Digging deep to unearth Santa Anita Friday winners

ARCADIA, Calif. – An allowance sprinter making his first start of the year, and juvenile fillies making first starts of their careers, provide handicapping challenges Friday at Santa Anita.

Fashionably Fast returns in race 5, a statebred turf allowance; None of Your Biz debuts in race 8 for statebred maiden juvenile fillies on the main track. Both races are five furlongs, and require consideration of factors not immediately obvious.

The favorites in race 5 are Psycho Dar and Prodigal Son, whose second- and third-place finishes last out were partly due to a beneficial flow. The winner led gate to wire, Psycho Dar and Prodigal Son chased from second and third. With the turf rails at 20 feet, the speed held.

If speed holds again Friday, Psycho Dar and Prodigal Son could be gone. Limited data suggests they have the right style. With the rails at 20 feet, as they will be Friday, five of six sprints were won by a horse positioned first or second.

But the field also includes fast comebacker Fashionably Fast. In addition to speed, Fashionably Fast underwent two recent procedures that could make him an improved horse at 4.

Fashionably Fast was gelded late last year, by necessity according to trainer Dean Pederson. “He was always getting hot in the paddock and post parade. Even in the morning, he’d come back very hot just training. Things like that affect performance.”

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In his first start as a gelding on Dec. 31, Fashionably Fast pressed the pace racing one mile and finished fifth. Too far, perhaps. Fashionably Fast subsequently underwent a second procedure, this time his throat.

“It wasn’t a full-fledged [entrapped epiglottis], it was the beginning of one,” Pederson said. “If I pressed on and gave him a couple more races, it was just going to get worse.”

Fashionably Fast recovered from the procedure and resumed workouts in April. Based on a blazing half-mile Sunday in 46.60 seconds, the fastest work by three-fifths and a full second faster than Catalina Cruiser and McKinzie, Fashionably Fast is ready to fire. Tiago Pereira rides Fashionably Fast, listed at 7-2.

The 2-year-olds in race 8 include favorite Takes a Village, a Luis Mendez-trained first-time starter that posted two sharp recent gate works – a bullet half in 47.20 and three furlongs in 35.20. Edwin Maldonado rides.

Fran’s Empire finished a better-than-looked third in her debut. She was bumped and off slowly, took dirt, rallied inside, split horses, and finished well. For her second start Friday, she will be ridden by Rafael Bejarano, who is three wins from career victory 4,000.

Brian Koriner trains None of Your Biz. She might be the one to beat, she might be prepping.

“She can run quite a bit, but I don’t know if we have her nailed down,” Koriner said. “She’s done everything like she has a lot left in the tank.”

None of Your Biz breaks from post 5 under Aaron Gryder. Koriner envisions two scenarios. “If she doesn’t break good, we’re going to educate her. If she breaks good and goes with them, she’ll probably win.”