Maker has Zverev, Anegada to land another Mac Diarmida win
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HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Trainer Mike Maker has five wins and a second in the last seven runnings of the Mac Diarmida and has two chances to improve those statistics Saturday when he sends out Zverev and Anegada in the Grade 2, $225,000 marathon turf race at Gulfstream Park.
Zverev finished fifth, two lengths behind Layabout, in the Grade 2 William L. McKnight over this course on Jan. 24. That was Zverev’s first start in a graded stakes and first at 1 1/2 miles. The Mac Diarmida is run at 1 3/8 miles, a distance at which Zverev won twice last summer, albeit against allowance/optional-claiming company.
Maker, whose five wins in the Mac Diarmida are the most by any trainer, felt Zverev may have been compromised by his rail draw in the McKnight. Zverev has post 7 in a 10-horse field here Saturday.
“I thought he was unlucky with the one hole last time,” Maker said. “He was kind of stuck the whole way and by the time he got out it was too late. I think he’ll run as far as they write them, but I’m glad we drew outside this time.”
Flavien Prat rides Zverev on Saturday.
Anegada has won three of his last four starts, including the John B. Connally Turf Cup on Jan. 24 over a yielding Sam Houston Turf course. That was his first start beyond 1 3/16 miles.
“It was an experiment, but he ran so well at Turfway [at 1 1/8 miles] and he always struck me as a horse that would want more ground even though he’s by Midshipman,” Maker said. “We got a lot of rain [at Sam Houston] and the turf was kind of yielding. I was surprised he handled the going as well as he did.”
Irad Ortiz Jr., aboard Zverev last time, has the call on Anegada on Saturday.
Layabout won the Tropical Park Derby at 1 1/16 miles on Dec. 13 and came back to win the McKnight going 1 1/2 miles. Patrick Biancone said Layabout likes to be on or near the lead and going longer it’s easier to attain that position.
“When he runs shorter, he makes it a bit more complicated to navigate,” Biancone said. “He doesn’t want a horse on the outside of him for whatever reason. Certainly, when he goes a mile and a half like last time, it’s easier for him to take the lead because they don’t go as fast.”
Without finished second in a first-level allowance going this distance Jan. 31. It was his first start in 10 months and first in this country. He is likely to be up close, right behind Layabout.
Tank, one of two Florida-breds in this field, finished third, beaten a half-length by Layabout, in the Tropical Park Derby. Most recently, he finished third in the Sunshine Millions Turf, a race in which he contested the early pace.
The Very One
No Show Sammy Jo, dominant in the Via Borghese and disappointing in the Christophe Clement, will seek to repeat the former performance in Saturday’s $150,000 The Very One Stakes at 1 3/8 miles.
Trainer Graham Motion felt that a slow pace and perhaps an overconfident ride by Jorge Ruiz led to No Show Sammy Jo’s seventh-place finish in the Clement.
“I didn’t give Jorge instructions last time because he always rode her so well,” Motion said. “We did go very slowly that day and if anything he rode her overconfidently.”
While No Show Sammy Jo has run extremely well from off the pace, she has the ability to be closer to the pace. With no defined speed in this race, expect Ruiz to have her a little closer breaking from the outside draw.
Motion also runs For Flying, who returns to the grass after three runs on synthetic. Motion said he is looking forward to stretching this 6-year-old daughter of Drosselmeyer out in distance and getting her back to the turf.
Though For Flying finished seventh behind Proctor Street in an allowance race at Keeneland last October, Motion felt, “her grass race at Keeneland was very good, she had a terrible trip,” he said.
David Egan rides For Flying.
Trainer Mike Stidham ships in Love Song from Kentucky for this race. Love Son won a 1 1/4-mile allowance at Turfway before finishing third in the Likely Exchange Stakes.
“The distance only helps her, I think that’s what we have going in our favor,” Stidham said. “She’s got to step it up a notch to run with these fillies. She’s training well, shipped well, ready to go.”
Candy Quest was compromised by a slow pace when finishing second to the very good Aussie Girl in the Grade 3 Endeavour at Tampa Bay Downs.
Gallant Greta finished second to No Show Sammy Jo before finishing last of nine in the Clement.
“She got stuck behind horses, Manny [Franco] had to fight her a bit and was too far back,” Maker said. “She has earned another shot.”
Dona Clota, a Group 1 winner in Chile, makes her first start for Saffie Joseph Jr. in this spot. She has previously run for Ignacio Correas IV and Chad Brown.
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