Loup Breton heads Canani pair

ARCADIA, Calif. - For six rainy days, the good turf horse Loup Breton has hunkered down and waited, while a series of storms pounded Southern California and forced Santa Anita to cancel three days of racing and the Grade 2 San Marcos scheduled for Jan. 18.

It was a quiet week for Loup Breton.

"Since he was supposed to run Monday, he's been doing nothing," trainer Julio Canani said. "He's just been jogging."

Loup Breton and Santa Anita will try again this weekend. Racing was to resume Saturday, and Loup Breton is favored Sunday to win the postponed San Marcos at 1 1/4 miles over a turf course saturated by more than seven inches of rain last week.

"I don't know how deep it is going to be," Canani said regarding the surface. Asked if Loup Breton will start, Canani said, "We'll play it by ear. He runs good on every surface."

Loup Breton won his U.S. debut Nov. 19, then missed by a neck Dec. 27 in the Grade 2 San Gabriel Handicap at 1 1/8 miles. Canani believes Loup Breton benefits Sunday by the longer distance of the 1 1/4-mile San Marcos. Garrett Gomez is back aboard.

The nine original San Marcos entrants return, and one new shooter. Deal Breaker, whose best efforts have been on synthetic surfaces, was supplemented for $3,000. Santa Anita racing officials expect the San Marcos to remain on grass. A surface switch would benefit Deal Breaker.

Zappa also was entered in the San Marcos in the hopes of a surface switch.

"We want to run on the main," trainer John Sadler said. Asked if Zappa would run on turf, Sadler said, "Probably not."

Loup Breton was the 6-5 program favorite for the San Marcos last week, and he will be similarly favored Sunday. But he is not the only starter from the Canani stable.

Dynamic Range has won back-to-back allowance races at 1 1/2 miles and 1 1/4 miles.

"I don't have a place to run him, so I have to run him," Canani said. "It's his distance anyway."

High Court Drama finished second in the Grade 3 Native Diver Handicap, and previously won his U.S. debut on grass. High Court Drama is a 5-year-old from Ireland, trained by Doug O'Neill.

Aggie Engineer will set the pace. Other starters include Pearl Fisher, Muhannak, Riviera Cocktail, and Porfido. The $150,000 San Marcos is race 8 on a nine-race card.