Gray Magician among seven expected for Sham

ARCADIA, Calif. – Gray Magician will have his stakes debut in Saturday’s Grade 3 Sham Stakes for 3-year-olds at a mile at Santa Anita, the first stakes of the year for the division in California in the buildup to the Triple Crown.

Gray Magician, owned by Wachtel Stable, Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, and Gary Barber, won a maiden special weight race at a mile by 9 1/2 lengths at Del Mar on Nov. 24. That was his first start for trainer Peter Miller after having been trained by Hector Palma for his first three starts.

In the $100,000 Sham, Miller will also run Savagery, who finished fourth in the Grade 1 Los Alamitos Futurity on Dec. 9, but was disqualified and placed fifth for causing interference approaching the first turn.

Savagery is likely to be near the front in the Sham, while Gray Magician is a threat from off the pace.

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Trainers Bob Baffert and Keith Desormeaux also have two candidates each in a projected field of seven.

Baffert will start likely favorite Coliseum, a 6 3/4-length debut winner going seven furlongs at Del Mar on Nov. 17, and Much Better, who was 14th in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf at Churchill Downs on Nov. 2.

Much Better debuted on dirt at Del Mar, winning a maiden special weight by 3 1/4 lengths on Sept. 1. He then finished second in the Oct. 8 Zuma Beach Stakes on turf at Santa Anita.

Desormeaux will run Sueno, who won the Gold Rush Stakes at Golden Gate Fields on Dec. 1, and Easy Shot, who won an $80,000 claimer for maidens at Del Mar on Nov. 30.

Gunmetal Gray, fifth behind Game Winner in the BC Juvenile on Nov. 2, will start for trainer Jerry Hollendorfer. Gunmetal Gray was second to Game Winner in the Grade 1 American Pharoah Stakes here in September.