HORSE RACING

• Student Council a go for Hollywood Gold Cup

  
  

  Lexington, KY (Sports Network) - Student Council, winner of this year's Pimlico Special, has been confirmed as a starter for this Saturday's $750,000 Hollywood Gold Cup.

  Owner Millennium Farms made the announcement Monday in a press release.

  Thesix-year-old istrained by Steve Asmussen and was also up for consideration for the $400,000 Suburban Handicap at Belmont Park on Saturday.

  "It came down to the weights and the higher purse," said Ro Parra, owner of Millennium Farms.

  "Perhaps it will be 'third time's the charm' for us, as we've been third in the Gold Cup twice and we think we can win it this year with Student Council." Student Council has been assigned 117 pounds for the Gold Cup while Santa AnitaHandicap winnerHeatseeker is highweight at 123 pounds.

  Shaun Bridgmohan, who rode the horse to victory in the Pimlico Special, will again be in the saddle.

  A winner of eight career starts, Student Council has earned more than $1.3 million in 27 lifetime races. He captured last year's Pacific Classic at Del Mar and the Hawthorne Gold Cup at the suburban Chicago track.

  In other Gold Cup news, for the first time since 2004 the name of the Hollywood Gold Cup winner will not be named Lava Man. The three-time defending champion will not be back to try for a fourth win in Saturday's $750,000 Hollywood Park event.

  "He's going to wait until Del Mar," said trainer Doug O'Neill. "I wanted to make sure he's 110 percent. That last race knocked him out a little bit." Lava Man is coming off a third place finish in the Charles Whittingham Handicap earlier this month. His last win was last year's Hollywood Gold Cup when he joined Native Diver as the only three-time winners of the race.

  In a 45 race career, Lava Man has won 17 times and earned $5.2 million.

  06/23 10:46:01 ET