Lombo, diminutive but talented, keeping options open

ARCADIA, Calif. – A busy 2018 has put Lombo on the Triple Crown trail after a front-running win in Saturday’s Grade 3 Robert B. Lewis Stakes at Santa Anita.

Lombo won his second consecutive race in his third start of the young year in the $151,380 Lewis Stakes at 1 1/16 miles. A colt who began 2018 as a maiden has quickly developed into a graded stakes winner.

From trainer Mike Pender’s perspective, there is not much to Lombo, who he said weighed 1,079 pounds prior to Saturday’s race. Santa Anita weighs horses in the receiving barn and presents the information to the public on closed-circuit televisions before each race.

Pender noticed Lombo had the lowest weight of the nine runners in the Lewis.

“This is a little horse that tries,” Pender said. “He reminds me of Snow Chief back in the day.”

The immensely popular Snow Chief, the champion 3-year-old male of 1986, was a 12-time stakes winner who raced primarily in Southern California.

Lombo has won 2 of 4 starts and earned $129,225 for owner Michael Lombardi of Poway, Calif. A colt by Graydar, Lombo was purchased for $75,000 at the Ocala Breeders’ Sales Co. auction of 2-year-olds in training last March.

Lombo finished seventh in his debut in a maiden race on turf at Del Mar on Nov. 10.

“I had a hiccup with him at Del Mar last summer,” Pender said. “The owner gave me plenty of time.”

Lombo was a well-beaten third in a maiden special weight race for homebreds and horses bought at auction for $100,000 or less here on Jan. 1 behind Ax Man, a contender for Saturday’s Grade 2 San Vicente Stakes at Santa Anita.

Lombo beat maidens in a maiden special weight race at 6 1/2 furlongs on Jan. 20 and made a relatively quick turnaround for the Lewis. Ridden for the first time by Flavien Prat, Lombo led throughout the Lewis, winning by two lengths over Ayacara.

“He’s got a high cruising speed,” Pender said.

On Sunday, Pender said he was unsure where Lombo would start next. The next option at Santa Anita is the Grade 2 San Felipe Stakes on March 10, a $400,000 race at 1 1/16 miles.

“I haven’t wrapped my mind around it,” Pender said. “We’ll sit down and crunch the numbers.”

Ayacara is a candidate for the San Felipe Stakes, according to trainer Keith Desormeaux.

“He proved he can be competitive here,” Desormeaux said. “Why complicate it?”

Ayacara was second in the Gold Rush Stakes at a mile on the synthetic track at Golden Gate Fields on Dec. 2 and sixth in the Eddie Logan Stakes on turf Dec. 29. The Lewis Stakes was designed to test Ayacara on dirt for the first time since September, when he finished a well-beaten fourth in the Grade 1 FrontRunner Stakes.

In advance of the Lewis, Keith Desormeaux said he was particularly interested in how Ayacara would handle dirt in his face under his brother, jockey Kent Desormeaux.

“Kent said he was running into the dirt,” Keith Desormeaux said. “He was getting pounded all the way down the stretch, and he ran into it.”

• The Lewis Sakes was one of four graded stakes on Saturday’s program, all of which have ramifications for stakes in March.

Roy H, the champion sprinter of 2017, was a smart winner of the Grade 2 Palos Verdes Stakes at six furlongs in his first start since a win in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint at Del Mar on Nov. 4. Ridden by Kent Desormeaux, Roy H closed from last in a field of four to win by 3 1/2 lengths without being urged in the final sixteenth.

Owned by Rockingham Ranch and David Bernsen, Roy H may have a busy March. Trainer Peter Miller said the Grade 1 Triple Bend Stakes at seven furlongs here on March 10 and the $2 million Golden Shaheen in Dubai on March 31 are goals.

Miller said the Golden Shaheen is an early-spring goal, and the Triple Bend a possible prep.

“We’re looking at it,” Miller said on Saturday. “Today was an easy race. If the Triple Bend looks like an easy race, we’ll consider it.

“Either way, you have to work him hard or race him hard. The Breeders’ Cup is the end-of-the-year goal.”

The BC Sprint will be run at Churchill Downs on Nov. 3.

• Itsinthepost, who won the Grade 2 San Marcos Stakes on turf Saturday, and Accelerate, who overcame trouble to win the Grade 2 San Pasqual Stakes on dirt, are candidates for major stakes in March.

Itsinthepost is unlikely to race again until the Grade 2 San Luis Rey Stakes at 1 1/2 miles on turf March 24, a race he won last year.

“It gives us time to freshen him,” trainer Jeff Mullins said.

Owned by Jed and Roberta Cohen, Itsinthepost has won five Grade 2 races in the last year.

“He’s pretty solid,” Mullins said.

Accelerate may start in the Grade 1 Santa Anita Handicap at 1 1/4 miles on March 10, although the $1 million Godolphin Mile in Dubai on March 31 and the Grade 2 Oaklawn Handicap, a $750,000 race at 1 1/8 miles on April 14, are possible, trainer John Sadler said.

Accelerate was checked on the backstretch of the San Pasqual Stakes but rallied on the rail in the final quarter-mile under Victor Espinoza to win by 1 3/4 lengths over Prime Attraction, another candidate for the $600,000 Big Cap.

On Sunday, plans were unclear for Mubtaahij, who was third in the San Pasqual. Trainer Bob Baffert hoped to see more from Mubtaahij in advance of a potential start in the $10 million Dubai World Cup on March 31. Mubtaahij led in the stretch of the San Pasqual at 1 1/8 miles but was beaten 4 1/4 lengths.

“I don’t know what happened,” Baffert said. “I was surprised to see him on the lead. He didn’t finish like we thought he would.”

Pavel finished a troubled fourth as the 2-1 favorite in the San Pasqual, racing in traffic on the turn and in early stretch. On Sunday, trainer Doug O’Neill said the Big Cap was an “option.”