Conveyor's Angel holds substantial advantage

ARCADIA, Calif. - Last Sunday, owner Charles Cono and trainer Christopher Paasch won the Anoakia Stakes with Hello Lucky. Wednesday, they send out Conveyor's Angel in the $75,000 Hidden Light Stakes at Santa Anita.

The Hidden Light is for 2-year-old fillies over a mile on turf. Restricted to nonwinners of a stakes at a mile or farther, the Hidden Light is considered a prep to the $100,000 Miesque Stakes at Hollywood Park on Nov. 26.

is the only filly among the seven entrants who has won around two turns on turf.

"I think I have a huge advantage," Paasch said.

Conveyor's Angel was previously trained by Timothy Ritvo at Calder, where she had 1 victory in 4 starts. Paasch said Conveyor's Angel was purchased in mid-October and initially sent to Kentucky.

Conveyor's Angel drew the outside post in the Hidden Light, which does not concern Paasch. She showed speed in a loss at Calder in September but stalked the pace when she won a maiden race over 1 1/16 miles on turf on Oct. 7. Conveyor's Angel was sixth on the backstretch and made a big move in early stretch to win by six lengths.

"She can rate," Paasch said. "In the maiden race, she made a good run."

Conveyor's Angel is one of three fillies in the Hidden Light to have won on turf. Wise Investor and Excusabull won maiden races over 5 1/2 furlongs on turf at Hollywood during the summer. They returned to finish fifth and eighth in the Grade 3 Sorrento Stakes at Del Mar on Aug. 7 and have not started since.

Others have tried the surface, but lost. Zain Lass and Eleventh Street were second and third behind Wise Investor at Hollywood, but are still maidens. Zain Lass was fifth in a maiden race at Del Mar, while Eleventh Street was second as the 3-5 favorite in a maiden race over six furlongs on dirt at Santa Anita on Oct. 3.

The dirt form of those fillies is worth remembering. Rain was forecast for Tuesday night and Wednesday morning. Track officials hope to run the Hidden Light on turf, but a deluge of rain could force the race to the dirt.

Paasch said that Conveyor's Angel will be scratched if the surface is changed. "She's a big, tall filly," he said. "Hopefully it won't rain too hard."