Jeranimo goes for San Gabriel hat trick

Jeranimo will attempt to become the first three-time winner of the San Gabriel (Benoit Photos) The venerable eight-year-old Jeranimo will seek an unprecedented third victory in Saturday’s Grade 2, $200,000 San Gabriel at Santa Anita. The nine-furlong grass test was won by the Michael Pender trainee in 2010 and 2013. Romarin, Brave Act, Irish Prize, and Proudinsky are among those Jeranimo joined as two-time winners of the San Gabriel. None have managed to win the race for a third time, though Proudinsky finished second on two other occasions and Jeranimo occupied the same slot in the 2012 renewal. Jeramino was not the most consistent of performers following his San Gabriel win last season, going unplaced in all but one of his remaining six starts. The exception was a good one, though, as the Congaree horse rallied from 14 lengths down to take the Eddie Read at Del Mar as the 5-2 favorite.

In a race lacking much in the way of pace, Slim Shadey might bounce back to
better form. He, too, struggled for the much of 2013, only reaching the winner’s
circle following the 1 1/4-mile San Marcos last February. He drew the inside
post here and will likely be sent by jockey Corey Nakatani.

The lightly-raced seven-year-old Dubai You X Y Z finished sixth by three
lengths to Jeranimo when the pair last met in the 2012 Shoemaker Mile, but the
former might be in a better position to do well coming on the heels of a 1
1/4-length allowance score at Hollywood on December 6. Another with room for
improvement is Artic North, sixth in the Red Smith Handicap and fifth in the
Hollywood Turf Cup in his first two stakes outings.

Others with back class are Utopian, the 2012 Inglewood Handicap winner who
finished seventh in the $76,000 Lure in October following a lengthy spell;
multiple stakes winner Fire With Fire, twice-placed at the Grade 2 level; and
the seven-year-old import Black Spirit, a Group 3 winner in England back in
2012.

Taste Like Candy, a solid second to Streaming in her stakes debut in last
month’s Hollywood Starlet, reverts to sprinting for the Grade 2, $200,000
Santa Ynez.
The 6 1/2-furlong dash for three-old fillies only attracted a field of four and will
be run as the second race on Saturday’s card.

Highly impressive when beating maiden rivals by 6 1/2 lengths in her Santa
Anita debut on October 20, Taste Like Candy stretched out to 1 1/16 miles for
the Hollywood Starlet and gamely held second after setting what was at times a
pressured pace.

The main threat to Taste Like Candy will come from the Bob Baffert-trained
Crushed Velvet, who glided to a 5 1/4-length debut win at Hollywood on December
8. She is joined in the lineup by stablemate Awesome Baby, a Del Mar debut
winner who was a non-factor in the Del Mar Debutante and Chandelier in two
subsequent outings.

Completing the field is Uzziel, who invades from Golden Gate Fields after
upsetting a six-furlong maiden at odds of 9-1 for trainer Jerry Hollendorfer.

One race after the Santa Ynez, a field of five older horses will contest the
$75,000
Midnight Lute at six furlongs. Leading contenders include Vernon O.
Underwood runner-up Color of Courage and the Grade 2-placed stakes winner
Midnight Transfer, who makes his return to action following an eight-month
layoff.

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