Combatant tries to turn luck around in Tokyo City Cup

Nothing has gone well since early March for Combatant, a 5-year-old who starts in Sunday’s Grade 3 Tokyo City Cup at 1 1/2 miles on the main track at Santa Anita.

Combatant was the 9-1 upset winner of the Grade 1 Santa Anita Handicap on March 7, his only victory in five starts this year. He was later 10th in the Grade 2 Oaklawn Handicap on May 2 after racing wide on the first turn, last of five in the Grade 2 San Diego Handicap in July at Del Mar after a troubled start, and ninth of 11 at 32-1 in the Grade 2 Del Mar Handicap on turf Aug. 22.

On a more encouraging note, Combatant has had three workouts this month, including six-furlong times of 1:13.60 on Sept. 12 and 1:14.40 on Sept. 19, the fastest of those mornings at the distance at Santa Anita.

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Owned by Pete and Kosta Hronis and trained by John Sadler, Combatant will be ridden in the $100,000 Tokyo City for the first time by Umberto Rispoli.

“I think we stand well in that race,” Sadler said. “He won the Big Cap. He had a bad trip at Oaklawn. He stumbled out of the gate [in the San Diego], and he didn’t love the turf.”

Combatant is part of a field of seven, and all will be racing at 1 1/2 miles for the first time. His Santa Anita Handicap win came going 1 1/4 miles.

“I don’t think he has any distance limitations,” Sadler said. “I think it’s a logical move.

“I think going a mile and a half, some guys will question whether they can run that far.”

Sadler said Combatant might run next in the Grade 2 Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance Stakes at 1 5/8 miles on Nov. 6 at Keeneland, a race formerly known as the Marathon Stakes.

There are two 3-year-olds in the field for the Tokyo City – Azul Coast, winner of the El Camino Real Derby at Golden Gate Fields in February, and Tizamagician, winner of a first-condition optional claimer at a mile on Sept. 5 at Del Mar.

The Tokyo City will be the first start in a graded stakes for Tizamagician since a fourth in the Grade 3 Robert Lewis Stakes for 3-year-olds in February at Santa Anita. Tizamagician is the only runner in the field with a win in his last start.

“When he won that race the other day at Del Mar, it took him three-quarters of a mile to pull up,” Mandella said. “He’s done that before. I thought, we’ll give him the whole mile and a half. You never know until you try it.”

Azul Coast has had only two starts since the El Camino Real Derby. Trained by Bob Baffert, Azul Coast was last of seven in the Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby on June 6 – a race in which Kentucky Derby winner Authentic was second – and fifth in the Grade 3 La Jolla Handicap on turf Aug. 9 at Del Mar.

“I’ve wanted to run him long, and this is probably the only spot,” Baffert said. “We’ll try this. He should like the mile and a half.”