ARCADIA, Calif. – Honduran will need race tactics to go his way to win his second consecutive race in an optional claimer at Santa Anita on Thursday. Trained by Vladimir Cerin for David and Holly Wilson, Honduran was purchased for $47,000 at the Keeneland November breeding stock sale last year. He has earned $49,880 this season in four starts. On May 17, Honduran won for the first time for the Wilsons and Cerin, closing from fourth in a field of five to win an optional claimer over 1 1/16 miles. Thursday’s race, the fourth on an eight-race program, is run over 1 1/16 miles. “I think he’s slowly improving,” Cerin said. “He seems to like Santa Anita. The problem is he needs a lot of pace to run at. There is not a lot of speed in this.” Honduran, by Macho Uno, is part of a competitive field of five. Two other runners – Big Cazanova and Magic Mark – have shown speed and won their last starts. Tiz Dynamic was third in an optional claimer May 23. Secretsatmidnight, the winner of an optional claimer here in March, was fifth of six in the Grade 3 Precisionist Stakes here May 3. Big Cazanova is highly regarded by trainer Peter Miller. The 5-year-old Argentine-bred was first in the Group 1 Jockey Club Del Peru in 2013 but was disqualified and placed second. In this country, Big Cazanova beat maidens by four lengths in a one-mile race May 24, his third start for Miller and his first on dirt. Magic Mark has won 3 of 5 starts for breeders Dorine and John Lanza and trainer Ron Ellis. The 4-year-old gelding was an impressive winner of an optional claimer over a mile April 25, disputing the early lead before pulling away to win by 5 1/2 lengths. “This is tougher than last time,” Ellis said. “This will be a good determining factor of where he belongs.” Honduran was third in the April 25 race, and Cerin is relying on Magic Mark to set a quick pace to give his starter a chance. “He tries every time,” Cerin said of Honduran. “He’s a lot more useful now that he comes from off the pace.” Tiz Dynamic has shown speed. He won twice during the winter-spring meeting at Santa Anita – a $25,000 claimer in December and an optional claimer in March – by racing near the front throughout.