Bench Warrant, No Problem hope turf is right niche
ARCADIA, Calif. – Bench Warrant and No Problem are 3-year-olds searching for identities this winter.
No Problem won the Grade 3 Bob Hope Stakes at seven furlongs at Del Mar in November but was fifth in the Grade 1 Los Alamitos Futurity on Dec. 20. Bench Warrant was fourth in both the Los Alamitos Futurity and the Grade 2 San Vicente Stakes at seven furlongs Feb. 1.
Career plans for the pair may be better known after Sunday’s $75,000 Baffle Stakes at about 6 1/2 furlongs on the hillside turf course. The Baffle Stakes will be the turf-stakes debut for both runners, who will be the two leading choices in the betting in a field of nine 3-year-olds.
No Problem is one of two stakes winners in the field along with Pain and Misery, who won the minor Governor’s Cup Stakes at Zia Park. Pain and Misery, who has never started on turf, is co-owned by Leonard Blach and Ray Willis. Blach was a co-owner of Mine That Bird, the winner of the 2009 Kentucky Derby.
Baffle Stakes, race 8
KEY CONTENDERS
Bench Warrant (Last 3 Beyers: 86-81-76)
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◗ Bench Warrant won an optional claimer for 3-year-olds on the hillside turf course Jan. 15, beating Jazzy Josh by a nose. Diamond Majesty was third in the race, beaten 1 1/2 lengths.
Jazzy Josh and Diamond Majesty are part of the Baffle Stakes field. Jazzy Josh was claimed for $80,000 in that race and returned to finish fifth at 36-1 in the San Vicente for KM Racing and trainer George Papaprodromou.
◗ Bench Warrant was beaten 2 1/4 lengths by Lord Nelson in the San Vicente Stakes, closing from sixth in the final furlong.
“Those were some good horses,” trainer John Sadler said. “He was 20-1 and got beat two lengths. It was a good, solid effort. He’s shown to be versatile. He’s run well on the dirt. He’s run well on turf. He’s run well on synthetic.”
No Problem (Last 3 Beyers: 65-76-71)
◗ No Problem, who was beaten 14 1/2 lengths by Dortmund in the Los Alamitos Futurity, has never run on turf. Trainer Michael McCarthy said he has been encouraged by No Problem’s recent workouts on turf, including a half-mile in 48.60 seconds Jan. 31.
“He’s worked well enough to try it,” he said. “When you’ve got a horse that has won twice, it’s hard to find [an allowance]. It’s an experiment.”
◗ No Problem’s first win was a $75,000 claimer for maidens here in October.
Serbian Syclone (Last 3 Beyers: 67-88-89)
◗ Serbian Syclone won two six-furlong races impressively in November and December but faltered in his stakes debut, finishing last of six in the San Vicente Stakes after setting the pace. Serbian Syclone will be fitted with blinkers for this race for the first time and is expected to set the pace.
DRF FORMULATOR FACT: No. 4 Serbian Syclone. Trainer Peter Miller is 7-3-0-1 with a $5.02 ROI over the past two years adding blinkers in downhill turf sprints at Santa Anita. Click for more details. – Mike Hogan
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Pain and Misery (Last 3 Beyers: 78-50-6)
◗ Pain and Misery has not raced since the Governor’s Cup Stakes in October. Now trained by Richard Mandella, Pain and Misery has been in Southern California since December and has shown steady workouts since late January. He is likely to race as a stalker.
DRF FORMULATOR FACT: No. 3 Tizcano. Trainer Peter Miller is 29-2-4-3 with a $0.22 ROI over the past five years going from a route to a downhill turf sprint at Santa Anita. Click for more details. – Mike Hogan