Since the Futurity was held in the latter part of December, there was always a holiday feeling in the air. Fans drove to Hollywood Park on the city’s west side via boulevards decorated with bright lights and decorations. They left the track and headed to parties that matched the season, or straight to the busy shopping malls. The Christmas spirit would flow.
Chances are they had witnessed a special racehorse in the making, perhaps even a future champion. Roving Boy, Snow Chief, Declan’s Moon. Dear friend, real quiet, Captain Steve. Point given, Brother Derek, King Glorious. Watching Lucky Lionheart, shared faith. They added significant value to their Futurity triumphs.
There were even winners of the Hollywood Futurity who literally shaped the breed. In 1991, the level-headed, powerful AP Indy won a close decision under an ice-cold Eddie Delahoussaye hand ride. In 2008 the margin was a nose between the victorious Pioneerof the Nile and I Want Revenge. AP Indy became a champion sire and broodmare sire, with more than twenty sons at stud. Pioneer of the Nile begotten American Pharaoh .
By 2007, the Hollywood Futurity had become the CashCall Futurity, thanks to a clever wallet infusion from owner Paul Reddam. However, it was still the Hollywood Futurity in spirit, mostly under the lights on a chilly evening in Inglewood, California, and Reddam continued his sponsorship in Hollywood until the track closed at the end of the meeting in December 2013.
Point Seen wins the Hollywood Futurity 2000 in Hollywood Park
Now we have the Los Alamitos Futurity (G2), which in no way resembles the Hollywood Futurity in terms of wallet, location or competitive depth. In fact, an asterisk and a rounding error are needed so as not to confuse the December 13 Los Alamitos Futurity for Thoroughbreds with the December 14 Los Alamitos Two Million Futurity for Quarter Horses. The purse for the Los Alamitos Two Million Futurity is $1.9 million, but that’s nitpicking.
For the 2019 edition, the Los Alamitos Futurity’s Class 1 rating was downgraded. In response, the purse was reduced to $200,000, the minimum required to qualify for a Grade 2 rating. Another response would have been to increase the purse size in an effort to return the Los Alamitos Futurity to a glimpse of the old Hollywood Futurity days. But I guess that option wasn’t on the table.
The Futurity spent most of its 33-year existence in Hollywood Park, attracting both national attention and participation. Since it was revived at Los Alamitos, over the same 1 1/16 miles on an elongated Quarter Horse track, not so much.
The winners of the 11 Los Alamitos versions come from the stable of just four trainers. Michael McCarthy, Doug O’Neill and Tim Yaakteen each won one. Bob Baffert won the rest.
In contrast, the winners of the last eleven CashCall/Hollywood Futurities presented at Hollywood Park came from nine different barns: those of Patrick Biancone, Ron Ellis, Dan Hendricks, William Currin, Richard Mandella, Peter Miller, Todd Pletcher and Jerry Hollendorfer, plus three from Baffert.
And those races were significantly harder to win. The average field size of the last 11 at Hollywood Park was 9.6, including two gates of 12 and one of 13. The last 11 at Los Alamitos averaged 5.2 starters, including one field of four. Of the 58 young horses that have run in the Los Alamitos Futurity over the past 11 years, 23 have been trained by Baffert.
Such numbers are depressing for fans and discouraging for serious horseplayers. Saturday’s renewal offers more of the same, with three of the six participants from the Baffert stable:Litmus test , Origin And Blacksmith – none of them took the first string into account.
In stark contrast, the 2007 Futurity attracted a field of 12 on the synthetic surface of Hollywood Park. Mandella had entered a son of Harlan’s Holiday, out of a Tricky Creek mare, who was in his third start. His name was In mischief .
“The first time he came into the paddock for his first race at Santa Anita, he had more things on his mind than running,” Mandella said, referring to the young colt’s display of reproductive equipment. “He was running like crazy anyway. I figured if that was a sign of things to come, it would be worse next time. But for some reason he never did it again, at least not as a racehorse.”
Three days before Christmas, Into Mischief faced eleven opponents in the $753,000 Futurity, including three interlopers from Todd Pletcher’s stable. Bag favored half the field ahead of Into Mischief, by almost 14-1, which was a bit of a surprise as he had just finished second as 2-1 favorite in the Hollywood Prevue Stakes (G3) at 7 furlongs.
“I’m surprised he wasn’t 30-1 like I do,” Mandella said at the time. He went 2-for-28 at the line.
Dressed in the colors of Spendthrift Farm, Into Mischief was on the bike from the start, keeping the pace high before separating from the pack mid-stretch, its long blaze shining like the headlight of a runaway train. Victor Espinoza stayed busy until the wire to beat Colonel Johannes by 1 1/4 lengths, and all Colonel John did the following year was win the Travers Stakes (G1).
Into Mischief wasn’t so lucky. His early three-year-old season ended the following February after a second-place finish in the San Vicente Stakes (G2).
“He had a lot of ability and his races were always good,” Mandella said. “But he had foot problems as a three-year-old. We got him set up to run around Breeders’ Cup time in one of the support seven-eighths stakes. He just sat back and circled the field.”
Into Mischief completed his shortened three-year-old campaign with a second-place finish in the Malibu Stakes (G1). Mandella was licking his chops in anticipation of a four-year-old season when the call came from owner B. Wayne Hughes.
“I don’t know how I managed to beat him in the Malibu, but I did,” the trainer said. “Then Wayne took him to breed him.”
And he did, to multiple stallion championships, classic winners and a stud fee of $250,000. Into Mischief turns 21 in 2026.
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