Brickyard Ride's status key to San Carlos pace
Brickyard Ride will play a vital role as an expected pacesetter in Saturday’s Grade 2 San Carlos Stakes at Santa Anita, if he leaves trainer Craig Lewis’s barn.
On Thursday, Lewis warned that Brickyard Ride was not a definite starter in the $200,000 San Carlos Stakes at seven furlongs.
Lewis said he was weighing factors such as the 13-day turnaround from Brickyard Ride’s easy win in the Tiznow Stakes for California-bred milers on Feb. 21, the effects of an expected rain storm on Friday, and an invitation to race in Dubai later this month.
A decision may not occur until Saturday morning.
“We’ll see how he’s doing and what everything looks like,” Lewis said. “I’d like to have all the information and all the facts.
“I’d prefer if it would be a week later.”
Brickyard Ride, owned and bred by Sonny Pais, won the 2021 San Carlos Stakes by four lengths in a performance Lewis described on Thursday as the “best race” of the 5-year-old horse’s 20-race career. Brickyard Ride has won 10 races and earned $620,977.
This year, Brickyard Ride is unbeaten in two starts – the California Cup Sprint on Jan. 15, a race he also won in 2021, and the Tiznow Stakes where he led throughout to win by 7 1/2 lengths and was eased down by jockey Juan Hernandez in the final furlong.
“Juan did a great job once he thought he was going to win,” Lewis said. “He bounced out of it like he didn’t run.”
Brickyard Ride is part of a strong field of nine in the San Carlos, the first of six stakes on an 11-race program that begins at noon Pacific. Aside from Brickyard Ride, there could be other withdrawals. American Theorem, who drew post 2, also is entered in Saturday’s Grade 1 Santa Anita Handicap, the day’s final race.
Brickyard Ride’s main rivals are Shooters Shoot and Cezanne, second and third in the Grade 3 Palos Verdes Stakes at six furlongs on Jan. 29, and Eight Rings, who was third behind Big Cap favorite Express Train in two Grade 2 stakes around two turns earlier this winter.
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Shooters Shoot was claimed for $50,000 when second at 1 1/16 miles on Jan. 2 by Bella Cavello Stables and trainer Richard Baltas in an eight-way shake. In the Palos Verdes, 20-1 Shooters Shoot stalked the pace and was beaten a neck by Essential Wager. Baltas hopes for the same trip in the San Carlos for Shooters Shoot.
“He ran bigger than I thought he would last time,” Baltas said. “He ran like he worked. I don’t know if he’s improved that much. He’s a pretty solid horse, and this is the right spot to go into it.
“He’s got a good draw. We can see what’s going on.”
Cezanne, trained by Bob Baffert, had his first start in nine months in the Palos Verdes and should be better-suited to this longer race, jockey Flavien Prat said Thursday.
“I think the seven-eighths will be good for him,” Prat said.