The "Hollywood Futurity" in Danger
 

http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-raci...-starlet-in-16

The Futurity, under its three different names since its inauguration in 1981, has produced:

1983-Life's Magic (3rd) Won BC Distaff 1985-Champion Older Female
1985-Snow Chief-Preakness, Champion 3yo. Ferdinand 3rd-Derby/BC Classic/HOTY
1986-Alysheba (2nd)-won KY Derby, Preakness, BC Classic/HOTY-Hall Of Famer
1990-Best Pal-won all kinds of stuff-Hall Of Famer
1991-AP Indy....no need to list them but Hall Of Famer indeed.
1994-Thunder Gulch (2nd)-Derby/Belmont/Travers winner-3yo Champion
1997-Real Quiet-Dual Classic winner beaten a nose for the TC
1999-Captain Steve-Dubai World Cup
2000-Point Given-Dual Classic winner-HOTY/Hall Of Famer
2004-Giacomo (2nd)-KY Derby winner
2008-Pioneerof The Nile-2nd KY Derby-sired American Pharoah ('nuff said)
2009-Lookin At Lucky-Preakness/Champion 2yo and 3yo colt
2013-Shared Belief-Champion 2yo-won Big Cap huge
2014-Dortmund-Firing Line 2nd-finished 3rd/2nd respectively in KY Derby behind American Pharoah

I don't believe there is a 2yo race anywhere in the country since 1981 that has produced that kind of fire-power. No less than FOUR Hall Of Famers in that crowd, and multiple Eclipse Award Champions in various divisions 2yos & up out the WAZOO!

The idea that this race could "go away" is just unthinkable!

that is a pretty crazy list of horses through the years.

In flux, not in danger. As discussed with Rick Hammerle on Friday, Del Mar seems the most likely host of the Starlet and Futurity.

From Steve Anderson's DRF piece:

On Thursday, it was not immediately clear what would happen to the Starlet or Futurity. Hammerle said in a phone interview in the afternoon that Santa Anita “would look at them with interest.” Del Mar officials expressed similar thoughts.

Timing could be an issue. The Futurity and Starlet have typically been run on the first three weekends of December, well away from the Breeders’ Cup earlier in the autumn. In 2016, Del Mar will run its autumn meeting through the first weekend of December before Los Alamitos begins its autumn meeting.

Pretty much all the major 2yo stakes are historically important and will have produced a litany of future major stakes winners. The Hollywood Futurity, aside from Roving Boy versus Copelan in 1982, has not been effective in producing a pitched battle for the 2yo Eclipse despite its late season position. In fact, only 4 Eclipse 2yos have come from there whereas the Champagne has produced 11, the Breeder's Futurity 6, and both the Norfolk and Del Mar Futurity 7 (likely 8 if Nyquist is named champion).

From the first 3 finishers since 1981, the Champagne has also produced more classic winners and more Travers winners.

Races like the Cowdin, Futurity, Laurel Futurity, Young America, and Garden State Stakes were very important in their respective heydays but for one reason or another were retooled or simply went by the wayside.

The Hollywood Futurity had an immediate impact because of its massive purse, but that has been chipped away for years now and the race is losing a bit of steam with all the minor changes (location, distance, purse, surface). A switch to Del Mar will at least keep it alive.