The top three finishers from last year's Hollywood Turf Cup Stakes (G2T) return for a rematch Nov. 28 at Del Mar. Up for grabs is the lion's share of a $200,000 purse.
Truly Quality, who was victorious by a half-length 12 months ago, is making only his third start of the year. He was sixth in the Feb. 8 San Marcos Stakes (G3T), and then, after an almost seven-month layoff, he was fourth, beaten just a half-length, in the Del Mar Handicap (G2T).
Of his 15 career starts, three have come at the 1 1/2 miles at which the Hollywood Turf Cup will be contested. In those three starts, the homebred for George Strawbridge Jr.'s Augustin Stables won twice.
Second to Truly Quality by a half-length in the last edition of the Turf Cup was Balnikhov.
The Phil D'Amato trainee has had a mixed bag for his 6-year-old campaign. He opened 2025 finishing 10th in the Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational Stakes (G1T) and steadily improved his finishing positions until eighth in the Del Mar Handicap. But D'Amato sharpened his pupil with a triumphant allowance optional claiming race over Del Mar's turf Nov. 2.
Owned by Little Red Feather Racing, Madaket Stables, and Old Bones Racing Stables, Balnikhov is the lone millionaire in the field of nine 3-year-olds and up.
While Balnikhov was a half-length back of the 2024 winner, another 1 1/2 lengths behind was Nineeleventurbo. Trained by Neil Drysdale, the son of More Than Ready last saw graded action in the 2024 San Gabriel Stakes (G2T) to end his 7-year-old season.
Like Truly Quality, Nineeleventurbo had a seven-month hiatus. He saw a third-place finish in his 2025 debut, the listed Wickerr Stakes, followed by a fifth in the Tapit Stakes. Drysdale took his trainee down a notch, where he was second in an allowance optional claimer at Kentucky Downs and most recently fourth in an allowance contest at Keeneland.
Also in the field is 2023 John Henry Turf Championship Stakes (G2T) victor Balladeer, one of seven Kentucky-bred runners in the race. That win two years ago was his last. He's run 14 times since, a dozen in graded company, including the 2023 Breeders' Cup Turf (G1). Just as he is looking to end his winless streak, Balladeer has never won going 1 1/2 miles in five starts at the distance.
Trainer Leonard Powell has two shots at winning the Hollywood Turf Cup. He brings Flashiest and Grogu. Besides last year's Del Mar Mile Stakes (G2T), Flashiest, a Mizzen Mast gelding, has contested only one other graded race since 2021, a stretch of 25 races. His stablemate, however, will be making his graded stakes debut.
Del Mar, Friday, November 28, 2025, Race 7Entries: Hollywood Turf Cup S. (G2T)
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 1Balladeer (KY) Edwin A. Maldonado 122 George Papaprodromou 12/1 2 2Flashiest (KY) Armando Ayuso 122 Leonard Powell 15/1 3 3Rastaman Vibe (KY) Juan J. Hernandez 122 Mark Glatt 8/1 4 4Nineeleventurbo (KY) Antonio Fresu 122 Neil D. Drysdale 6/1 5 5Grogu (KY) Diego A. Herrera 122 Leonard Powell 8/1 6 6Reiquist (KY) Hector Isaac Berrios 122 Tim Yakteen 10/1 7 7Truly Quality (KY) Mirco Demuro 124 Jonathan Thomas 5/2 8 8Balnikhov (IRE) Umberto Rispoli 122 Philip D'Amato 4/1 9 9Mondego (GB) Kazushi Kimura 122 Michael W. McCarthy 5/1
