Alleva, Tariq can continue O'Neill's success with juveniles

CYPRESS, Calif. – The 2-year-old division played a significant role in trainer Doug O’Neill’s success at the Santa Anita spring-summer meeting, providing the stable with six winners en route to the training title.

O’Neill has no shortage of prospects among his 2-year-olds and has two first-time starters ready for Sunday’s second race at Los Alamitos, a maiden special weight race at 5 1/2 furlongs, in the colts Alleva and Tariq.

Alleva, by Goldencents, is owned by breeder Glenn Sorgenstein and has worked quickly at the San Luis Rey Downs training center.

“He acts pretty special,” O’Neill said of Alleva.

Goldencents, whom O’Neill trained, won the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile in 2013 and 2014 and the Santa Anita Derby in 2013. Goldencents, whose first crop is racing this year, has had six 2-year-old winners.

“He was a very competitive horse,” O’Neill said of the stallion. “This horse is no exception.”

Tariq races for Amr Zedan and was purchased for $450,000 at the Barretts spring sale of 2-year-olds in April, the second-most-expensive horse of the sale. By Into Mischief, Tariq drew the rail in Sunday’s five-runner field and could benefit from the race experience, O’Neill said.

“He acts like a really nice colt,” O’Neill said. “He worked great out of the gate.

“We thought we’d take a chance. We haven’t cranked on him yet. We bought him with the hope he’s a two-turn horse. Hopefully, he can run huge.”

There are two other first-time starters in the field – More Ice, a More Than Ready colt trained by Jerry Hollendorfer, and Owning, a colt by Flashback trained by Simon Callaghan. Hartel, a colt by City Zip, was last of eight in his debut at Santa Anita on June 22.

The maiden special weight race is the leading race on an eight-race program. The track intended to run nine races. The eight races have just 48 entrants.

Sunday is the final day of the second week of the meeting, which continues through July 15. Del Mar opens its summer meeting July 18.

During the first five days of the Los Alamitos meeting, through Wednesday, fields averaged 7.6 runners per race. Track officials are hopeful for a sizeable increase in entries for the final days of the meeting.