Overlook Ze'bul in Cecil B. DeMille Stakes at your own peril

Ze’bul was a 10-1 outsider when he rallied from off the pace to win a six-furlong maiden race on turf on Oct. 21 at Santa Anita. Ze’bul could again be overlooked in the betting in a fascinating field of nine in Sunday’s Grade 3 Cecil B. DeMille Stakes for 2-year-olds at a mile on turf at Del Mar.

Speed Boat Beach, winner of the Speakeasy Stakes at five furlongs on turf on Oct. 2 at Santa Anita, will attract massive support even though he finished ninth in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint on Nov. 4 at Keeneland.

First Peace, Game Time, Kolomio, and Ransomware each won a maiden race in his last start.

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Ah Jeez, winner of an allowance race at five furlongs on turf on Nov. 11, and Lloyds Logic, who won the Gottstein Futurity on dirt on Sept. 18 at Emerald Downs, also have strong credentials. Fleet Feet was beaten a neck by Ransomware in a maiden race Nov. 12.

Ze’bul, owned by Christopher Drakos and trainer Ryan Hanson, starts from post 6 in the $100,000 DeMille Stakes, the fifth race on a nine-race program that begins at 12:30 p.m. Pacific. The DeMille Stakes is part of the 20-cent Jackpot pick six, which has a mandatory payout on Sunday’s closing day of the Del Mar autumn meeting.

Ze’bul is by Collected, who was second in the 2015 DeMille and later won seven stakes on dirt, including the Grade 1 Pacific Classic in 2017. Hanson doesn’t think Ze’bul will have a problem getting the mile.

“This seems like a logical step for him,” he said. “He’s fit enough for a mile. We’ll see how he takes to it.”

Hanson expected Ze’bul to close from off the pace in his debut.

“We had a lot of gate works and a lot of works, but he’s never been good from the gate,” he said.

“I don’t think he’s a horse that will be quick. His first jump is okay, but it takes a long time to get going after that.”

That closing style will work if Speed Boat Beach and others such as First Peace or Game Time contribute to a fast pace.

“I’ve got to think they’re going to go fairly fast,” Hanson said. “I hope we can sit back and make a run.”

Ze’bul won a productive maiden race. Ransomware and Rexford were second and third and returned to win their next start.

Ransomware, trained by Phil D’Amato, closed from fourth to win a maiden special weight race at a mile on turf on Nov. 12 at Del Mar. Ramon Vazquez was aboard in that race and retains the mount for trainer Phil D’Amato.

“They went slow the other day and he came home fast in the last quarter,” D’Amato said. “He can stalk or come from further back. Ramon will have to judge the pace.”

The DeMille will be Speed Boat Beach’s first start at longer than 5 1/2 furlongs. He set a track record of 1:01.86 for 5 1/2 furlongs on dirt at Del Mar in his debut Sept. 10.

“It might be a good spot to stretch him out,” trainer Bob Baffert said.

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