D'Amato runners hard to choose between

ARCADIA, Calif. – A pair of sprints with conspicuous favorites, and a competitive turf mile with multiple contenders, are among the parimutuel challenges Friday at Santa Anita.

In race 3, speedster Forty Niner Gold will try to reproduce his better-than-looked maiden victory when he moves up in class to face California-bred winners in a six-furlong turf sprint. Santarena could be one of the most well-backed runners on the card in race 6, a 5 1/2-furlong maiden dirt race.

But race 7 is a raffle. Phil D’Amato trains three of the eight fillies and mares entered in the second-level allowance turf mile. He described the race as a “grab bag, crapshoot, whatever you want to call it.” How about coin flip? D’Amato trainees Kitty Kitana and Leisurewear rank as the top contenders.

Forty Niner Gold is the one to catch in race 3. Although he went his opening quarter-mile last out in a tepid 22.35 seconds to defeat an ordinary maiden field, the fraction is misleading. Forty Niner Gold broke dead last, zoomed to the lead, dueled with a pace rival who cracked, and won clear.

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John Sadler trains Forty Niner Gold, whose new rider Friday is Juan Hernandez. If he breaks running, he could be gone. Late-runner Bronko Nagurski looms an upset candidate as he returns to the main oval on which he won a maiden sprint in January. Please Focus and Belly Up could pressure Forty Niner Gold.

Santarena should be tough to beat in his third career start in race 6. He broke slowly and finished fourth in his debut, and improved second out. Santarena added blinkers, shot to the lead, and got worn down while earning a 93 Beyer Speed Figure. Mark Glatt trains Santarena, whose rider is Antonio Fresu.

Prosper returns to dirt as a potential pace rival, while first-time starter Parenting may also add pace based on his bullet gate move April 20. He worked by himself in 59 seconds, the fastest five-furlong work of the day. Santarena, with tactical options from post 10 in the 11-runner field, appears formidable.

The featured seventh race goes through D’Amato. He entered three in the non-winners of two other-than turf mile, led by stuck-at-the-level Kitty Kitana and dropper Leisurewear. D’Amato also entered Paris Secret, who has not raced since August. “I think she’s going to need one, she’ll come running,” D’Amato said.

Hernandez is the regular rider for Kitty Kitana and Leisurewear; D’Amato named him on Leisurewear. “We’ve been trying to run her in a ‘2X’ for three months. We’ve been relegated to running her in stakes,” D’Amato said.

Leisurewear, sixth last out in the Grade 3 Wilshire, gets class relief Friday. “Juan knows her, she has tactical speed, she’s doing really well,” D’Amato said.

Kitty Kitana has lost her last six starts at the level, but she has finished in the money her last four. “She’s always there, she’s tactical, you can place her anywhere,” D’Amato said.

Kitty Kitana stretches back out from sprints Friday; Fresu is her new rider.

Speed Lane also stretches out from a fast runner-up turf sprint, while Yerwanthere drops from graded stakes.

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