Brickyard Ride, At the Spa bring the heat to Friday card

ARCADIA, Calif. – For rookie and veteran, speed is the game Friday at Santa Anita.

Expectations are high for a 2-year-old filly who begins her career against maidens in race 2, while the circuit’s fastest sprinter figures to be odds-on in a California-bred allowance, race 7.

Although it might be fun if At the Spa runs to the hype, wagering on a first-time starter at low odds is another matter. Same with graded winner Brickyard Ride in the allowance. His trainer, Craig Lewis, recognizes the parimutuel dilemma facing speedball Brickyard Ride: “To me, he’s the kind of horse you can’t bet on and you can’t bet against.”

:: Enhance your handicapping with DRF’s Santa Anita Clocker Report

Brickyard Ride’s odds will be depressingly low, but going against a horse with a high probability of victory often proves to be futile. Brickyard Ride should wire the field at odds-on, though Lewis cautioned that “a lot of things can happen in a horse race.”

The risk-versus-reward odds dilemma starts early Friday, in the second race. The 4 1/2-furlong race for maiden juvenile fillies attracted six entrants, including well-regarded At the Spa, trained by Jorge Periban.

“She’s quick, she’s natural,” Periban said. “I never asked her to work [fast]. All those works, she’s doing it herself.”

At the Spa, sired by Outwork and the first runner foaled by multiple West Virginia-bred stakes winner Spa Creek, posted two sharp recent gate works, including a flashy half-mile drill April 23 with jockey Tyler Baze. Her 47.40-second time was the second fastest of 42 works.

Periban considered running At the Spa last week in the meet’s first 2-year-old race, but felt she needed one more work.

“I wanted to be sure,” Periban said. “I wanted one more work from the gate. She’s intelligent, with a lot of ability. Her mind, she’s so calm.”

After the filly’s April 30 gate drill, a recorded half-mile that was actually three furlongs, Periban pronounced her ready to roll. He also is trying to curb his enthusiasm.

“I don’t want to talk too much,” Periban said. “We’re confident. She’s good.”

At the Spa breaks from post 5 in the six-horse field. Her main rival might be Munny Penny, a Munnings filly trained by Walther Solis and ridden by Flavien Prat. The others in the field are Loveherheart, an Andrew Lerner trainee by first-crop stallion Klimt, along with Distorted Diva, Endless Thirst, and First Promise.

While an element of uncertainty accompanies 2-year-old firsters, the one to beat in the featured seventh race Friday is blatantly obvious. Brickyard Ride and apprentice Alexis Centeno can be long gone in the $70,000 allowance sprint for California-breds, which is otherwise unrestricted.

“I never thought the race would go, at any time,” Lewis said.

He is glad it filled, because Brickyard Ride figures to win. The 4-year-old wired the $150,000 California Cup Sprint in January and the Grade 2 San Carlos in March. Last time out, pressured through the meet’s fastest fractions for any distance, he finished second in the Grade 3 Kona Gold.

:: Bet horse racing on DRF Bets. Double Your First Deposit Up to $250. Join Now.

Brickyard Ride, racing 6 1/2 furlongs in the Kona Gold, sizzled in 21.18 and 43.60 while hounded by Ax Man and finished more than nine lengths behind Ax Man’s stretch-running stablemate Cezanne. Two concerns for Lewis on Friday are wheeling Brickyard Ride back in 19 days and pace rival Posterize.

“In a perfect world, would I want a little more space?” Lewis said. “Yes, for both of them.”

Lewis also entered El Diablo Rojo, who 12 days ago won a California-bred allowance, nonwinners of one other than. His chance Friday hinges on a pace meltdown.

“If they smoke, [El Diablo Rojo] looks like the only bona fide finisher,” Lewis said.

Brickyard Ride’s pace rival is Posterize, a claiming speedster whose five wins all were in gate-to-wire fashion. Posterize drew outside in Friday’s five-horse field; he and jockey Geovanni Franco can press the pace expected to be set by Brickyard Ride. Dan Azcarate trains Posterize, who won a $40,000 claiming sprint last out.

The others in the field are California-bred stakes winner Loud Mouth and recent entry-level allowance winner Colt Fiction.

Brickyard Ride is the leading male progeny by Clubhouse Ride, having won seven races and $400,277 from 14 starts. The stallion’s top runner is Warren’s Showtime, a Lewis-trained filly expected to start favored Sunday in the $100,000 Fran’s Valentine on turf. Warren’s Showtime has won six races and $617,431 from 18 starts.

Three of the eight races Friday attracted five entrants. For bettors, the small-field trend has been particularly troublesome this season on dirt. Nearly one-fourth of dirt races this season were run with five starters or less (65 of 266).