Gum Tree Lane using Robert Lewis Stakes as barometer

ARCADIA, Calif. – The Grade 3 Robert Lewis Stakes at Santa Anita on Saturday will play a pivotal role in the short-term future of Gum Tree Lane, the promising winner of a maiden race at Los Alamitos in December.

Owned by Michael House and trained by Phil D’Amato, Gum Tree Lane will make his stakes debut in the $150,000 Lewis at 1 1/16 miles. D’Amato chose the Lewis over a first-condition allowance race with an $80,000 claiming option at a mile on Thursday.

“I like the distance, the extra sixteenth of a mile,” D’Amato said last weekend. “We want to see how we stack up against nice horses and adjust how we campaign him down the road.”

For the Lewis, D’Amato has booked leading rider Flavien Prat, who was aboard for the win in the maiden special weight race at a mile Dec. 16. Gum Tree Lane stalked the pace in the field of five, took the lead early in the long stretch, and won by 2 1/2 lengths. He was third in a 6 1/2-furlong maiden race at Del Mar in his debut on Sept. 1.

The Lewis is part of the buildup to the Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby, a $1 million race at 1 1/8 miles on April 6.

The list of candidates for the Lewis is led by Mucho Gusto, who was second in the Los Alamitos Futurity on Dec. 8. Other probable starters are Gunmetal Gray and Sueno, who were first and second in the Grade 3 Sham Stakes at a mile Jan. 5; Nolo Contesto, a maiden winner on Jan. 4; and Kid Cantina, who was second in a starter allowance on Dec. 29.

On Sunday, Gunmetal Gray worked six furlongs in 1:15.20, which trainer Jerry Hollendorfer described as “smart and easy.”

The Lewis is one of three graded stakes on Saturday’s program, along with the Grade 2 San Pasqual Stakes at 1 1/8 miles and the Grade 2 San Marcos Stakes at 1 1/4 miles on turf.

The field for the $200,000 San Pasqual Stakes is led by McKinzie, the five-length winner of the Grade 1 Malibu Stakes for 3-year-olds at seven furlongs on Dec. 26; and Battle of Midway, who was second in the Grade 2 San Antonio Stakes at 1 1/16 miles on Dec. 26.

On Sunday, Battle of Midway worked six furlongs in 1:12.20, the fastest of 19 works at the distance that morning. McKinzie worked six furlongs in 1:13.20.

Other candidates for the San Pasqual are Giant Expectations, Pavel, Prince of Arabia, Roman Rosso, and Shivermetimbers.

Chicago Style, winner of the Grade 2 Hollywood Turf Cup on Nov. 23 at Del Mar, is a leading runner in the $200,000 San Marcos Stakes.

Rainbow pick six carryover builds

The carryover in the 20-cent Rainbow pick six has reached $1,469,847 for Thursday’s program, with a mandatory payout looming on Saturday.

The track has guaranteed that the Rainbow portion of the pick six will have a payout of $2 million on Thursday or Friday in the buildup to Saturday. The Rainbow portion is paid only if there is a single winning ticket, which has not occurred since the meeting began Dec. 26.

The pick six paid $3,199 to 75 ticketholders on Sunday.

Mullins fined $500

Trainer Jeff Mullins has been fined $500 after River Boyne was found to have an excessive amount of the anti-inflammatory dexamethasone in a postrace test taken Dec. 1 at Del Mar, according to a ruling published Sunday.

The overage was found in a test taken after River Boyne finished second in the Grade 1 Hollywood Derby. River Boyne has won 7 of 14 starts and earned $691,718. In the last year, River Boyne has won five stakes on turf, the most recent of which was the Grade 2 Mathis Brothers Mile on Dec. 26 at Santa Anita.