AMERICAN
GRADED STAKES PREVIEWS
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CALIFORNIAN S. (G2), 8TH-HOL, $250,000, 3YO/UP, 1 1/8M, 4:50 P.M. PDT, 5-31 |
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| 1 |
HEATSEEKER (IRE), 5, h, by Giant’s CausewayRusty Back, by Defensive Play O-William de Burgh; B-Richard F Barnes (Ire) |
| 2 |
TIAGO, 4, c, by Pleasant TapSet Them Free, by Stop the Music O-Mr & Mrs J S Moss; B-Moss J. S. Mr. & Mrs. (Ky) |
| 3 |
SHAMDINAN (FR), 4, c, by Dr FongShamdara, by Dr Devious (Ire) O-Triple B Farms; B-S A Aga Khan (Fr) |
| 4 |
SURF CAT, 6, h, by Sir CatTrust Greta, by Centrust O-A Headley & Naify; B-William Taylor Nicholls & Gainsway Farm (Ky) |
| 5 |
ALBERTUS MAXIMUS, 4, c, by Albert the GreatChasethewildwind, by Forty Niner O-Brandon L & Marianne Chase; B-Marianne I. & Brandon Chase (Ky) |
TIAGO (Pleasant Tap) and HEATSEEKER (Ire) (Giant’s Causeway), the respective
one-two finishers from the recent Oaklawn H. (G2), return to action in Saturday’s
Californian S. (G2) at Hollywood Park. Although the nine-furlong race attracted just five,
it is loaded with classy sorts. We’ll side with Heatseeker to turn the tables,
as he receives four pounds from Tiago on this occasion. Heatseeker has been a model of consistency
since transferring to the sharp Jerry Hollendorfer barn, taking the Santa Anita H. (G1) and Native
Diver H. (G3) while placing in a trio of graded events, including the Oaklawn.
The five-year-old chestnut has been brilliant on the synthetic but impressed us a great deal
with his last try on the dirt, signaling his class on any surface. We
love the tactical speed that he possesses, and the presence of Rafael Bejarano
only adds to the appeal.
We still claim that SURF CAT (Sir Cat) is better on dirt, but we
acknowledge that the brilliant six-year-old is more than adept over this Cushion
Track oval
for Bruce Headley. The courageous dark bay closed with a rush to take the Mervyn
LeRoy H. (G2) last out against lesser and stretches out another sixteenth of a
mile in here, so if he utilizes his natural early speed, he could get first run
turning for home. Alex Solis has the call aboard the Kentucky-bred, who could
win this with his best. In his only prior try at this distance, he crushed the
field in the 2005 Swaps S. (G2).
ALBERTUS MAXIMUS (Albert the Great) is not a typical speed horse but has the
look of controlling speed in this compact cast, and the Gary Mandella charge
could be very dangerous with minor improvement. The bay four-year-old flashed
serious ability as a sophomore, finishing second in both the Swaps (to Tiago) and Affirmed H. (G3), and he could be up to a peak performance in his
third start off the bench. Corey Nakatani will likely lead the way for as
long as the Kentucky-bred allows him.
Tiago showed great determination in winning the Oaklawn most recently and is
a prime performer for conditioner John Shirreffs. The multiple Grade 1-winning
four-year-old was fourth lengths behind our top pick in the Big ‘Cap and we
don’t feel that he is as good on this surface as he is on the conventional oval,
so we’ll take a shot against the classy individual on this occasion. He’s also
saddled with the top weight of 126 pounds. Mike Smith
will ride the colt, who is an obvious exotics threat.
Grade 1 winner SHAMDINAN (Fr) (Dr Fong) has been in a major funk since
finishing second in the Breeders’ Cup Turf (G1) last fall, and the switch to the
Cushion Track appears to be a last-ditch attempt to get the colt right. Now in
the hands of the capable Dan McFarlane, the four-year-old has the back class to
factor with these on his best day, but it’s nearly impossible to tout him
against these in his current form cycle.