By Larry Stumes
Mast Track, owned, bred and trained by Bobby Frankel, controlled the pace with steady fractions and won the Grade 1, $750,000 Hollywood Gold Cup by 21/4 lengths over favored Go Between on Saturday at Hollywood Park.
Ridden by Tyler Baze, Russell's second cousin, Mast Track ran his quarter-mile fractions in 24.41 seconds, 24.47, 24.10, 23.96 and 24.43 to finish 1 1/4 miles in a Cushion Track record 2:01.37.
Northern California's McCann's Mojave finished fourth and earned $45,000 to move to $1,513,565 for his 35-race career. The Jerry Hollendorfer-trained Heatseeker would have been favored but was scratched Friday because of a minor injury to his left front ankle.
Mast Track paid $23.60 for his fifth victory in nine starts and his first in a stakes event. He has two wins and a second in three starts on synthetic surfaces. His other races have been on grass including a fifth-place finish in the Grade 1 Shoemaker Mile.
Mast Track easily wins in Hollywood....
