SANTA ANITA NOTEBOOK
DECEMBER 23, 2010
by John Mucciolo
Meet Preview
The much anticipated meet at Santa Anita will get underway on Sunday. For the
first time since the spring of 2007, racing on the main oval will be contested on
dirt, replacing the Pro-Ride and that juncture. This important meeting kicks off
in a big way, with a trio of graded stakes, two of which are of the Grade 1
variety. The $250,000 Malibu S. (G1) is for sophomore males, with its
counterpart, the $250,000 La Brea S. (G1) for three-year-old ladies. Also on
Sunday is the $150,000 Sir Beaufort S. (G2) on the lawn.
Other big races to be held at the Arcadia, California, venue include the $1
million Santa Anita Derby (G1) on April 9; $750,000 Santa Anita H. (G1),
$300,000 Frank E. Kilroe Mile (G1) and $250,000 Santa Anita Oaks (G1) on March
5; the Santa Monica H. (G1) on January 30; the Las Virgenes S. (G1) on February
5; and $300,000 Santa Margarita S. (G1) March 12.
The transition of the main oval is among the most appealing things this meet
has to offer this season and we fully expect the toteboard to display some big
numbers, especially early on. After a few years of nothing but synthetic
surfaces on the major Southern California circuits, bettors will have an
additional challenge in trying to determine which horses will adapt to the new
ground and prosper.
Local horseman have often mentioned that the Cushion oval at Hollywood is the
closest thing that they have to natural dirt, so it may be wise to peg horses
that have done their best work in Inglewood, in hopes that the form holds up. It
should be very interesting!
Trainer Steve Asmussen will stable 30 horses here in his first voyage here
with a full string. This nationwide stable wins at a good rate at virtually
every stop, and the same should be expected here. John Sadler earned the title
as top trainer a year ago and is obviously a major threat to win again. Bob
Baffert, Jerry Hollendorfer and Sadler combined for 23 stakes races and will
almost surely be among the leaders in that category this time around. Baffert
has shipped numerous horses east to run on dirt in the recent past and will now
likely keep them home, making him our favorite to saddle the most winners.
Jockey Rafael Bejarano easily won the riding title last campaign and finished
one behind the in-form Joel Rosario with 10 stakes wins. Rosario has arguably
never ridden better than he currently is, he’s receiving a ton of live mounts
and is our big choice to ride the most eventual photo takers. Multiple Eclipse
Award winner Garrett Gomez, the rejuvenation of troubled, yet talented, rider
Pat Valenzuela, as well as the revitalized Corey Nakatani, add some star power
to the jockeys’ race.
We’ll mention a few horses that we look forward to seeing at Santa Anita:
Fillies and Mares
Blind Luck (Pollard’s Vision) — Genuine sophomore filly shows up for
every race and has done a ton of damage on dirt, so it makes sense that she will
have a huge meeting for Hollendorfer. Late-running star will hope to fill the
void left by the incredible Zenyatta. She’s expected to make her next start in
the El Encino S. (G2) on January 16
Switch (Quiet American) — Sophomore miss showed her class, and
versatility, when finishing a fine second in the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare
Sprint (G1). Grade 2 winner ran Zenyatta down to the final two jumps in the
Lady’s Secret (G1) two back and is surely among the top returning fillies in the
nation for Sadler. This lass is La Brea-bound.
Sophomores
Sidney’s Candy (Candy Ride [Arg]) — Three-year-old dominated his
sophomore counterparts en route to tallies in a trio of races this spring,
capped by the Santa Anita Derby (G1). The colt then set a track record in his
turf debut in the La Jolla H. (G2) prior to setting the pace and finishing a
respectable sixth in the Breeders’ Cup Mile (G1) most recently.
Alcindor (Unbridled’s Song) — Most impressive Baffert-trained
sophomore has been awesome to date from two starts, including a sensational, 7
1/2-length allowance win last out in what we thought was among the most exciting
races at Hollywood. The sky appears to be the limit for the well bred colt, who
will makes his stakes debut in the Malibu Sunday.
Turf
Bourbon Bay (Sligo Bay [Ire]) — The first horse to sweep the marathon
series since 1993 will almost surely travel down that road this season for Hall
of Fame conditioner Neil Drysdale. The talented four-year-old made his first
start since the spring in October’s Clement L. Hirsch S. (G1) and finished a
closing third, which should set him up for a big meet.
Juveniles
Comma to the Top (Bwana Charlie) — CashCall Futurity (G1) star has
rolled to five consecutive wins and enters 2011 as the top sophomore on the West
Coast. The Peter Miller charge is on a roll right now and there is no telling if
he will stop any time soon.
Coil (Point Given) — We were high on this one entering his maiden win
last out on November 13 and came away even more intrigued by this private
purchase. The colt debuted for Glen Hill Farm and trainer Tom Proctor in his
third-place debut, but showed up with Baffert for new owners next out. The
chestnut juvenile is bred to run long and could turn into a Triple Crown
prospect if he handles the dirt.