Effinex heads seven probables for Santa Anita Handicap

ARCADIA, Calif. – It was a long journey from Florida to California on Thursday for Effinex, but the bright-eyed 5-year-old looked a picture Friday morning at Santa Anita, where he will play a leading role next weekend in the Grade 1 Santa Anita Handicap.

Effinex, the runner-up to American Pharoah in the Breeders’ Cup Classic and the winner of the Grade 1 Clark Handicap in his most recent start Nov. 27 at Churchill Downs, is expected to start favored next Saturday in a Big Cap field that numbered seven likely starters as of Friday.

Jimmy Jerkens trains Effinex, whose 14-hour trip was “long and cold,” assistant trainer Kent Sweezey said. No problem for Effinex, a road warrior whose 2015 travels included starts at Aqueduct, Belmont, Saratoga, Keeneland, and Churchill Downs before shipping to Palm Meadows early this year to prepare for the Big Cap.

Sweezey described Effinex as a “smart horse, really cool to be around,” confirmed Friday by his attentive, ears-pricked demeanor. Effinex walked early Friday, jogged after the 9 a.m. break, was scheduled to gallop Saturday, and will blow out next week, pending weather.

Mike Smith, who rode Effinex in the BC Classic and Clark, will ride him in the Big Cap.

The expected field, in order of approximate odds: Effinex, Smith; Donworth, Mario Gutierrez; Imperative, Santiago Gonzalez; General a Rod, Rafael Bejarano; Cyrus Alexander, Martin Garcia; Melatonin, Joe Talamo; and Hard Aces, no rider. Weights for the Big Cap were scheduled for release Saturday.

Donworth, whose third-place comeback Feb. 6 in the Grade 2 San Antonio established him as a leading contender in the Big Cap, worked Friday for trainer Doug O’Neill.

It is standard for O’Neill trainees to go slowly at the start of the work, and Friday was no exception. Although he worked one mile from wire to wire, Donworth started the work so slowly that he was credited with only a 48-second workout for the final half-mile.

Jonny Garcia was aboard Donworth for the solo workout at 9:15 a.m.

“Just a good, solid stamina breeze,” O’Neill said.”He does a lot of this stuff [stamina gallops] on a daily basis.”

Donworth worked once around from the finish wire; O’Neill timed him in “1:44 and change, 11 and 3 the last eighth.”

General a Rod, based in Florida with Todd Pletcher, will enter the Big Cap with the top last-race Beyer Speed Figure, a 105 earned for winning an allowance by more than seven lengths on a sloppy track Jan. 28 at Gulfstream Park. Pletcher said General a Rod will ship to California this coming Friday; he said Bejarano will ride.