Hollywood Hideaway and Beliveau bumped a number of times down the lane, with Beliveau passing the wire first, but it was Hollywood Hideaway that took the spoils after being elevated to the win position following an inquiry in Saturday’s $132,000 Victoria Stakes, at Woodbine.
The Victoria Stakes, a five-furlong sprint on Polytrack for two-year olds in 2014, is now contested over six furlongs on turf.
The inquiry focused on the final 70 yards of the sprint over the E.P. Taylor Turf Course as the pacesetting Hollywood Hideaway, with Luis Contreras up, was engaged by the rallying Beliveau, piloted by Eurico Rosa da Silva.
“My horse was fighting really hard to the end, but the other horse started laying in on my horse,” said Contreras. “At the end, just three or four jumps before the wire, he got me really bad. My horse was fighting back and I know if nothing happened I would have won the race.”
Hollywood Hideaway, trained by Barb Minshall for owner-breeder Bruce Lunsford, was making his career debut in the Victoria. The Kentucky-bred Zensational grey, out of Kalosca, is a half-brother to Grade 1 winner Arravale, Canada’s Horse of the Year in 2006.
“He’s still a little bit green, but he ran huge. He loves the turf,” added Contreras. “He was fighting back. He was trying to win the race. He’s all class. He breezed really nice on the ‘Poly’, but his pedigree is all turf.”
Hollywood Hideaway set splits of :23.23 and :46.61 in the Victoria, from the outside post in a field of eight, as Beliveau stalked from second position.
Conquest City Girl, the 9-5 race favourite, was slow from the gate but advanced wide through the turn before flattening out. Hollywood Hideaway, a ½-length leader at the top of the lane, opened up a greater advantage before being collared and bumped by Beliveau in the run to the wire. The final running time was 1:09.65.
Iluvbeefstew, pulled up in the stretch run with an injury to his left front leg, was vanned off and had to be humanely euthanized. An objection by Pablo Morales, the rider of Iluvbeefstew, against Tyler Pizarro, the rider of Get’erdonebud, for interference in the stretch was disallowed by the stewards.
Hollywood Hideaway banked $75,000 in victory. He paid $11.60, $4.30 and $3.40 combining with Beliveau ($3.60, $2.80) for a $37.30 (8-7) exactor. An 8-7-4 triactor (Dragon Bay, $7.70 to show) was worth $599.30, while a $1 Superfecta [8-7-4-1 (Get’erdonebud)] came back $823.20.
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