Malibu Dude brings bullets into career debut
LOS ALAMITOS, Calif. – It’s a big week for Southern California racing.
The Los Alamitos fall Thoroughbred meet ends Friday; the Santa Anita fall meet begins Saturday with five Grade 1 races.
Thursday comes first, with an eight-race card at Los Alamitos that commences with an interesting maiden race for California-bred 2-year-olds that is race 1 and two starter allowances at one mile. Race 5 is a $25,000 claiming starter; race 7 is a $12,500 claiming starter.
KEY CONTENDERS
MAIDEN SPECIAL WEIGHT (RACE 1)
Malibu Dude (First-time starter)
◗ Mike Puype trains Malibu Dude, a gelding by Olmodavor with a series of fast works at Los Alamitos. He enters with successive best-of-the-morning gate works in 47 and 46.20 seconds.
◗ Rafael Bejarano rides Malibu Dude, who was bred by his owner, Mike Fowler. The dam of Malibu Dude retired from racing after losing her only start. Malibu Dude is her first named foal.
Speedin With Eddie (Beyers: 27-30)
◗ Speedin With Eddie was gelded after showing speed and fading in both of his starts at Del Mar. Ed Freeman trains the son of Square Eddie, who drew the rail but has enough speed to establish position under Mario Gutierrez.
Scatastic (Last 3 Beyers: 48-50-43)
◗ In-the-money finishes in four of his five starts will make Scatastic one of the favorites. Though void of speed, he will be running late under Fernando Perez.
DRF FORMULATOR FACT: No. 6 Remember Clement. Trainer Art Sherman is 38-2-6-2 with a $0.24 ROI over the past five years with debuting juveniles. Click for more details. – Mike Hogan
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DRF FORMULATOR FACT: No. 7 Turn Your Eyes. Trainer Steven Miyadi is 17-4-1-2 with a $4.92 ROI over the past five years with jockey Tiago Pereira aboard juveniles. Click for more details. – Mike Hogan
STARTER ALLOWANCE (RACE 5)
Ike Walker (Last 3 Beyers: 83-83-53)
◗ The highly rated last-out win by Ike Walker was in a $16,000 claiming race for 3-year-olds. He moves up sharply in class, facing older colts and geldings who have started for a $25,000 claim tag or less in 2014-15.
◗ Doug O’Neill trains the gelding, who will be ridden by Gutierrez. A front-runner, Ike Walker is potentially compromised by several other front-runners.
Knock Em Flat (Last 3 Beyers: 66-84-80)
◗ Knock Em Flat stumbled at the start of a $20,000 claiming race last out and was eliminated.
◗ He was claimed by Dean Pedersen and will be ridden by Tyler Baze, who has guided him to victory three of the last four times he rode the gelding.
STARTER ALLOWANCE (RACE 7)
Olympic Blue (Last 3 Beyers: 60-85-77)
◗ Olympic Blue is expected to be one of the most heavily fancied runners on the Thursday card, and tough to beat if he reproduces his most recent start on dirt.
◗ Peter Miller claimed Olympic Blue two starts back from a highly rated $12,500 claiming win, ran him once on turf (seventh place), and now returns to dirt.
Fly Blue (Last 3 Beyers: 78-71-65)
◗ Three straight wins by Fly Blue include one at Sacramento and two at Santa Rosa.
◗ The 7-year-old’s 7-for-46 record includes a win at Los Alamitos last September. Victor Trujillo trains the veteran.