Instilled Regard, Raging Bull look to rebound in Hollywood Derby

Jose Hernandez, assistant to the nation’s leading trainer, Chad Brown, was on the end of a lead chain attached to Instilled Regard, who had an exercise rider in full tack on his back, going around and around an improvised walking ring between barns EE and FF Thursday morning at Del Mar.

The seaside oval's main track having been closed to training due to wet weather, there was no other option for the five representatives of Brown’s powerful stable dispatched from the east for the two Grade 1 stakes on the closing weekend menu here.

“I don’t think (a missed day of training) it’s going to be a problem,” Hernandez said. “They all came in on Tuesday and galloped well over the track Wednesday. So, they’ll all just tack walk today and then, when the track opens up, gallop again tomorrow.

“They’re all in good shape and we didn’t have any major training to do with them here anyway.”

Instilled Regard, a 3-year-old son of Arch, who was a $1.05 million purchase at the Ocala Sale in March of 2017 by the OXO stable of Larry Best, finished fourth behind Triple Crown winner Justify in both the Santa Anita and Kentucky derbies last spring before being transferred from Hall of Fame Trainer Jerry Hollendorfer to Brown.

One start for Brown, the Grade 1 Pennsylvania Derby at Parx in Philadelphia, produced a dead last of nine result, beaten 25 ¾ lengths by McKinzie. Saturday’s Grade 1, $300,000 Hollywood Derby marks a fresh start on a fresh surface for Instilled Regard. The 1 1/8-mile test will be his first race on turf.

“He’s doing really well,” Hernandez said. “We’ll see how he does on the turf. The race in Pennsylvania, we don’t know what happened. But we’ll give it a try.”

Raging Bull, a French-bred son of the Irish-bred stallion Dark Angel, won four of his first five races, among them the Grade 2 Hall of Fame Stakes on “yielding” turf at Saratoga in August and the Grade 3 Saranac there on “good” turf in September.

His last start, the Grade 2 Hill Prince at Belmont in October, was taken off the turf to the main track and Raging Bull finished fifth of seven, beaten 2 ¼ lengths by fellow Hollywood Derby entrant Have At It.

“Like Instilled Regard, we’re not sure what happened last time, maybe he just didn’t like the track,” Hernandez said. “But he’s a good horse and he’s doing well, so we’re here to give it a try.”

Raging Bull was given more respect from Brown's Hollywood Derby duo, established as the 7-2 second choice behind 5-2 River Boyne on the morning line of oddsmaker Russ Hudak issued Thursday.

Brown leads North American trainers for money earnings in 2018 with more than $26 million from 795 starts and 216 wins. Steve Asmussen is second with just over $25 million off 1,772 starts and 366 wins.

The strength of Brown’s turf division was on display at the Breeders’ Cup World Championships at Churchill Downs early last month. On Friday, Nov. 2, Brown saddled Newspaperofrecord to win the $1 million Juvenile Fillies Turf and the following day his Sistercharlie took the $2 million Filly & Mare Turf.

The Hollywood Derby field from the rail: Have At It (David Cohen, 6-1), Kazan (Brice Blanc, 20-1), Risky Proposition (Joe Talamo, 20-1), River Boyne (Flavien Prat, 5-2), Fight On (Alonso Quinonez, 20-1), Raging Bull (Joel Rosario, 7-2), Instilled Regard (Florent Geroux, 12-1), Desert Stone (Tyler Baze, 8-1), Platinum Warrior, 12-1), Way Early, (Angel Cruz, 30-1), Carrick (Kent Desormeaux, 8-1), Pubilius Syrus (Edwin Maldonado, 30-1), Prince Earl (Tiago Pereira, 20-1) and Californiagoldrush (Rafael Bejarano, 12-1).