hollywood Gold Cup, the California-bred son of Flying Continental will be making only his sixth start over the track’s dirt.

The only time he won over this surface was when he broke his maiden in his 11th start on Nov. 11, 1999.

Continental Red has experienced a similar dry stretch of late. Since the beginning of last year, he has lost 15 of 16, his only victory coming in the Quicken Tree, a turf stakes for Cal breds, on June 15, 2003.

Still, in a Gold Cup that isn’t deep with talent, trainer Ian Jory and owner-breeder Wes and Sharon Fitzpatrick decided to take a shot rather than run in the $150,000 Sunset Handicap, a Grade II at 1 1/2 miles on the turf on July 18.

“He’s doing well,” Jory said. “He’s on top of his game.

“The Sunset isn’t a slam dunk, and this is great opportunity to run in a Grade I. It’s certainly not that tough.”

Continental Red has run 62 races and earned $1,172,558, but the last time he won on the dirt anywhere was in a $210,000 stakes at Sam Houston on Dec. 7, 2002.

Victor Espinoza will be aboard today, becoming Continental Red’s 20th jockey. Espinoza dyed his hair blond before winning his only Gold Cup with 24-1 shot Early Pioneer in 2000, but Jory said he knew of no plans by the rider to color his hair this time.

Even The Score will be the favorite in the Gold Cup based upon his wins in the Mervyn LeRoy Handicap and Californian. A victory today, and he would become the second horse to win all three races. Eleven Stitches was the first in 1981.

“I respect Even The Score, but I don’t think he’s beaten too many good horses.” Jory said. “It’s been a weak division. He doesn’t scare me the way Southern Image or a horse like Perfect Drift would have.”

Olmodavor, Royal Moro, Yessirgeneralsir, Gift Of The Eagle and Total Impact are expected to round out the Gold Cup field.

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Two races before the Gold Cup, Rock Hard Ten will seek his first stakes win in the $400,000 Swaps Breeders’ Cup Stakes against five other 3-year-olds.

One of the main challengers, Suave, is fresh off a win in the Northern Dancer Stakes at Churchill Downs. Suave will be ridden by Rafael Bejarano, who leads the national jockey standings in victories and unseated perennial champion Pat Day at Churchill Downs’ spring-summer meet, which ended Monday.

Bejarano, 22, a native of Peru, finished with 81 wins at Churchill, 27 more than Day, who has led 34 meets at the Louisville track.

“I’m very, very excited about coming out there,” Bejarano said through an interpreter when reached at Ellis Park. “It’s a great opportunity, and I’m looking forward to it because I’ve never been there before.

“[Suave] ran very well last time. I’m very confident about his chances. I think he’ll love the distance, and I think he has a really good shot at beating Rock Hard Ten.”

Owned by Mace and Samantha Siegel’s Jay Em Stable, Suave won the Northern Dancer by three lengths at 11-1 odds, relishing a sloppy track. His other wins came in an allowance at Gulfstream Park earlier this year and in a maiden race Nov. 9 at Churchill Downs.

Trainer Paul McGee, the brother-in-law of local trainer Ron Ellis, won 13 races at Churchill, all with Bejarano.

“He just has that intangible, horses seem to run for him,” McGee said. “He’s small and looks like Pat Day or Julie Krone on a horse. They look like such naturals.”