Mega Heat one of two entered for tag in Friday turf-mile feature
ARCADIA, Calif. – Old pro Mega Heat has stuck around so long and overcome so much that he’s become a favorite in the barn of trainer Pete Eurton.
“He knows when I’m coming. He knows I’ve got one of these,” Eurton said Wednesday morning as he pulled a cookie out of his jacket pocket. “He’s a really neat horse. When he’s feeling good, he acts like he’s a 2-year-old.”
With the change of the calendar to 2015, Mega Heat is now officially an 8-year-old. He has made just 21 starts, but nine of them came in 2014, meaning he had raced a mere 12 times through age 6 owing to various setbacks. His sweet spot these days is in high-priced claiming races, or optional claimers in which he can run for a tag, and that’s where Eurton has placed him Friday at Santa Anita as Mega Heat goes for his 10th career win.
Mega Heat is part of a field of 10 entered in race 6, an optional claimer at one mile on turf that carries a purse of $65,000. He and Midnight Officer are the only two horses in the race entered for an $80,000 claiming price. Everyone else is using an allowance condition. Mega Heat won in a similar spot last time out at Del Mar.
Among Mega Heat’s primary rivals is Boozer, who is racing in the best form of his life, having won three of his last four starts.
DRF FORMULATOR FACT: No. 4 Boozer. Trainer Mark Glatt is 72-6-7-10 with a $0.64 ROI over the past five years going sprint to route on turf. Click for more details. – Mike Hogan
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KEY CONTENDERS
Mega Heat (Last 3 Beyers: 89-84-86)
◗ His win last time out ended an uncharacteristically long losing streak of five straight races.
◗ “I was pleasantly surprised with his last race, coming off the pace the way he did,” said Eurton, who credited jockey Corey Nakatani with a terrific ride. “He’s one of the best turf riders around.”
◗ Mega Heat should benefit from a lively early pace in this race, too. However, the rails are scheduled to be set 24 feet from their innermost position, which tends to help front-runners.
Boozer (Last 3 Beyers: 92-90-88)
◗ He has never finished out of the money in eight starts since Mark Glatt took over as his trainer, and won four of those races, most recently in a sprint stakes down the hill here.
◗ Boozer has won going two turns, too, with a pair of victories going long at Del Mar during the summer season.
◗ He should have company up front from the likes of Horizontalyspeakin, Super Ability, and Blueskiesnrainbows, and both Little Jerry and Magic Mark figure to be in close attendance.
Little Jerry (Last 3 Beyers: 90-93-89)
◗ He’s back with his friends after finding the Grade 2 Hollywood Turf Cup going 1 1/2 miles beyond his scope.
◗ Prior to that, he had won two straight, including here in October with jockey Edwin Maldonado, who is back aboard Friday.
DRF FORMULATOR FACT: No. 1 Hay Dude. Trainer Phil D’Amato is 10-4-1-1 with a $7.70 ROI over the past year in turf routes in the third start following a layoff. Click for more details. – Mike Hogan