Dandino lukewarm to defend marathon American St. Leger win

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. – Races beyond 1 1/2 miles abound in Europe, but they’ve become something of a novelty in America. Yet what helps make the $400,000 American St. Leger such an interesting race Saturday is not necessarily the distance, but the composition of the field.

British invader Dandino is back at Arlington Park to defend the title he earned last year in winning the St. Leger; the 7-year-old horse is part of a lineup as eclectic as the 1 11/16-mile distance. Local mainstays Suntracer and The Pizza Man rate solid chances, while others worthy of major consideration include Big Kick, a speedy California shipper; Eye of The Storm, a marathon specialist for trainer Aidan O’Brien; and the uncoupled Mike Maker pair of Moro Tap and Admiral Kitten.

The upshot is that whereas Dandino was the 4-5 favorite in winning the 2013 renewal, he figures to be only a lukewarm choice this time around.

“It’s very open,” said Lucie Botti, traveling assistant to her husband, trainer Marco Botti. “We were honestly hoping for an easier task, but he is a good horse. We will need a little bit of luck, of course. But, he’s been very pleasing at home and worked very well in his last work on Saturday. We are really happy with him.”

A field of 11 is entered, although Hardest Core is expected to scratch in favor of the Arlington Million, leaving the maximum of 10.
In another program change, Luis Saez will replace Jamie Spencer on the British-based mare Moment In Time because of the low weight assignment of 114 pounds.

This is the third running of the American St. Leger. It is carded as the seventh of 12 races, with post time set for 3:45 p.m. Central.

KEY CONTENDERS

Dandino (First 2014 start in North America)

◗ The defending race winner is said by knowledgeable European observers to be a heavy horse who takes plenty of work to round back into shape. His two 2014 starts in England hardly encourage, but this amounts to a class drop, and boy was he impressive in winning this race last year at odds-on. He clearly merits huge respect with those two races back home under his belt.

The Pizza Man (Last 3 Beyers: 98-93-100)

◗ The Illinois-bred state champion has consistently answered many questions about himself in the affirmative, and now he must respond to this marathon distance when facing perhaps the most formidable opposition of his career. His 11-for-16 record cannot be overlooked; surely the locals would love to see one of their own shine on this huge afternoon.

Suntracer (97-99-92)

◗ The tried-and-true veteran is back on the beam after his winter slump, and trainer Chris Block has been quietly confident this guy will show up big-time in this spot. He isn’t much for winning (note the 1-for-13 mark over this course), but when in form, he’s a solid play for the vertical exotics.

Admiral Kitten (92-92-91)

◗ As winner of the Secretariat here last year, and five weeks after his big closing effort in the Arlington Handicap, in which he finished second by a head, this 4-year-old seems an extremely interesting stretchout candidate, given his apparent fondness for the course.