After improving with blinkers, Soglio tries Eddie Logan Stakes
ARCADIA, Calif. – As he nears the end of his 2-year-old season, Soglio is moving out of his rambunctious stage. The addition of blinkers has been the key.
Soglio wore blinkers for the first time when he won a maiden race at a mile on turf at Del Mar on Dec. 4, his fourth start. Soglio will be fitted with blinkers again for his stakes debut in Friday’s $75,000 Eddie Logan Stakes for 2-year-olds at a mile on turf at Santa Anita.
“The blinkers helped him focus, and that’s what he needed,” said Aimee Dollase, assistant to trainer Graham Motion. “He’s a playful horse, and for him, it’s about focus.”
The Logan will be the first start in a stakes for four of the 10 runners, including Cistron, who won a maiden race at a mile on turf at Del Mar on Dec. 4. Of the six runners with stakes experience, Vending Machine has had the best result – a second in the Grade 3 Cecil B. DeMille Stakes on dirt at Del Mar on Nov. 27.
Eddie Logan, Race 7
KEY CONTENDERS
Soglio, by Scat Daddy
Last 3 Beyers: 80-66-71
◗ Soglio was beaten in three maiden races in New York and Kentucky in the summer and early fall before being transferred to Motion’s division in California. Owned by the Niarchos family’s Flaxman Holdings, Soglio closed from 11th in a field of 12 with a wide rally to beat maidens on Dec. 4 by a half-length.
◗ Soglio worked five furlongs last Sunday in 1:00.20, his only recorded work since the maiden-race win.
“Once he gets going, he’s got a nice finish,” Dollase said. “He’s trained well and had a nice breeze the other day.”
◗ The wild-card factor for Friday’s program is the weather. Rain is expected, which could move the race to the main track. Dollase said Motion will decide whether Soglio runs if the race is transferred to the main track.
DRF FORMULATOR FACT: No. 2 Soglio. Trainer Graham Motion is 30-11-7-3 with a $4.22 ROI in 2016 with horses coming off a maiden win. Click for more details. – Mike Hogan
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Cistron, by The Factor
Last 3 Beyers: 76-59-71
◗ Cistron won his turf debut Dec. 4 by leading throughout. Cistron was third and sixth in maiden races on dirt for sprinters in his first two starts.
“I thought he’d like the turf,” trainer John Sadler said. “He was a little unlucky the first time, and then he got caught in a four-wide speed duel. I was anxious to stretch him out and get him on the grass. He’s trained really well since the race.”
DRF FORMULATOR FACT: No. 6 Cistron. Trainer John Sadler is 11-0-0-1 over the past two years on turf with horses coming off a maiden win. Click for more details. – Mike Hogan
Hootie, by Candy Ride
Last 2 Beyers: 76-69
◗ Hootie won his debut in a maiden race at a mile on turf here Oct. 1. He was pre-entered for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf but was not selected to start in the race on Nov. 4. In the Cecil B. DeMille Stakes, Hootie finished fifth at 2-1, beaten three lengths by Term of Art.
◗ Trainer Michael McCarthy said Hootie is better on turf.
“I ran him because he needed a race,” McCarthy said. “I prefer him on turf.”