Dream Shake ($42) surprises Bezos and Tivoli Twirl

ARCADIA, Calif. - Dismissed at 20-1, Dream Shake played the spoiler’s role in a high-profile maiden special weight race for 3-year-olds at 6 1/2 furlongs at Santa Anita on Sunday.

Ridden by Joel Rosario, Dream Shake rallied from eighth in a field of nine to win by a convincing 4 3/4 lengths in 1:17.34. Dream Shake earned a 96 Beyer Speed Figure.

In his wake, Dream Shake ($42) easily beat Bezos, an Empire Maker colt who was sent off at 3-5 and finished a disappointing seventh, fading from contention in the final quarter-mile in his debut.

Dream Shake, trained by Peter Eurton, rallied wide to reach contention on the turn and held a three-length advantage with a furlong remaining.
Rosario had worked Dream Shake in the buildup to Sunday’s race, and was left surprised by the result.

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“I didn’t think he’d run the way he did,” Rosario said. “He really responded very well. Going into the five-sixteenths, he started building up. He was running better than everyone else. I thought he had a chance to do something.

“He got me to the winner’s circle.”

Harbored Memories, second in his debut in a maiden special weight race at six furlongs on turf on Jan. 1, finished second, 3 1/4 lengths in front of 7-2 second choice Mr. Impossible, who was second in his debut in a maiden special weight race at six furlongs on dirt on Jan. 15.

Mr. Impossible, who was scratched from Saturday’s Grade 2 San Vicente Stakes for 3-year-olds, was near the front in the opening three furlongs of Sunday’s race, racing to the inside of pacesetter Tivoli Twirl.

Bezos, trained by Bob Baffert, was three wide under jockey Mike Smith and appeared to be in a good position in the first half of the race.

“I thought he was okay,” Smith watching the replay with Baffert.

Bezos was still third on the turn, but Smith had grown concerned at that stage.

“He was getting tired right here,” Smith said watching Bezos run on the turn.

Bezos, purchased for $400,000 as a yearling, and Tivoli Twirl, purchased for $375,000 at a 2-year-olds in-training sale, were expected to be a formidable duo for trainer Baffert in the race. Bezos was beaten 15 1/4 lengths by Dream Shake.

“He got really tired,” Baffert said of Bezos.

Dream Shake, a $75,000 purchase as a 2-year-old in-training, is by Twirling Candy and races for the partnership of Exline-Border Racing, SAF Racing, and Richard Hausman.

Dream Shake had worked well in the mornings against lesser rivals, Eurton said.

“That’s the way he does things in the morning, but not against anything with any meat to it,” Eurton said. “We never tested him.”

Dream Shake is out of the 11-year-old mare Even Song, a two-time winner who is a half-sister to Chocolate Kisses, the winner of the Grade 3 Honeybee Stakes at Oaklawn Park in 2019, and Synchrony, a six-time graded stakes winner who earned $926,652.