J P’s Gusto is a 2-year-old horse to get excited about

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The first stakes race of the year for 2-year-olds at Hollywood Park produced a record performance by J P’s Gusto, who won the Willard L. Proctor Stakes by 4 1/2 lengths Sunday in the stakes-record time of 1:02.97 for 5 1/2 furlongs.

‘A horse like this makes an old man smile,’ trainer David Hofmans said of the son of the Kentucky-based stallion Successful Appeal.

Added jockey Joe Talamo: ‘He’s really good. I worked him once for David and man he can really run. I had a lot of horse going into the turn, and the reason I moved him there is that the favorite [Belleofthebridle] was going so easy, and I wanted to get the jump on her. When I asked him, he just exploded.’

J P’s Gusto is expected to be a top candidate for the important 2-year-old stakes races at Hollywood Park and Del Mar later in the year.

-- Eric Sondheimer