Cat Burglar likely for Saturday's Precisionist Stakes

ARCADIA, Calif. - Cat Burglar, the winner of the 2016 Santana Mile and an optional-claimer in March in his only start this year, is likely to represent leading stakes trainer Bob Baffert in the Grade 3 Precisionist Stakes at Santa Anita on Saturday.

Baffert nominated Cat Burglar and Collected, the winner of the Santana Mile on April 1 and the Grade 2 Californian Stakes on April 22. The trainer said on Sunday morning that Cat Burglar is expected to start in the $100,000 Precisionist Stakes, while Collected is more likely to run in the Grade 3 Prairie Meadows Cornhusker Handicap in Iowa on July 8.

The $300,000 Cornhusker is run at 1 1/8 miles. Cat Burglar worked five furlongs Sunday in 59.20 seconds, while Collected was timed in 59.60 for the same distance.

Through Sunday, Baffert led all trainers at the spring-summer meeting with eight stakes wins, three more than Phil D’Amato.

The Precisionist Stakes is not expected to have a large field. Another probable candidate is Accelerate, who was third in the Grade 2 San Antonio Stakes here in February. More recently, Accelerate was second to Danzing Candy in an optional-claimer at a mile on May 5. Danzing Candy won the Grade 3 Lone Star Park Handicap in Texas on May 28.

The list of probable starters for Saturday’s Grade 3 Affirmed Stakes for 3-year-olds at 1 1/16 miles is led by Battle of Midway, who was third in the Kentucky Derby on May 6. Battle of Midway was second by a half-length in the Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby in April in his last start in California. Term of Art, seventh in the Santa Anita Derby and 10th in the Preakness Stakes on May 20, is another expected runner.