O'Neill sending three in Sham

ARCADIA, Calif. – With division leader Nyquist weeks away from a start, trainer Doug O’Neill has ample time in January to run several of his other 3-year-old prospects.

On Saturday at Santa Anita, O’Neill plans to have three starters in the $100,000 Sham Stakes at a mile – Found Money, Sorryaboutnothing, and Semper Fortis. O’Neill is holding Frank Conversation out of the race in favor of the $100,000 California Derby at Golden Gate Fields on Jan. 16.

“It’s a good bench behind Nyquist,” O’Neill said.

Nyquist is in training for the $200,000 San Vicente Stakes at seven furlongs on Feb. 15. The Sham and the San Vicente are two of the four graded stakes at Santa Anita leading up to the $1 million Santa Anita Derby on April 9.

Found Money is likely to run in the $250,000 California Cup Derby on Jan. 30 if he performs well Saturday. Sorryaboutnothing was seventh in the Grade 1 Los Alamitos Futurity in his stakes debut Dec. 19.

“I think he can turn it around,” O’Neill said. “We’re adding blinkers.”

Semper Fortis has won consecutive starts in a $62,500 claimer for maidens at Del Mar and an optional claimer at Los Alamitos. The Sham Stakes will be his stakes debut.

Other candidates for the Sham are Dressed in Hermes, a two-time stakes winner on turf, and I’malreadythere, who was third in the Los Alamitos Futurity.