Jeranimo goes for San Gabriel hat trick

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 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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