A short field of five, headed by Californian Stakes winner Stilleto Boy, was entered Friday for Monday’s $400,000 Hollywood Gold Cup, one of three Grade I stakes scheduled for Memorial Day at Santa Anita.

Overall, 11 stakes races will be held at Santa Anita over the next three days, beginning with five stakes for state-bred horses Saturday. First post all three days is 1 p.m.

The question regarding the Gold Cup is which Stilleto Boy will we see – the one who showed surprising early speed in the Californian en route to a gate-to-wire victory over Santa Anita Handicap winner Express Train, or the Stilleto Boy who has also shown a fondness for running just off the lead?

Despite the fact Stilleto Boy’s three career victories have all come in gate-to-wire fashion, the 4-year-old gelding’s trainer believes the son of Shackleford is better from off the pace.

“We’re not going to send him or anything,” Ed Moger Jr. told Santa Anita publicity. “We’ll get him out there, get him into the race and play it by ear. In the Californian, I told Juan (jockey Juan Hernandez) to kind of hustle him into the race and then just play it by ear. He got a pretty easy lead and that’s how it was, but I think his best races have been when he’s halfway close to the pace.”

A stalking strategy was used in the Big ’Cap on March 5, which led to a third-place finish behind Express Train and Warrant. He also tried come-from-behind tactics in the Pegasus World Cup Invitational at Gulfstream Park on Jan. 29 which led to a third-place showing behind Life Is Good and Knicks Go.

Moger, 66, will be looking for his second career Grade I victory, while Stilleto Boy will be looking for his first. He turned in a career-best 108 Beyer Speed Figure in the Californian and has earned $1,031,175 with his three victories in 15 starts. He’s 1 for 4 at Santa Anita with a second-place finish and two thirds.

“He’s only won three races in his life, so a Grade I win would be significant for the horse as well as me,” said Moger, whose previous Grade I victory came with Stormy Lucy by a head under Kent Desormeaux at 65-1 in the 2015 Matriarch at Del Mar.

“It was a perfect ride and we wouldn’t have won without a perfect ride like that,” Moger said. “He’s a great rider.”

Monday’s other two Grade I stakes, the $500,000 Shoemaker Mile and $400,000 Gamely, drew six- and-eight horse fields, respectively. The Shoemaker is for 3-year-olds and up and the Gamely is for fillies and mares. Both races are on the turf.

Philip D’Amato, the meet’s leading trainer, has three of the six horses in the Shoemaker Mile – Masteroffoxhounds, Count Again and Dance Some Mo. He’ll also send out Going to Vegas and Going Global in the Gamely.

If there are no single-ticket winners in the Rainbow Pick Six before Monday, there will be a mandatory payout on Gold Cup day. It is estimated that the pool could reach $5 million if there’s still a carryover.

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GOLD CUP LINEUP

The field for Monday’s $400,000 Grade I Hollywood Gold Cup, listed in post-position order with jockeys:

1. There Goes Harvard, Irad Ortiz Jr.

2. Royal Ship, Mike Smith

3. Spielberg, Flavien Prat

4. Defunded, Abel Cedillo

5. Stilleto Boy, Juan Hernandez

Note: The Gold Cup will be run as the fourth race on a 10-race card with an approximate post time of 2:30 p.m. The race will be televised by TVG.