Carpe Vinum, Blue Sky Baby form powerful D'Amato team

ARCADIA, Calif. – So long as front-runners Carpe Vinum and Blue Sky Baby do not get in each other’s way, trainer Phil D’Amato is fine with the pace scenario in the feature race on Friday at Santa Anita.

“I think Blue Sky Baby has more tactical speed, and Carpe Vinum is more stamina-based,” D’Amato said. “It’s going to be a riders’ race. I think I will be sitting one-two. You’ve got a small field.”

Small fields are a recurring theme Friday, including race 6, a first-level allowance for 3-year-old fillies at a mile on turf. D’Amato-trained Carpe Vinum, whose rider is Abel Cedillo, and Blue Sky Baby with Mario Gutierrez top the six-runner field.

Both lightly raced fillies – two starts each – enter in top form. Carpe Vinum pressed a strong pace last out and won a maiden turf mile. Blue Sky Baby pressed a slow pace last out and finished third in a minor stakes race.

The field also includes Little Bird, a closer whose U.S. debut was better than it looks on paper; last-out maiden winners She’s So Special and Establish Justice; and Madame Bourbon. The seven-race card on Friday drew 47 entrants.

Carpe Vinum finished third sprinting in her debut, then stretched out and won her second start by a length. At one mile, she was just warming up. “I think she’s a filly that down the road is going to appreciate a mile and an eighth, a mile and a quarter,” D’Amato said. “Her air is really good.”

Blue Sky Baby won sprinting in her debut, and then moved up, and out in distance, to finish a creditable third in a route stakes. “For her to jump in against stakes company and stretch out and run as good as she did showed a lot of quality,” D’Amato said.

Carpe Vinum and Blue Sky Baby ran the same day at the same distance on “good” turf. Carpe Vinum won in 1:35.63. Blue Sky Baby finished third by 3 3/4 lengths in 1:35.82 (race time 1:35.18.)

D’Amato is hopeful his fillies do well enough Friday to justify running them in a stakes race. “I could run one in the China Doll and maybe back up the other one in the Sweet Life.”

The one-mile, $75,000 China Doll is March 7. The 5 1/2-furlong, Grade 3 Sweet Life is Feb. 16.

An upset candidate Friday is Little Bird, whose 23.06-second final quarter-mile in her U.S. debut ranks as the fastest come-home time in the field. Richard Baltas trains Little Bird, whose rider is Joel Rosario.

In addition to the turf race for 3-year-old fillies, the Friday card includes two entry-level allowance races for older fillies and mares. Miss Stormy D stretches out against Velvet Queen in race 3 at a mile and a sixteenth on dirt. Flying to the Line moves up in class for race 4, a mile turf race for California-breds.