Blackjackcat eyes San Simeon Stakes

ARCADIA, Calif. – Blackjackcat is a candidate for Saturday’s Grade 3 American Stakes at a mile on turf, but trainer Mark Glatt said on Sunday that he was leaning toward running him in the Grade 3 San Simeon Stakes at about 6 1/2 furlongs on the hillside turf course April 29.

Blackjackcat, third in the Breeders’ Cup Mile at Del Mar last November, finished a quiet fifth as the even-money favorite in the Grade 3 Thunder Road Stakes at a mile on turf here Feb. 10, his only start this year.

“I’m comfortable going down the hill the following week,” Glatt said regarding the San Simeon. “Sometimes when they run a bit of an off race, if you give them less to do, they can bounce back.

“I think we’ve got him back to where we want him to be. He didn’t act 100 percent after the [last] race. In the last two or three weeks, I think he’s back to where we want him.”

Blackjackcat worked five furlongs in 1:01.20 here on Sunday. Owned by Al and Sandee Kirkwood, the 5-year-old Blackjackcat has won 6 of 16 starts and earned $582,070. Prior to the BC Mile, Blackjackcat won four consecutive races, including the Grade 2 Del Mar Mile.

The $100,000 American Stakes drew 13 nominations. The graded stakes winners Free Rose and What a View are expected to start against Kenjisstorm, who was sixth in the American Stakes last July. Kenjisstorm and Free Rose were first and second in an optional claimer at a mile on turf March 29.

Saturday’s main race is the Grade 2 Kona Gold Stakes, a $200,000 race at 6 1/2 furlongs. The Kona Gold is scheduled to be the first start of 2018 for Ransom the Moon, who won the Grade 1 Bing Crosby Stakes at six furlongs at Del Mar last summer and was fifth in the BC Sprint at Del Mar last November.

The field will also likely include Bobby Abu Dhabi, who was second in the Grade 1 Triple Bend Stakes at seven furlongs on March 10.

Sunday’s leading race is the Grade 3 San Juan Capistrano Stakes at about 1 3/4 miles on turf, the longest stakes race of the year at Santa Anita. The $100,000 race, once a Grade 1, has fallen on hard times in recent years with the decline in depth of the marathon turf division in Southern California.

This year, the race is likely to lose leading marathoners Itsinthepost and Hayabusa One to Saturday’s Grade 2 Elkhorn Stakes at 1 1/2 miles on turf at Keeneland. Itsinthepost and Hayabusa One were first and second in consecutive Grade 2 stakes on turf earlier this year – the San Marcos Stakes at 1 1/4 miles on Feb. 3 and the San Luis Rey Stakes at 1 1/2 miles on March 24.