Jeremy's Quest rolling again

A little more than six weeks ago, it looked like Jeremy's Quest was headed the wrong way. She lost for a $25,000 claiming tag, was dropped in for $20,000 and ran worse, then showed up for $10,000. She won that race in a runaway on Feb. 1, and has been on a roll since.

Jeremy's Quest was triple-jumped, to the $20,000 claiming level, on Feb. 23, won impressively again, and was claimed for the second straight time. Her new trainer is Bill Spawr, who is deadly when he jumps a horse.

Spawr's management of Jeremy's Quest exudes confidence. Rather than run her back in a claiming race, Spawr is protecting Jeremy's Quest by running her in a first-level allowance race, a 6 1/2-furlong turf sprint, for California-bred fillies and mares. It is the featured seventh race on Thursday's eight-race program at Santa Anita in Arcadia, Calif.

The lone constant for Jeremy's Quest in recent weeks has been the presence of jockey Alex Solis. He rode her when she won for trainer Nick Canani on Feb. 1, and for trainer Mike Marlow when she won on Feb. 23. And he is back aboard for Spawr on Thursday as Jeremy's Quest seeks her third consecutive victory, all since blinkers were removed in the midst of a five-race losing streak.

There are several other contenders in the race. Bella Drive is making her first start since October, but she ran well fresh last year, winning first time out at Hollywood Park in June for trainer Ben Cecil.

High Bolly beat mid-level claimers in a turf sprint at Golden Gate in her last start, and she owns a win over this course last October during Santa Anita's Oak Tree meeting.

Mabel Kent won a maiden race on this course in January, then failed to fire 19 days later against allowance runners. With eight weeks to prepare for this race, she has a chance to run back to her best form for trainer Ian Jory, who last week won stakes races at both Santa Anita, with Continental Red, and Fair Grounds, with Explicit.

Lady Evergreen moves to the turf after winning twice in her last three starts, including a victory over starter-allowance company on Feb. 24.

Also of interest on Thursday's card is the second race of the meeting for 2-year-olds. A field of 14 California-breds, including one filly, was entered in the day's first race, at two furlongs.

Trainers Leonard Duncan, Jerry Dutton, Cliff Sise, and Wesley Ward, all of whom usually do well in these dashes, have runners in the race.

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