ARCADIA, Calif. – It is not a particularly strong field for a Grade 2, and so what? The defection of Gold Phoenix from the Charles Whittingham Stakes gives the longest shot in the field a better chance to spring an upset Saturday at Santa Anita. Seven were entered the $200,000 Whittingham, a 1 1/4-mile turf race that would have featured a nine-time graded winner. However, Gold Phoenix scratched from the Whittingham to run Saturday at Churchill Downs in the Grade 1, $1.5 million Turf Classic. The absence of Gold Phoenix from the Whittingham opens the door for six others, including three winners of age-restricted graded stakes – Del Mar Derby winner The Padre, Twilight Derby winner Seal Team, and Mathis Mile winner Hiding in Honduras. Mondego and likely pacesetter Balladeer have won graded stakes against older, while the only Whittingham entrant without a graded win also happens to the best gamble. Flashiest rarely wins, but he almost always fires. Although the gelding has won just one of his last 34 starts, he enters the Whittingham in top form, having finished second three of his last four starts in graded races. Leonard Powell trains Flashiest, who is listed at 12-1 in the program. :: Santa Anita Classic Meet! Get DRF Past Performances, Clocker Reports, and more. “He’s overlooked every time in the betting, but he shows up,” Powell said. “He’s a horse that’s not easy to ride because he can be a bit of a handful. He’s very trip-dependent, and that’s probably why he has more seconds than anything.” Flashiest has four wins and eight seconds from 38 starts. Armando Ayuso rides Flashiest, who figures for a great trip Saturday. Last out, Flashiest set the pace and was worn down by Gold Phoenix. Saturday in the Whittingham, Flashiest is likely to be positioned right behind the speed. “We should be in a stalking position, he’s shown in his last few races he definitely belongs with those,” Powell said. “He’s faced some good horses.” Flashiest, 8, has never been better. His last four starts include runner-up finishes in the Grade 3 San Luis Rey and Grade 3 San Marcos at Santa Anita, and Grade 2 Hollywood Turf Cup at Del Mar. When the pace backs up, Flashiest and Ayuso will be among the first to attack. Flashiest won the 2021 Oceanside Stakes at Del Mar, his only stakes victory. The Padre is listed at even money in the Whittingham, which seems low. The race is his second start following a promising runner-up allowance comeback. An Irish import, The Padre has won three of five starts. He is trained by Phil D’Amato and will be ridden by Antonio Fresu. Seal Team wheels back two weeks after finishing third in the Grade 3 American Stakes at one mile. “He made a big move, and hung a little,” trainer Richard Mandella said, pleased at the effort. “He’s on his way back, I think.” Mandella’s best chance Saturday is Big City Lights in race 10, an allowance sprint. A five-time stakes winner whose career is often interrupted by minor issues, including feet, Big City Lights is the 2-1 favorite and most probable winner on the card. Kazushi Kimura rides. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.