Hess looking to double up with starter-allowance fillies

ARCADIA, Calif. – With two fillies eligible to the same condition, both ready to run, trainer Bob Hess faced a decision for the Friday card at Santa Anita.

Hess could enter 2-year-old stablemates Give Me a Hint and Midnight Miracle against each other in the same starter allowance for fillies or split them up by entering one in the fillies’ race and the other in a starter allowance open to either gender.

“I wanted to keep them apart,” Hess said.

It makes sense since both fillies are contenders Friday – Midnight Miracle in race 7 for fillies and Give Me a Hint in race 2. She is the only filly in the field.

“Midnight Miracle has a really good shot against fillies,” Hess said. “The colt race came up tougher than the last few.”

Give Me a Hint won her only start by more than nine lengths, but Oracle of Omaha also won by nine. He set faster fractions and earned a higher speed figure than the filly.

The starter-allowance races highlight a busy Friday afternoon for Hess, who has runners in five races. Second-time starter All Tea All Shade should improve while adding blinkers and dropping in class for race 1, a maiden-claiming sprint for California-bred fillies. Hess also entered turf-route longshots Hard Fought and Ezpzylemonsqueezy in races 5 and 8, respectively.

Hess is right about Give Me a Hint in race 2. Oracle of Omaha will be tough. Peter Miller trains Oracle of Omaha, who was a first-time gelding when he won a maiden-claiming race Sept. 21 at Los Alamitos. Oracle of Omaha earned a 70 Beyer Speed Figure; Give Me a Hint earned a 61 in her win at Del Mar.

Race 7, also at six furlongs but restricted to fillies, is more competitive. It is a race Midnight Miracle already won, before stewards disqualified her for causing interference in the stretch.

“In the mornings and the afternoon, she wants to shy away from the whip,” Hess said. “That’s what she did, and it got her in a pickle with the stewards. Gary [Stevens] knows her; he will finesse her down to the finish line, I hope.”

Stevens, who rode Midnight Miracle to a maiden romp two back, regains the mount Friday. The race 7 program favorite is Secret Maneuver, who finished a half-length behind Midnight Miracle after the interference. She was elevated from third to second.

The Friday card at Santa Anita includes two races in the Stronach 5, a weekly $1 pick five wager with a 12 percent takeout. Santa Anita races 3 and 4 are the second and fifth legs of a sequence that includes Gulfstream Park West races 7 and 8 and Laurel race 9.

In race 3 at Santa Anita, 4-1 second choice Bahamian is the horse to beat in the maiden-claiming turf sprint. In race 4, Amuse is the tepid 3-1 favorite in the sprint for maiden fillies and mares.