Du Jour, In Vronsky Style might be ready for graduation day

ARCADIA, Calif. – As turf races for maidens become increasingly essential in Southern California, bettors will see more and more cards such as Friday’s at Santa Anita.

Four of the nine races are for maidens on turf, which highlights a trend – 15 percent of races this winter (35 of 222) have been maiden races on turf. By comparison, only five winters ago at this point of the 2015-16 meet, maiden turf races made up just 6 percent of Santa Anita races (14 of 224).

:: Get Brad Free’s Betting Strategies for Saturday’s card at Santa Anita

It’s not a complaint, merely acknowledgement. Racing changes, often slowly, sometimes in rapid order. What has not changed is the challenge to identify the most likely winner. It is simple in the first maiden turf race Friday, more difficult in others.

In race 1, Du Jour will be strongly backed to win the turf mile for maiden 3-year-olds. Beyond the fact he switches to the meet’s hottest jockey – Flavien Prat, who went 11 for 28 last week and rocketed to the top of the standings – Du Jour enters in stellar form.

Trained by Bob Baffert, the colt’s runner-up debut two back on turf was flattered when the winner returned to win a stakes. Du Jour ran even better on dirt second out. Four wide early to avoid kickback, he stayed wide, lost ground with a sweeping move on the far turn, made the lead, then lost his punch. Under wide-trip circumstances, he ran super.

Du Jour returns to turf on Friday, and figures to start as a short price against front-runners Enough Nonsense and Man Friday. With turf rails at Friday’s 30-foot setting, nine turf miles this meet have been kind to speed: two winners led wire to wire, two from second position, and two from third. Three winners rallied from the middle or back of the field.

:: Enhance your handicapping with DRF’s Santa Anita Clocker Report

Race 3 is a scramble for Cal-bred maidens, 4-year-olds and up. Despite his inside post in the 6 1/2-furlong turf sprint, one could make a case for first-time starter In Vronsky Style. His rivals are modest, and he worked very well Feb. 13 in company with stakes winner Cathkin Peak.

“He’s a big, good-looking horse,” trainer Phil D’Amato said. “It’s taken him a while to get to the races, but he’s training forwardly and I think he’ll come with a run. The rail is never a good spot [sprinting} on the grass.”

D’Amato is right about post. The rail this meet is 3 for 49 in turf sprints combining six furlongs and six and a half. Tyler Baze rides In Vronsky Style, whose chief rivals include Queen’s Code and Luvluv.

In race 5, the 11-start maiden Lookintogeteven drops to maiden-claiming turf for the first time as the likely favorite in mile and one-eighth maiden $50,000 claimer. In race 9, for Cal-bred maiden fillies and mares at a mile on turf, five-start maiden Rockie Causeway could start favored again. She missed by a head last out, her fourth straight loss as the favorite.