Free's preview: Juveniles top closing-day card

CYPRESS, Calif. – The two-week Los Alamitos meet ends Sunday. After the recent abandonment of live racing by Hollywood and Fairplex Parks, it was a pleasure, most of the time, to handicap and wager at a California racetrack that actually desires live racing.

Of course, Los Alamitos faces challenges. The quality of racing during the short meet was soft, and field size was short. But it was an acceptable first step, nothing more.

Meanwhile, now is a good time for a brief look at the closing-day program.

Race 3: Hotshot juveniles

Bad Read Sanchez was one of more than a dozen yearlings of 2013 that owner J. Paul Reddam tried to sell this year at age 2. Reddam was in the pin-hooking business. He sold most, but at a spring sale, bidding on Bad Read Sanchez stalled at $340,000.

It was $10,000 short of his reserve. Reddam kept the colt and named him after a pet phrase used by a golfing partner.

The partner habitually blames his misguided putts on his caddy. “Bad read,” he would say. The caddy’s name was not Sanchez, but what the heck. That is how Bad Read Sanchez got his name.

And he can run. His debut romp by 10 lengths was among the most impressive victories by a 2-year-old colt at the Santa Anita meet.

To win the Willard Proctor Stakes, Bad Read Sanchez must overcome the inside post and a formidable rival in Story to Tell. The latter is trained by Dan Hendricks.

Story to Tell is comfortably drawn in post 4 with an experience edge. Story to Tell won his debut in pace-pressing fashion and finished second in the Santa Anita Juvenile. He raced inside and behind horses, rallied outside, and finished with run.

Story to Tell is this handicapper’s top choice, but his advantage over Bad Read Sanchez is minimal. The Proctor looks like a good race.

Race 7: Bernardini filly

Maiden 2-year-old fillies sired by Bernardini made headlines recently at Belmont Park. The Todd Pletcher-trained Angela Renee and the Kiaran McLaughlin-trained Cavorting scored stylish debut victories July 3 and June 27, respectively.

Is there a good Bernardini in California? The answer may be evident after Midnight Belle makes her debut in race 7. Beyond sire, she also has an outstanding female pedigree. Her dam is the California-bred Bertrando filly Queenie Belle.

Queenie Belle won six races, including two graded stakes, and earned $605,130 campaigning from 1999 through 2002. She was owned by Gary Seidler and trained by Ben Cecil. After she was done racing, she became a top broodmare.

Queenie Belle is the dam of Unrivaled Belle, upset winner of the 2010 Breeders’ Cup Ladies Classic at Churchill Downs.

Midnight Belle is owned by Al and Sandee Kirkwood and trained by Mark Glatt.

Her works are OK.

She is listed at 4-1. The second-time starter So You Say is the 2-1 program favorite.

Stay tuned.

Race 8: Hotshot juvenile filly

The most probable winner on the card is the Cinderella Stakes favorite Heart of Paradise, a smashing debut winner. She raced gate to wire June 5 at Santa Anita and earned an 81 Beyer Speed Figure that towers over her five rivals in the six-furlong Cinderella.

Trained by Jerry Hollendorfer, Heart of Paradise is fast. She also can run slowly when asked. She worked five furlongs in 57.80 seconds June 19. Eight days later, she went the same distance in 1:04.40.

Mike Smith rides the daughter of More than Ready, the 6-5 favorite.

No such thing as a slam dunk, but Heart of Paradise looks awfully close. She likely will start at odds-on.