Favorites in two turf races no sure things

ARCADIA, Calif. – Peter Miller and John Sadler offer no guarantees regarding the likely favorites in both turf sprints Thursday at Santa Anita.

Miller trains Calculator, a graded stakes winner attempting a comeback in the race 7 feature, a second-level optional $62,500 claimer. Sadler trains Conquest Smartee, a high-profile maiden making his California debut in race 5.

Calculator has worked very well for his first start in seven months. But with Calculator, Miller does not plan too far ahead.

“He’s doing well right now,” Miller said on Sunday. “But with him, it’s always a very fluid situation because he’s got chronically bad feet. So, it’s day to day. The past two weeks, he’s been great.”

Sadler trains Conquest Smartee, a well-bred colt making his second start and his first in California. A full brother to Square Eddie, Conquest Smartee was purchased for $390,000 by Hronis Racing from the Conquest Stables dispersal. Thursday is merely a comeback.

“This is a nice jumping-off spot for him, and he’s trained well,” Sadler said. “I’m not 100 percent certain what surface he wants yet. I expect him to run well.”

Calculator and Conquest Smartee are top contenders, but both races include alternatives. Calculator’s rivals include the Miller trainee Hollywood Don, a stakes winner making his second start following a layoff. He finished next to last in his comeback.

“Don’t discount Hollywood Don,” Miller said. “He needed his first race, and he’s come back to breeze really good. I wouldn’t count him out.”

The seventh-race lineup is deep. Hawkedon is a downhill specialist returning from a layoff; Aotearoa is entered for the optional $62,500 claiming tag.

Calculator has won 2 of 11 starts and $448,460 while placing in five graded stakes. Foot issues and sickness prevented him from starting since July, but if he starts on Thursday, he is ready.

“He worked great last week with Norberto [Arroyo],” Miller said. “I think they’re going to be a pretty good pair.”

The Miller-Arroyo combination is the leading trainer-jockey combo at the meet, having gone 8 for 17 with four seconds.

As for Hollywood Don, he will sprint Thursday for the first time. Miller maintains that the Santa Anita downhill course is a unique category.

“The hill is not really a sprint and not really a route,” Miller said. “It’s kind of a tweener. I think [Hollywood Don] will really like it. I think we’re starting two very live horses.”

Miller, 22 for 80 this winter, leads the standings. He has won five of the seven races this winter in which he started two runners, including a dead heat.

Hawkedon is a three-time downhill winner making his first start since last March for trainer Mike Puype. The layoff is not an issue based on recent statistics. Puype has won with his last three downhill sprinters returning from layoffs of six months or longer.

Race 5 rivals for Conquest Smartee include first-time starter Kopitar, a sibling to Santa Anita turf-sprint stakes winner Unbridled’s Note and Grade 1 Spoken Fur.

Conquest Smartee was one of the top prospects at the Conquest dispersal last fall and the third major acquisition from that sale to start in California. Sadler and Hronis bid on all three.

Sadler ranked the horses with Conquest Enforcer on top, followed by Conquest Farenheit and Conquest Smartee.

“That’s pretty much how the prices lined up,” Sadler said.

Conquest Enforcer was purchased for $785,000 and won the Grade 2 Mathis Brothers Mile for trainer Phil D’Amato; Conquest Farenheit was purchased for $735,000 and won the Baffle Stakes for Miller.