Grandeur to stay in California for the Hollywood Turf Cup
Owned by Yvonne Jacques of England, Grandeur only made his American debut on 2nd November, and already he has made a serious impact on the marathon division. Trained by Jeremy Noseda of England, the 3-year-old gelding will be under Paddy Gallagher’s training in the coming weeks, and he will make his next start in the Grade 2, $250,000 Hollywood Turf Cup at Betfair Hollywood Park on 15 December, 2012.
The Hollywood Turf Cup will be run over a distance of 1 ½ miles, and it will be the first time the son of Verglas will run over at that distance. He is coming off a second place finish in the Grade 1 Hollywood Derby, in which he was sent as the favourite.
“That’s the race we’ll point for,” Gallagher said. “He ran well the other day. They’ve left him with me, and we’ll see how he is.”
In Sunday’s $250,000 Hollywood Derby, Grandeur was making his second start on American soil, and the gray colt settled way back in the field of 14 under jockey Garrett Gomez, showed an amazing turn of foot to overhaul almost the entire field, but Unbridled Command had it enough in him to fend off the late burst from Grandeur by 1 ½ lengths, as he finished second as the 7 to 2 favourite.
Bred in Ireland by Mrs. Cherry Faeste, Grandeur in his American debut ran in the Grade 2 Twilight Derby at about 1 1/8 miles over the unique hillside turf course of Santa Anita Park on 2 November, 2012, and started at the continent in winning style, as he bagged the race with the winning time of 1 minute and 46.78 seconds.
Before coming to America, Grandeur won a couple of minor handicaps both at Goodwood Racecourse, and both at 1 ¼ miles.
Grandeur could be a regular started at Santa Anita’s winter meet, depending on how the gelding fares in the Hollywood Turf Cup, and there could be further starts in the marathon division for the sophomore.
He will be accompanied by some seriously good runners in the Hollywood Turf Cup in the shape of Bourbon Bay and Kindergarden Kid, who are also aiming at the 1 ½ mile marathon.
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