High Heel Sneakers Captures Hermosa Beach; Pick Six Pays $154,253 at Hollywood Park

(edited Hollywood Park report)
Favorite High Heel Sneakers, under Victor Espinoza, easily outran Brushed Gold through the stretch en route to a 2-3/4 length victory in Sunday's $65,000 Hermosa Beach Handicap at Hollywood Park.

The 5-year-old bay mare, meeting easier competition after a seventh-place finish in the Grade 1 Yellow Ribbon S. at Santa Anita, covered the one and one-half miles on the Lakeside Turf Course in 2:28.58 while paying $5.60, $3.40 and $2.60. Brushed Gold, ridden by Garrett Gomez, paid $5.40 and $3.40, while the show payoff on Maryland shipper Caprice paid $2.60.

High Heel Sneakers, a Great Britain-bred owned by Christopher Wright and trained by Ben Cecil, won for the third time in 20 starts. The winner's share of $42,925 raised her earnings to $212,137. The win was her first in four U.S. starts.

With a Pick Six carryover of $112,486 entering Sunday, an additional $630,918 was wagered. The payoff to three perfect tickets was $154,253.20.

Maryland Shipper Caprice in Sunday's Hermosa Beach Hcp. at Hollywood Park

Maryland shipper Caprice has been supplemented by trainer Graham Motion to Sunday's $65,000-added Hermosa Beach Handicap at Hollywood Park. The stakes is for fillies and mares, 3 and up, at one and a half miles on the turf. Rafael Bejarano has the mount.

The German-bred mare will be seeking her first U.S. victory. Most recently, she finished third in the Dowager Stakes at Keeneland Oct. 19.

The stakes is named for the eclectic city on the Pacific Ocean just a few miles from the track. Hermosa Beach is bordered by two other famous Southern California playgrounds - Manhattan Beach and Redondo Beach. Hermosa Beach pier, at the end of Pier Avenue, is one of the city's main areas for shopping and dining, including the best Cajun food restaurant west of the Mississippi, the Ragin' Cajun. Coincidentally, the Ragin' Cajun is owned and operated by my cousin Steven Domingue from Lafayette, Louisiana! If you're ever in Hermosa Beach, ya'll come!

Here's the entire field for the Hermosa Beach Stakes:

1 Opal Haze (Michael Baze)
2 High Heel Sneakers (Victor Espinoza)
3 Elle Pickle (Aaron Gryder)
4 Caprice (Bejarano)
5 Le Cirque (Joe Talamo)
6 Brushed Gold (Garrett Gomez)
7 Rushen Heat (Jose Valdivia)
8 Restless Soul (Joel Rosario)
9 Sports Edition (Martin Garcia)