Idol looking for first stakes win in San Pasqual

Idol finished his 3-year-old season on Dec. 26 with a second-place finish by a half-length in his stakes debut in the Grade 2 San Antonio Stakes at 1 1/16 miles at Santa Anita.

The race served as the start of a winter campaign that could lead to a stakes win as quickly as next Saturday.

Idol is scheduled to start in the Grade 2 San Pasqual Stakes at 1 1/8 miles at Santa Anita on Jan. 30, a $200,000 race that is a key prep for the Grade 1 Santa Anita Handicap at 1 1/4 miles on March 6.

“I want to run him a mile and a quarter anyway,” trainer Richard Baltas said.

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Friday, Idol worked five furlongs in 1:01.20 at Santa Anita.

“I got him faster than that, in a minute and change,” Baltas said.

“He’s trained great. You try to keep a good horse healthy and sound. He’s worked easily and outworked the horses he’s been with. He’s ready, I think.”

Owned by Calvin Nguyen, Idol has won 2 of 4 starts. He won an allowance race at 1 3/16 miles at Churchill Downs on Nov. 8 in his final start in Kentucky before being transferred to Baltas’ California division.

In the San Antonio, Idol was beaten by Kiss Today Goodbye, who was entered in Saturday’s Grade 1 Pegasus World Cup at Gulfstream Park.

The San Pasqual is one of three graded stakes on the Jan. 30 program at Santa Anita along with the Grade 3 Robert Lewis Stakes for 3-year-olds at 1 1/16 miles and the Grade 2 San Marcos Stakes at 1 1/4 miles on turf.

In the $200,000 San Marcos, Baltas plans to start Oscar Dominguez, who won the Grade 2 Hollywood Turf Cup at Del Mar in 2019 and was second in the 2020 San Marcos, and Masteroffoxhounds, who won an allowance race at 1 3/8 miles on turf at Del Mar on Nov. 28 in his second start in the United States.