Lofty wheels back quickly for turf sprint

The shutdown of racing this spring at Santa Anita affected campaigns differently, including schedules of the leading contenders in the allowance feature (race 7) on Friday.

Lofty wheels back in 12 days. Lighthouse has not raced in 103 days. Curiously, both the short turnaround and long layoff were caused by the same thing – the interruption of racing.

Lofty and Lighthouse top the field of five entered in the turf sprint, an entry-level allowance for 3-year-old fillies. Like most everything else this season, their respective campaigns did not go to plan, even though Lofty will be making her fifth start of the Santa Anita meet.

“She had a fair break when we had our stoppage,” trainer Michael McCarthy said. “We kind of gave all these horses a little bit of a break, training on a daily basis but maybe not training as hard. So, I thought this filly had a fairly easy time of it.”

Lofty came back running May 17, odds-on against older fillies and mares. She set a fast pace, opened up at the eighth pole, and was collared by a deep closer. The loss ended a three-race win streak, but Lofty ran super and exited the race in top condition.

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“It seems like she bounced out of it,” McCarthy said. “Running against straight 3-year-olds [Friday] is a huge boost.”

Lofty runs back on short rest, Lighthouse has not started since a runner-up finish in a stakes race Feb. 16. She would have been favored in a March 28 allowance, but two days out, the Los Angeles County Health Department ordered Santa Anita to stop racing.

Although it has been more than three months since Lighthouse ran, trainer Simon Callaghan believes she is ready.

“We kind of waited for this spot, she’s been training really well, and she’s ready to fire a big race,” he said.

Three others entered, including lightly raced Kustom for Karl, who scored a sharp maiden win in her second career start Feb. 8. Bella Vita finished second in a California-bred dirt sprint stakes May 16. Comeback speedster Mean Sophia returns from an eight-month layoff.

Lofty is the speed of the speed, while Lighthouse could tuck into a cozy trip positioned just off the pace. The turf rails will be at the outermost 30-foot setting. From 15 turf sprints this season at the setting, three winners led after a quarter-mile, three won from second or third position, and nine rallied from the middle or back.

But perhaps the most unexpected trend since racing resumed two weeks ago is the betting public’s uncanny knack for picking winners of turf sprints – favorites are 8 for 9.