Added distance might get Aligato over the hump in allowance
He rallied despite traffic to miss by a neck in January, and finished well to lose by a length in February.
Aligato has twice been close to winning at Santa Anita this winter, showing the sort of form that made him a stakes winner in early 2022. For his third start of the year, the lightly raced 6-year-old gelding will have a new task Thursday in an allowance race on the turf at Santa Anita – his first start at 1 1/4 miles.
“He handled a mile and an eighth,” trainer Mark Glatt said Sunday. “I think it will be right up his alley.”
The allowance race is the seventh race on an eight-race program that begins at 12:30 p.m. Pacific. Wagering is available through DRFBets.com.
:: Get ready for Santa Anita racing with DRF Past Performances, Picks, and Clocker Reports.
Thursday is the first of four days of racing at Santa Anita through Sunday. The Thursday program was a recent addition to the racing schedule as a make-up day for cancellations caused by rain. The forecast is for a fine day with temperatures in the low 60s.
Aligato, who is owned by Double L Racing, is one of several contenders in a field of nine. Aligato has won 2 of 9 starts and earned $238,288. The bulk of that prize money was collected when Aligato won the $200,000 Unusual Heat Turf Classic for statebreds in January 2022.
In his first start this year, Aligato finished second by a neck in the same race. On Feb. 11, he closed from sixth in a field of eight to finish third by a length in an allowance race against open company at a mile.
“The pace didn’t flatter him,” Glatt said. “I think with more distance he will be more effective.”
Aligato will be ridden by Flavien Prat, who was aboard for the Unusual Heat Turf Classic in January. Juan Hernandez rode Aligato on Feb. 11, but is booked to ride Agatino for trainer Phil D’Amato.
Hernandez leads all riders with 42 wins at the winter-spring meeting. Prat is a distant third with 17 wins. Prat had a slow start to the season, but has won with five of his last 20 mounts.
D’Amato also sends out Midnight Jostar in the allowance race. Agatino was fifth by 3 3/4 lengths in an allowance race at 1 1/4 miles on Jan. 20. He raced without a clear running path for much of the final quarter-mile.
Ajaaweed and Bender, who were second and third on Jan. 20, are part of Thursday’s field. Bender finished fifth in a starter allowance at 1 1/8 miles on Feb. 20 after a wide trip.
Thursday’s field includes Foothill and General Mathis, who both won their last start from off the pace and will race at 1 1/4 miles for the first time. General Mathis, trained by Kristin Mulhall, is unbeaten this year, having won two races at 1 1/8 miles on turf, but he faces a tougher group in this field.
:: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.