Artislas has a lot going for him in Eddie Logan Stakes

ARCADIA, Calif. – Easier company and a better draw are key reasons Artislas should be favored in the $100,000 Eddie Logan Stakes on Sunday at Santa Anita. But the main reason is Artislas, the field’s only stakes winner, happens to be the best horse.

Two months after a bad-trip eighth against tougher, Artislas will be strongly backed in the Logan. The mile race for 2-year-olds is the final turf route stakes for the division (3-year-olds of 2025) until the Pasadena Stakes on March 9.

Logan entrants include maiden winner King of Dragons, stakes-placed maiden Sabertooth, likely pacesetter Fomo Joe, and European import Precision. It’s an easier group than Artislas met Nov. 1 in a $200,000 stakes at Del Mar. In hindsight, trainer Jeff Mullins said he should have skipped the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance.

Breaking from post 12, “we were dead from the start,” Mullins said. “I should have scratched and went in the [Grade 3 Cecil B. DeMille] later in the meet.”

Artislas crossed the wire in front in his first three starts – a debut sprint, the Grade 3 Del Mar Juvenile Turf, and the Grade 3 Zuma Beach at Santa Anita from which he was disqualified and placed third. The TAA was the strongest field he had met, from an undesirable outside post.

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It wasn’t that Artislas lost ground. He didn’t. But the outside draw forced jockey Reylu Gutierrez to anchor Artislas early to avoid being parked wide on the first turn. Artislas got buried inside and was always surrounded in heavy traffic. He rallied three wide, finished willingly, and galloped out well.

It turns out Artislas was running against a good field. Seven from the TAA have run back, producing three stakes wins and three runner-up finishes, including one stakes. Artislas would have been a contender if he wheeled back Dec. 1 in the DeMille, but Mullins passed.

“I just wanted him to get over that bad trip, give him some time, and come back [in the Eddie Logan],” Mullins said.

Flavien Prat rides Artislas for the first time, breaking from post 6. Artislas previously finished in front of subsequent Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf runner-up Iron Man Cal.

The improving King of Dragons faces winners after a solid maiden win over Sabertooth, while Fomo Joe commands attention as the likely pacesetter. Fomo Joe won his career debut Nov. 17 in a maiden turf sprint. His trainer Ryan Hanson was not looking to stretch him out so soon.

“I was more thinking the hill race,” Hanson said, referring to the $100,000 Baffle Stakes, a turf sprint Feb. 16. It was either run in the Logan, or wait for the Baffle with three months between starts.

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“Either you sit on him and work him four or five times, or race him,” Hanson said, admitting Fomo Joe is up against it. “We’re looking at horses that have run multiple mile races. But if you’re gonna do it [wire a route], it’s the first time.”

Adrian Escobedo rides Fomo Joe.

Precision arrived two weeks ago from England, where he won a maiden route on synthetic on Nov. 16. Frankie Dettori rides for trainer Michael McCarthy.

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