Heavens Stairway needs clean trip
ARCADIA, Calif. – Heavens Stairway packed considerable drama into the 6 1/2 furlongs of the Sunshine Millions Filly and Mare Turf Sprint on the hillside turf course at Santa Anita on Jan. 24.
“She didn’t break good, and she clipped heels coming over the main track,” trainer Marty Jones recalled Tuesday.
Those incidents led to an eighth-place finish, 7 1/2 lengths behind the winner, Go West Marie. Heavens Stairway won her two previous starts on the hillside and is back on her favorite turf course Thursday for an optional claimer.
DRF FORMULATOR FACT: No. 4 Heavens Stairway. Won an optional claimer down the hill on Jan. 1; horses from that race went 9-0-0-1 in their immediate next starts. Click for more details. – Mike Hogan
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“She likes coming down that hill,” Jones said.
The optional claimer is the seventh race on an eight-race program at Santa Anita. The sixth race is a six-furlong optional claimer for 3-year-old California-breds that is a prep for the $200,000 Echo Eddie Stakes on April 4.
SEVENTH RACE
KEY CONTENDERS
Heavens Stairway (Last 3 Beyers: 76-88-87)
◗ Heavens Stairway has won four of six starts on the hillside in her career. A California-bred, she won an optional claimer against open company Jan. 1.
“She needs a little racing luck,” Jones said. “I think she should have a good run.”
Grazenette (Last 3 Beyers: 79-73-69)
◗ Grazenette won an optional claimer on the hillside Jan. 31, closing from 10th in a field of 11 in her first start on the surface. She was stakes-placed at Del Mar last year for owner-breeder Nick Alexander and trainer Phil D’Amato.
DRF FORMULATOR FACT: No. 3 Kool Kat. Trainer James Cassidy is 6-0-0-0 over the past five years going dirt to turf down the hill at Santa Anita. Click for more details. – Mike Hogan
DRF FORMULATOR FACT: No. 9 Emerald Star. Trainer Neil Drysdale is 4-2-0-1 with a $8.00 ROI over the past five years with foreign shippers in turf sprints at Santa Anita. Click for more details. – Mike Hogan
SIXTH RACE
KEY CONTENDERS
Grazen Sky (Last 3 Beyers: 91-66-43)
◗ Grazen Sky led throughout a six-furlong maiden race for California-breds here Jan. 24 in his third start, drawing off to win by 2 1/4 lengths. In his preceding start, Grazen Sky was second to Kluszewski in a maiden race at Los Alamitos on Dec. 4.
Grazen Sky and Kluszewski are owned by Alexander. Steve Miyadi trains Grazen Sky.
Kluszewski (Last 3 Beyers: 75-74-67)
◗ After beating maidens, Kluszewski was third in two stakes for California-breds – the King Glorious Stakes at a mile at Los Alamitos on Dec. 14 and the California Cup Derby at 1 1/16 miles here Jan. 24.
◗ Trained by D’Amato, Kluszewski drew the outside in a field of eight.
“I like him at the distance, and I like the post,” D’Amato said. “He can stalk.”
◗ Rafael Bejarano rode Kluszewski in his last three starts but will ride Grazen Sky. Tiago Pereira rides Kluszewski and has worked the colt in recent weeks, D’Amato said.