Allowance a stakes tryout for promising 3-year-olds
ARCADIA, Calif. – The path leading to the Kentucky Derby prep races will be deliberate for Danzing Candy and French Getaway, maiden winners facing allowance company for the first time Thursday at Santa Anita.
An alternative path is the headfirst dive likely to be taken by Mineyerownmalone, the romping winner of a maiden-claiming route last out. He also is entered in the first-level allowance Thursday but might scratch and go straight into a Grade 3 race.
Danzing Candy, Mineyerownmalone, and French Getaway comprise the principals in race 7, a one-mile entry-level allowance for 3-year-olds on Thursday at Santa Anita. Let the Santa Anita Derby playoffs begin.
Cliff Sise trains Danzing Candy, an impressive second-start winner at seven furlongs. Can he route? “With the stride he’s got, I always thought he was a two-turn horse,” Sise said. “Two turns I’m not worried about.”
Danzing Candy could be a lopsided favorite if Mineyerownmalone goes in the Grade 3 Robert B. Lewis Stakes on Saturday. Last out, Mineyerownmalone won a maiden-claiming route by more than 12 lengths in his first start for Jorge Periban. The trainer has until Wednesday to decide whether to start him in the allowance or wait for the 1 1/16-mile Lewis.
“The allowance race is good because it would give him more confidence,” Periban said. “I understand the [Lewis] is a little harder, but I have a lot of confidence in this horse, and the way he is training, the farther, the better.”
Danzing Candy and Mineyerownmalone both have speed, a necessity to win a one-mile dirt race at Santa Anita. French Getaway, conversely, is a late runner. It is not that he is slow, only that he loathes kickback, jockey Kent Desormeaux told trainer Bob Hess Jr.
“He is extremely hesitant to run with dirt in his face,” Hess said. “Desormeaux said that’s why he keeps getting so far back. I’d rather run him a little further, but he needs the experience, and I don’t want to throw him to the wolves.”
The wolves will be waiting next time. Meanwhile, the first-level allowance on Thursday drew a surprisingly large field – 10 in the main body, plus two on the also-eligible list.
Street Vision stretches out from a close fourth in a highly rated sprint; Good For It, a second Sise trainee, upset maiden sprinters last out; Shred the Rules and Secret Room each is 2 for 2, all in sprints; American League adds speed; Rare Candy and I’malreadythere drop from stakes; and Semper Fortis and the maiden Inhibition are the also-eligibles.
KEY CONTENDERS
Danzing Candy, by Twirling Candy
(Beyers: 89-72)
◗ His maiden win by more than three lengths was validated when runner-up Mr. Coker returned to win.
◗ Mike Smith rode Danzing Candy in the maiden win and has worked him since. “Mike loves that horse,” Sise said.
◗ Danzing Candy’s dam is a sibling to Breeders’ Cup Turf and multiple Grade 1 winner Better Talk Now. Based on pedigree and stride, Danzing Candy should relish two turns.
◗ Sise said a top effort Thursday puts Danzing Candy in the Grade 2 San Felipe Stakes on March 12.
DRF FORMULATOR FACT: No. 8 Danzing Candy. Trainer Cliff Sise is 12-1-1-1 with a $0.81 ROI over the past five years with last-out maiden winners. Click for more details. – Mike Hogan
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Mineyerownmalone, by Mineshaft
(Beyers: 82-35)
◗ The maiden romp by Mineyerownmalone was validated when the fourth- and sixth-place finishers returned to win.
◗ Leading jockey Santiago Gonzalez will ride Mineyerownmalone this week in either the Thursday allowance or the Saturday stakes.
◗ Periban believes Mineyerownmalone has more ability than his previous top 3-year-old, Cardiff Giant, who was graded stakes-placed and briefly on the Kentucky Derby trail in 2010.
French Getaway, by Giant’s Causeway
(Beyers: 82-78-60)
◗ The maiden win by French Getaway was his first route, following two sprints. “Everything about him is distance – his pedigree, his overall laid-back style,” Hess said.
◗ The horse whom French Getaway defeated last out, Hoffenheim, returned to finish second with an 85 Beyer Speed Figure.
◗ Hess repeatedly works French Getaway behind horses so he’ll become accustomed to dirt kickback. “You can practice, practice, practice, but when you go to war, it’s a different ballgame,” Hess said.
◗ If he ultimately rejects dirt, Hess is prepared to develop French Getaway into a turf horse.
DRF FORMULATOR FACT: No. 5 Shred the Rules. Trainer Jeff Mullins is 20-6-4-1 with a $3.81 ROI over the past five years going sprint to route with last-out winners. Click for more details. – Mike Hogan