Cassie Belle takes her shot in soft Spring Fever field

Allowance races aren’t worth $100,000 at Santa Anita, but the Spring Fever – Sunday’s feature – is, and since the kind of horses Cassie Belle would face in an allowance are fairly similar to what she’d be up against in the Spring Fever, “it seemed like the time to take a shot,” her trainer, Sean McCarthy, said Friday morning.

How can you blame him? Seven are entered in the Spring Fever, a six-furlong main-track sprint for older California-bred females, but there’s no standout. Warren’s Showtime topped the 12 nominees and would have been a solid favorite in this field, but her connections chose to aim higher in the Grade 2, $200,000 Buena Vista on grass on Saturday, where she also looked to have a strong chance. What’s left in the Spring Fever makes the race inscrutable.

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

Cassie Belle has been fed a steady diet of grass racing over the past year, so she’ll be moving back to dirt for the first time since November 2018. But her most-recent grass sprints, last fall at Santa Anita, resulted in a win and a second, and she’s held that form in three subsequent starts going long. As a result, she’s won twice in her last four starts, so while the surface switch might pose a question, for $100,000, why not?

“She works well on the dirt,” McCarthy said. “The one hole isn’t ideal. That said, she doesn’t need the lead. She can come off the pace.”

Tyler Baze has the call on Cassie Belle because Juan Hernandez, aboard her for the last two starts, opted for Hotitude, who starts alongside Cassie Belle and is seeking to rebound after a poor start compromised her chances in a second-level allowance. Her trainer, Kristin Mulhall, has had a strong start to the meet, with five wins from her first 19 starters.

Bella Vita merits a chance on the comeback trail. Drawn ideally in post 7, she has proven she can run well fresh, just missing last year in her debut. Flavien Prat, who rode her to a maiden win last year, has the call.

Hollywood Hills is the lone stakes winner in the field, but that was long ago, in the Fleet Treat at Del Mar in July 2019. This is only her third start since then, and she’s beaten just one horse in her last two starts.

Square Peggy and Dr Wysong ship in from Golden Gate, where they were first and third in an open first-level allowance Feb. 6.

She’s a Dime has won two of her last three starts, most recently a first-level statebred allowance.

The Spring Fever is race 8 on a nine-race card that begins at 12:30 p.m. Pacific.

Big Cap runners work

Express Train and Independence Hall, two of the older horses pointing to the Grade 1 Santa Anita Handicap on March 6, both worked Friday morning at Santa Anita.

Express Train, coming off a dominating victory in last month’s San Pasqual, went six furlongs in 1:12.40 for trainer John Shirreffs.

:: Get Brad Free’s Betting Strategies for Saturday’s card at Santa Anita

Independence Hall, third most recently in last month’s Pegasus World Cup at Gulfstream, worked five furlongs in 1:01.20 for Michael McCarthy.

McCarthy also worked Smooth Like Strait five furlongs in 1:00.20 in preparation for the Grade 1 Kilroe Mile on turf, also March 6. Smooth Like Strait has been freshened since winning the Mathis Brothers Mile on opening day, Dec. 26.

The highly regarded 3-year-old filly Astute, idle since finishing fourth in the Los Alamitos Starlet and emerging with bruised feet, moved closer to a return to action with a five-furlong work in 59.40 for Richard Mandella. Her time equaled the fastest of 32 at the distance Friday.

On Thursday, Big Cap candidate Tizamagician – second in the San Pasqual – worked five furlongs in 1:00.80 for Mandella.

Also Thursday, Bob and Jackie, another Kilroe Mile candidate, went a half-mile on the training track in 49.20 seconds for trainer Richard Baltas.

Speech, last year’s Grade 1 Ashland winner, had her second work on the comeback trail for McCarthy on Thursday, going three furlongs in 35.80 seconds. She was given time off after finishing sixth in the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint.

◗ An agreement among Santa Anita, Del Mar, and the Thoroughbred Owners of California to redirect revenue from advance-deposit wagering into player rebates, stakes recruitment, and Ship and Win incentives was approved by the California Horse Racing Board during its monthly meeting on Wednesday.