Mo Forza, Next Shares targeting Santa Anita stakes

DEL MAR, Calif. – Mo Forza and Next Shares are likely to start in Grade 2 stakes in the opening days of the Santa Anita winter-spring meeting after winning major stakes at Del Mar on Saturday.

Mo Forza won his third consecutive start, and first Grade 1, in the $302,457 Hollywood Derby at 1 1/8 miles on turf. He will be considered for the Grade 2 Mathis Brothers Mile, a $200,000 turf race on Dec. 26, the opening day of the track’s meeting.

“That makes sense,” trainer Peter Miller said. “We’ll enjoy this for a few days.”

Mo Forza gave jockey Paco Lopez his third graded stakes win on Saturday’s program. Lopez had Mo Forza in third for the first six furlongs of the Hollywood Derby before taking the lead in the final furlong to win as the 5-2 favorite.

Owned by Bardy Farm and OG Boss, Mo Forza has won 3 of 8 starts and earned $379,460. He won a maiden special weight race in his sixth start, at Santa Anita on Sept. 29, and his stakes debut in the Grade 2 Twilight Derby at 1 1/8 miles on turf there on Nov. 2.

In his first five starts, Mo Forza was second three times.

“We felt he had Grade 1 talent,” Miller said. “We think a lot of horses have Grade 1 talent that don’t win Grade 1’s.”

Next Shares ended a six-race losing streak with a 27-1 upset in the Grade 2 Seabiscuit Handicap at 1 1/16 miles on turf. The turf course was rated good from rain in the preceding days, and trainer Richard Baltas said the condition of the course greatly helped Next Shares.

Next Shares is likely to start in the Grade 2 San Gabriel Stakes at 1 1/8 miles on turf on Jan. 4, a race he won in January of this year.

“It’s a pretty good spot for him,” Baltas said. “I think he deserves to run races where he can be competitive.”

Owned by a partnership, Next Shares has won 7 of 29 starts and earned $1,677,771.

Next Shares was last of 13 in the Breeders’ Cup Mile at Santa Anita on Nov. 1 on a firm turf course he did not prefer, Baltas said. John Velazquez rode Next Shares in the BC Mile. Jose Valdivia, Jr. rode Next Shares for the first time in the $201,404 Seabiscuit.

“I had a good feeling with the race,” Baltas said. “He doesn’t like it when it’s rock hard. Johnny said he didn’t handle it. Most of his wins have been on deeper tracks when it had a little give to it.”