Del Mar: Betting the 2025 Hollywood Turf Cup Stakes

Defending champ #7 Truly Quality will lead a cast of nine postward in Friday’s $200,000 Hollywood Turf Cup S. (G2) at Del Mar. The 1 1/2-mile event on the lawn attracted a good group, and I will tab the Augustin Stables’ homebred for a repeat in the tilt. 

Hollywood Turf Cup Wagers

• $20 exacta 7 with 4 ($20)
  $3 trifecta key 7 with 4,8,9 ($18)

Hollywood Turf Cup Analysis

Trained by Jonathan Thomas, the five-year-old gelding has been a consistently good performer and peaked in the latter part of 2024 when rolling home in a trio of stakes races in succession, while earning hefty Brisnet Speed numbers of 105-107-105 along the way. The dark bay gelding has run just once since February, when missing by a half-length in the Del Mar H. (G2) on the grounds on Aug. 30, and he has obvious room for improvement the second time back on Friday. 

Truly Quality has posted a quartet of solid morning drills leading up to his third local appearance and will race with the blinkers off in this spot. A two-time winner from three tries at 12 furlongs, the top pick will rally from off the pace with Mirco Demuro accepting the mount. 

I’ve long thought that #4 Nineeleventurbo was at his best marathoning on the grass, and he moves back to 1 1/2 miles for conditioner Neil Drysdale. The eight-year-old son of More Than Ready hasn’t won dating back to 2023, but the gelding likes the course, evidenced by his 4-1-1-2 mark locally, and he also owns a win and a third from two tries at the trip. He was third in the race last campaign, and I expect him to run well at a nice number under Antonio Fresu. 

The Michael McCarthy-trained #9 Mondego put in positive efforts in the Del Mar H. (G2) and John Henry Turf (G2) in his last two tries and gets more ground to work with in this spot. The five-year-old son of Lope de Vega comes in fresh for a good layoff trainer, and I think that he will appreciate 1 1/2 miles from the outside post with regular rider Kimura in the irons. 

Millionaire #8 Balnikhov snapped a long losing streak with a powerful allowance score on the oval last time out for Phil D’Amato. Second in the race in 2024, the six-year-old has kept top company over the past two seasons and is a very good fit in this field over a surface where he has run some big races. The pace of the race will be moderate, which will not aid his late kick, but he’s a classy gelding coming off a strong run and must be included with Rispoli staying in the silks.