O'Neill duo in spotlight for Santa Anita Juvenile
ARCADIA, Calif. – Green With Eddie and Secret House will be scrutinized in every start they make this year.
They are not alone. All 2-year-old males trained by Doug O’Neill will be closely followed to see if they can emulate their older stablemate Nyquist, who was unbeaten at 2, voted champion 2-year-old male of 2015, and won the Kentucky Derby two months ago.
Nyquist won a maiden race in his debut, followed by a victory in his stakes debut in the Grade 2 Best Pal Stakes at Del Mar last August. Green With Eddie and Secret House are slightly ahead of that schedule.
They will have their first start in a stakes in Saturday’s $125,000 Santa Anita Juvenile, the first stakes for 2-year-olds of the year in Southern California.
Last weekend, O’Neill was not keen on running them together.
“I wish they’d split the Juvenile,” he said.
That’s wishful thinking. The race drew only six – five maiden winners and a maiden.
The 5 1/2-furlong Juvenile, race 8, is the second of two stakes for 2-year-olds on Saturday’s nine-race program. The $125,000 Landaluce Stakes for fillies at 5 1/2 furlongs is Saturday’s fifth race. The Landaluce Stakes has five winners in a field of seven.
Secret House, a Tiznow colt purchased for $125,000 as a yearling, is well regarded by O’Neill and owners Head of Plains Partners and Sheep Pond Partners. Secret House won by 3 3/4 lengths at 4 1/2 furlongs in his debut May 27, leading throughout. He earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 67.
“He acts very nice,” O’Neill said. “He won very handily.”
Green With Eddie won a maiden race against California-breds on June 3 by leading throughout at 4 1/2 furlongs. He received a 73 Beyer.
“Though he’s a Cal-bred, he won as well as any open-company horse,” O’Neill said. “The timing and the ease of his win has us excited.”
Green With Eddie is owned by Paul and Zillah Reddam, the owners of Nyquist.
The field is likely to be in pursuit of Silver Assault, a colt by Maclean’s Music who won a maiden race by 1 1/4 lengths at five furlongs June 25. Silver Assault earned a field-high 77 Beyer and is expected to be favored in the Santa Anita Juvenile.
In his maiden-race win, Silver Assault repelled a challenge with a quarter-mile to go before drawing off. Jerry Hollendorfer trains Silver Assault, who will be ridden by Martin Garcia.
Landaluce Stakes
Miss Southern Miss surprised trainer Keith Desormeaux when she beat maidens in her debut in a race at five furlongs June 9. Miss Southern Miss closed from fifth in a field of eight to win by 3 1/4 lengths at 7-1.
“Her trainer is terrible at first time out,” Desormeaux said. “I prefer a race to sharpen them up than to hone on them. For her to overcome that means she can run.”
Miss Southern Miss closed between rivals to take the lead before the eighth pole in her maiden-race win. She earned a 67 Beyer.
“She was between horses, and she was awesome,” Desormeaux said.
Miss Southern Miss will need a better race to win the Landaluce Stakes against likely favorite Chalon. Trained by Peter Miller, Chalon won her debut by 2 1/4 lengths in a five-furlong maiden race June 23, earning a field-high 79 Beyer.
Chalon races for Rockingham Ranch and was purchased for $110,000 at the Barretts March sale of 2-year-olds in training this year.
In the Landaluce Stakes, Chalon drew the outside post, which should give jockey Tyler Baze options as to whether to send the filly to the front or stalk the pace.