Grade 1 winners highlight Sunshine Millions card at Santa Anita

The Usual Q. T.’s last win came in the Eddie Read (Benoit Photos)

New York City-born trainer James Cassidy figures to be
a force on Saturday in Santa Anita’s portion of the ninth annual Sunshine Millions
competition when he saddles multiple Grade 1 winners THE USUAL Q. T. (Unusual
Heat) and EVENING JEWEL (Northern Afleet) in their respective events.

Conducted in concert with Gulfstream Park, the bicoastal event offers purses of $1.8 million and
is comprised of six
races exclusively for California- and Florida-breds. The Usual Q. T. will be the
leading challenger to Floridian multi-millionaire PRESIOUS PASSION (Royal
Anthem) among eight entrants in the $300,000
Sunshine Millions Turf while Evening
Jewel heads a cast of nine in the $300,000
Distaff. The $200,000
Sprint,
featuring COST OF FREEDOM (Cee’s Tizzy), completes the Sunshine Million races at
Santa Anita.

The Turf, set for 1 1/8 miles over Santa Anita’s Camino Real turf course, has
attracted a formidable lineup that includes such notables as Florida-bred
JERANIMO (Congaree) and Cal-bred CARACORTADO (Cat Dreams), in addition to
Presious Passion and The Usual Q. T.

The Mary Hartmann-trained Presious Passion has amassed $2,679,099 in earnings
while racing 49 times, compiling a mark of 14-7-2 along the way. The
eight-year-old gelding will be joined in the Turf by Elvis Trujillo, aboard for
his last 16 races.

Presious Passion is no stranger to Santa Anita’s turf (Benoit Photos)

The veteran campaigner, who clearly likes the grass course at Santa Anita and
does his best running on the front end, will be attempting to end a five-race
losing streak when returning to Southern California.

The Usual Q. T. is exiting a third-place run in the San Gabriel S. (G2), but
before that one was third by two lengths in the Breeders’ Cup Mile (G1) behind
Cartier Horse of the Year Goldikova (Ire) (Anabaa) and Gio Ponti (Tale of the
Cat). Those two just repeated as champion turf female and horse, respectively,
on Monday at the Eclipse Awards.

Cassidy gave The Usual Q. T. a brief freshening following his Breeders’ Cup
run, and the five-year-old gelding returned as the favorite in the San Gabriel
on December 27, but was upset by Jeranimo when fading to third.

The Usual Q. T., who will have regular rider Victor Espinoza aboard for
Saturday’s event, needed the race according to Cassidy.

The San Gabriel was the second win in as many turf tries for Jeranimo, who
captured a 1 1/16-mile grass allowance at Hollywood Park in late November. The
Mike Pender-trained five-year-old also scored in the Strub S. (G2) and finished
fourth in the Sunshine Millions Classic last year on the Pro-Ride at Santa
Anita.

Caracortado may have found a new home on turf (Benoit Photos)

Caracortado was an impressive winner in his only race on turf, a sprint at
Hollywood Park in November. He came back to run third at seven furlongs in the
Malibu S. (G1) behind a track-record setting Twirling Candy (Candy Ride [Arg])
and Smiling Tiger (Hold That Tiger) on Santa Anita’s opening day, December 26.

Trained by Michael Machowsky, the four-year-old captured the Robert
B. Lewis S. (G2) at Santa Anita as a sophomore to extend his then unbeaten streak
to five races. His turf score came following an extended vacation after the
chestnut ran seventh in the Preakness S. (G1), and Machowsky is welcoming the change
in surface back to turf.

“I’m kind of anxious to get him
back on the grass,” he said.

Caracortado prepared for his Sunshine Millions engagement with a five-furlong
work on Saturday at Santa Anita in 1:01.

“He’s great,” Machowsky said. “He worked (Saturday) and flew home down the
lane. He looks great this morning so we’re good to go. My horse is doing well
right now.”

Evening Jewel (inside) proved herself in route events last year (Reed Palmer Photography/Churchill Downs)

Evening Jewel finished third behind Dubai Majesty and Switch (Quiet American)
in the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint (G1) at Churchill Downs on November 5,
but Cassidy doesn’t expect the stretch-out to 1 1/16 miles in the Distaff to be
a challenge for the filly.

The four-year-old California-bred hadn’t been off the board since her maiden
debut at Del Mar in August of 2009 until reappearing on January 2 in the
Monrovia S. (G3) at Santa Anita, where she wound up fifth on the wire.

During her sophomore season, Evening Jewel posted Grade 1 triumphs in the
grassy Del Mar Oaks and the Ashland S. on Keeneland’s Polytrack while also
losing a pair of Grade 1 events by a nose in the Kentucky Oaks and Las Virgenes.
Those two losses came at the hoofs of recently crowned champion three-year-old
filly Blind Luck (Pollard’s Vision), whose own recent return resulted in a
runner-up finish in the El Encino S. (G2) last Sunday.

Evening Jewel’s primary competition in the Distaff might come from trainer Vladimir Cerin’s
BRIECAT (Adcat), a six-year-old Florida-bred mare who won the Las Palmas H. (G2)
at Hollywood Park last October before venturing to Delta Downs to take the
Treasure Chest S. by 5 1/2 lengths. Patrick Valenzuela, who was aboard for both
those wins, has the return call.

Cost of Freedom is going for stakes win number 4 (Benoit Photos)

Talamo guided Cost of Freedom in his final three races of 2010, which
resulted in victories in the Vernon O. Underwood S. (G3), California Cup Sprint
and Miles Tyson S., and will be back at
the controls of the gelding on Saturday.

QUICK ENOUGH (High Brite), who finished 4 1/2 lengths behind Cost of Freedom when second in
the December 11 Miles Tyson, may be among the most
formidable challengers on Saturday.

The seven-year-old gelding was claimed for $40,000 in August by
trainer Doug O’Neill and went on to win the Morvich H. (G3) on turf the
following month. O’Neill is optimistic about Quick Enough’s chances in the
Sprint following a nice five-furlong breeze in 1:00 4/5 on Saturday.

“He’s doing fantastic.” O’Neill said Sunday morning at Clockers’ Corner. “He
breezed yesterday, came out of it in great shape and we entered today with Pat
Valenzuela.”

Quick Enough is O’Neill’s lone entry in the Sunshine Millions on
either coast.

“I wish we had more but he’s the only one we have,” O’Neill remarked. “I would trade places with
maybe Cost of Freedom but other than that I wouldn’t trade places with anybody.
I like the way we’re going and he’s training great.”