High-fig Pharoah's Heart should enjoy stretching out to a mile

ARCADIA, Calif. – Based on looks and pedigree, Pharoah’s Heart will relish the longer distance when she stretches to a mile on dirt against Grade 1-placed Crystal Ball on Friday at Santa Anita.

Yet even for a long-striding American Pharoah filly such as Pharoah’s Heart, theory is one thing and reality is another.

“I don’t think there’s much question she’ll get the distance,” trainer Mark Glatt said. “But you’ve got to see it before you know it.”

What he does know is Pharoah’s Heart enters the entry-level allowance with the field’s highest figures, an outside post in a small field, and two sharp recent sprints and a current-racing advantage over comebacker Crystal Ball.

Five older fillies and mares entered the seventh-race feature on Friday, the first card in more than a year that fans in the stands will outnumber horses on the track. Santa Anita reopens this week for live crowds, on the condition tickets be purchased in advance.

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Pharoah’s Heart earned a field-high 90 Beyer Speed Figure in both starts – a debut win over maidens and runner-up in an allowance. High figures aside, she is the only entrant who has not raced two turns. Miss Fia, the likely pacesetter, finished third in her only route; This Tea and Last First Kiss won maiden races around two turns.

The main rival for Pharoah’s Heart is Crystal Ball, the Bob Baffert trainee who followed her Santa Anita maiden win last June by finishing second in the Grade 1 Coaching Club American Oaks at Saratoga. Crystal Ball is working well for her first start since August.

Pharoah’s Heart trained in Florida last year before she was sidelined with an unspecified setback. Owned by Solana Beach Sales, she arrived in California last summer with high expectations.

“They told us she had a lot of ability,” Glatt said. “Once we started training her and getting going with her, we found out they were right.”

She won her debut Jan. 3, and followed Feb. 14 with a creditable runner-up finish in an allowance. John Velazquez fills in for Joel Rosario, who is riding at Keeneland.

Flavien Prat rides Crystal Ball, whose works indicate she is ready to roll. Baffert and Prat have been on fire – their last seven runners produced six wins and a second.

While the five-runner feature offers minimal wagering appeal, a claiming turf sprint that is race 4 might be the best betting race. Glatt entered a pair of veteran 8-year-olds – likely favorite Castle and likely pacesetter Restless Rambler.

Castle, a minor stakes winner in 2019, had been off nearly a year when he finished second in a $25,000 claiming turf sprint Feb. 28. Castle is the one to beat Friday over 19-time winner Restless Rambler.

Restless Rambler would be first horse this meet to lead gate to wire in a six-furlong turf sprint with the rails at 30 feet. The previous nine were won from off the pace.