Hansen saw filly's turf talent

SANTA ROSA, Calif. - Sometimes trainers see beyond numbers, which is what Roger Hansen did with Family Talents. Family Talents has a relatively low Tomlinson rating for turf, but Hansen - knowing she's a half-sister to Hot Talent, a stakes winner who earned more than $331,270 on turf - put her on grass for a maiden race two years ago. She won that one-mile race by a length.

On Thursday she will run on turf in a $40,000 starter allowance at one mile at the Sonoma County Fair.

Family Talents was injured after her maiden win and missed her 3-year-old season. She began this year with three straight fifth-place finishes against allowance or optional claiming company, including a 1 1/16-mile turf race at Golden Gate two starts back. In her last race, she finished third in a one-mile $25,000 claimer over the turf here behind win machine Kendricks Patsy.

"She was far back early, but just a length off the winner," Hansen said. "I think she'll be closer here. I think that was a tougher race, and I think she needs to get a win under her belt to build her confidence."

A full field of 10 signed up for the race, including What a Day, whose trainer, Ricardo Perez, thinks she should run well going long on the turf.

What a Day, a 3-year-old by Loyal Double, ran third in a five-furlong turf sprint in her second start. She graduated in a dirt sprint, and now is back on the turf.

"I like to try them on turf and see what happens," Perez said. "The sire has thrown some runners on turf."

Perez cited as an example Loyal Bounty, whom he claimed for $8,000 last year and who ran second in a turf stakes.

In three starts, What a Day has never run farther than six furlongs, so there is a question of whether she'll handle a route.

"I'm not really worried," Perez said. "She's training good. She finished well sprinting, and I've been training her to go a distance. She acts like she can go two turns."

Have at It and Funny Prospect, second and third in a similar spot here on July 19, are returning, as is Razyana Royalty, who will make her first start since graduating in a $25,000 maiden claimer on the turf last Aug. 12 at the Bay Meadows Fair.