Fresno: Anytime Magic and My Best Bet get tested for distance in Charlie Palmer Futurity

Marcel Langevin/Vassar Photography

Anytime Magic has won two stakes, including the Lost in the Fog (above), but has never run farther than six furlongs.

Trainers Bob Hess and Billy Morey have similar concerns heading into Saturday’s Charlie Palmer Futurity, a $75,000 stakes race for 2-year-olds at one mile over dirt at the Big Fresno Fair.

The Hess-trained Anytime Magic and the Morey-trained My Best Bet are both legitimate contenders in the field of six, but, as with all their other rivals, Saturday’s race is the longest they’ve attempted during their brief careers.

Breeding suggests both Anytime Magic, a son of Fusaichi Pegasus, and My Best Bet, who is by Best of the Rest, should be able to handle the distance.

Anytime Magic won stakes sprints in his first two starts, the Lost in the Fog Stakes on the Golden Gate Fields Tapeta and the Everett Nevin Alameda County Futurity on the dirt at Pleasanton. Anytime Magic was the odds-on favorite in the Aug. 12 Cavonnier Juvenile at Santa Rosa but finished fifth.

“He grabbed a quarter in that race so we’ve had time to let him heal since,” said Hess, who has given Anytime Magic longer gallops and worked him seven furlongs and six furlongs in preparation for the Charlie Palmer.

“I work him from the half-mile or five-eighths pole so he’s been working around two turns,” said Hess. “Hopefully that will help him in this race.

“I’m hopeful he’ll run long. That was the plan from the beginning.”

My Best Bet, a private purchase after winning his debut at Calder on June 23, finished third in the Cavonnier, then won an Aug. 31 starter allowance sprint at Golden Gate. His final two works for Saturday’s stakes race came at six furlongs.

“We just hope he takes to the mile,” said Morey. “He’s already proven he can sprint. We hope he’s as good at a mile.”

The field includes Condiment, who was bred, and is owned and trained by Joe Brook. He ran second in his debut in the Cavonnier and won a maiden Sept. 27 on a disqualification at Stockton.

Owner-trainer Jerry Hollendorfer sends out Fury Kapcori, a six-length maiden winner at Golden Gate in his second start on Aug. 18. Jockey Russell Baze opted to ride Fury Kapcori, a son of two-time Breeders’ Cup Classic winner Tiznow, after having ridden My Best Bet to his Golden Gate win.

Ebony Gold won his debut at Fairplex and then was second in a starter allowance race. The maiden Calculated Chaos is also entered in a Santa Anita maiden race.