Chief Cicatriz meets sharp invaders in Phoenix Gold Cup

PHOENIX – Last year Chief Cicatriz invaded from New Mexico to capture the Phoenix Gold Cup Handicap, the marquee event of the Turf Paradise meet. The 5-year-old son of Munnings is back for more Saturday as he defends his title in the $75,000 Phoenix Gold Cup, but invaders from Southern California and New York suggest it will be anything but easy for the fast gelding.

Seven are entered in the six-furlong event, which goes as race 7 on an eight-race program. The Saturday card also features the $30,000 Sun City Handicap (race 5) at a mile on turf for fillies and mares, and the $30,000 Turf Paradise Handicap (race 8) for 4-year-olds and up at 1 1/16 miles on grass.

Chief Cicatriz is tabbed as the 124-pound highweight in the Phoenix Gold Cup. Owned by Roy Gene Evans and trained by Shawn Davis, the gelding easily won his first four starts, which came in New Mexico in 2015 and 2016, before coming here to capture last year’s edition of the Gold Cup by 1 1/2 lengths. That earned him a trip to Oaklawn, but he found facing graded stakes sprinters there in the Count Fleet Sprint Handicap a bit too tough. He was gone nine months and resurfaced here on Jan. 20 to easily win the Hank Mills Sr. Stakes by 3 1/4 lengths, posting a career-high Beyer (94). He’s again to be ridden by Andrew Ramgeet.

Aristocratic invades from Southern California for owner Rafael Gutierrez and trainer Victor Garcia off a pair of sharp seconds in optional claimers at Santa Anita in the fall and winter of 2017. His first second came at the hands of Edwards Going Left, going down by just a half-length. Since then, Edwards Going Left has run second in the Grade 1 Malibu and won the California Cup Sprint.

Chief Lion comes in from New York for owner-trainer David Jacobson. The 8-year-old gelding won the Fabulous Strike at Penn National on Nov. 22 before setting the pace and tiring to seventh in the Gravesend at Aqueduct on Dec. 23. Eleven months ago he ran second in the Grade 3 Tom Fool at Aqueduct.

Turf Paradise Handicap

Inside Straight, High Security, and Way Striking, the top three finishers from the Cotton Fitzsimmons Mile here on Jan. 13, knock heads again among nine in the Turf Paradise Handicap.

Inside Straight was making his first start here last time and has ample back class. He won last April’s Grade 2 Oaklawn Handicap and finished last of 12 in the Grade 1 Metropolitan Mile. He’s won 2 of his 3 grass starts.

High Security rallied for second in the Fitzsimmons. He is stuck in the outside post here.

Way Striking set the pace before succumbing to the top two in the final half-furlong.

Sycamore Lane was sidelined more than two years after running eighth in the Grade 1 United Nations at Monmouth in July 2015. He recently was sixth in the a stakes on the hillside course at Santa Anita.

Patriots Rule was once good enough to compete in a Grade 2 on turf at Santa Anita.

◗ The Sun City Handicap drew a competitive field of nine, including the top three finishers from the Glendale Handicap here on Jan. 13 – Comet Sixty Two, Cleverly Beverly, and McKenzie Honey – as well as Brookys Star who ran fifth as the 9-5 favorite, and Hip Ninety Three who ran sixth after a troubled start. Comet Sixty Two rallied to edge Cleverly Beverly by a nose with McKenzie Honey just another neck back in third.