Happy Independence Day! -- Monterey Jazz Wins American Handicap

Video courtesy of Hollywood Park.

Monterey Jazz and jockey Tyler Baze scored an impressive win in today's American Handicap at Hollywood Park. Trained by Craig Dollase, Monterey Jazz is owned by Tom Arndt’s A and R Stables and the Joe Masino-managed Class Racing Stable.

The American Handicap is part of a double billing for Independence Day weekend at Hollywood Park, followed up by tomorrow's Grade 1 American Oaks for three-year-old fillies. I imagined there would be a plethora of other patriotic-themed stakes around the country this weekend, but oddly enough was only able to find two Firecracker Handicaps (Churchill Downs and Mountaineer Park) and two Independence Day Stakes/Handicaps (Mountaineer and Wyoming Downs). A little disappointing, really. I was hoping to find at least a Yankee Doodle Dandee Stakes or two! Anyway, Happy Fourth of July!

An Interesting Story Follows Irish Trainer Dermot Weld into American Oaks

Internationally renowned Irish trainer Dermot Weld, who won the American Oaks in 2003 with Dimitrova, seeks a second win Sunday at Hollywood Park with Rare Ransom.

An interesting story follows Weld into Sunday's stakes race... Rare Ransom, who has won two of seven starts in Ireland, will be ridden by Patrick Smullen. In 2003, Smullen was named on Dimitrova at entry time, but the call had originally been given to jockey David Flores. Following an appeal to the racing board by Jim Pegram, agent for Flores, the stewards ruled that the owners of Dimitrova would have to pay double jockey fees -- $90,000 in the event of a win -- if Smullen rode. Flores got the call, and scored with Dimitrova by two lengths over Sand Springs.

Sunday, Flores will ride Mrs Kipling for Hall of Fame trainer Neil Drysdale and celebrity chef owner Bobby Flay. Mrs Kipling scored an impressive 2 1/2-length victory in the one-mile Senorita Stakes at Hollywood Park on May 3.

The $700,000 American Oaks will be contested at 1-1/4 miles on the Hollywood Park turf course.

Well Monied Works at Santa Anita

Well Monied worked at Santa Anita early Tuesday morning, for trainer Howard Zucker. Jockey Joel Rosario, who is named to ride Well Monied in the $700,000 American Oaks Invitational on Sunday, was aboard for the work, going 5 furlongs in 1:00 handily.

Well Monied, owned by C.T. Grether, Inc., heads a strong group of local fillies, who will be facing a stellar international field that includes Apple Charlotte trained by Henry Cecil from England, Rare Ransom from the stable of Irish trainer Dermot Weld, and Puttanesca from New Zealand.