Pacific Heat finds the perfect comeback race

ARCADIA, Calif. – Pacific Heat will have been away from the races for 53 weeks when she starts in an optional claimer for fillies and mares at a mile on turf at Santa Anita on Sunday.

Trainer Peter Eurton considers the optional claimer the perfect comeback for Pacific Heat, who could start in the $100,000 Fran’s Valentine Stakes for California-bred fillies and mares at a mile on turf May 21.

Owned by a partnership that includes Sharon Alesia and Joe Ciaglia, Pacific Heat is a three-time stakes winner, and her designation as a California-bred is the only reason she is eligible to start in Sunday’s first-condition optional claimer.

Pacific Heat, 4, has won 4 of 6 starts and earned $366,280. Three of the wins came in $200,000 stakes for California-breds in 2015 and 2016.

Those wins normally would prevent Pacific Heat from being eligible for Sunday’s race, but a clause in Santa Anita’s condition book allows such multiple stakes winners to participate in a first-condition allowance race. The clause states that “all wins in statebred age-restricted races for 2-year-olds and 3-year-olds will not be considered for lifetime eligibility for open allowance races.”

While that all seems quite technical, it serves the purpose of supporting breeding in the state, according to Santa Anita director of racing Rick Hammerle.

“It’s an advantage to the Cal-bred,” he said.

Even with rules in her favor, Pacific Heat still must beat seven rivals in Sunday’s fourth race.

“She’s really good,” Eurton said. “Do I have her 100 percent fit? I think I’ve got her as good as I can without running her.”

Pacific Heat has started twice in one-mile turf races, winning the California Cup Oaks in January 2016 and finishing fourth, beaten three-quarters of a length, as the 9-10 favorite in the China Doll Stakes against open company in March 2016.

Pacific Heat won the Evening Jewel Stakes for Cal-bred sprinters last April and was turned out last summer.

“She had a sprained ankle, so to speak,” Miller said. “I’m glad to have her back.”

The optional claimer will be the American debut of Allowances, a 4-year-old filly by Street Sense who was purchased for approximately $95,000 at a sale in France last winter. Now owned by Deron Pearson and trained by Jim Cassidy, Allowances won a maiden race last summer and was later second in an allowance race when trained by Andre Fabre in France.

Cassidy said he deliberately took his time in preparing Allowances for her first start in this country.

“I like her,” Cassidy said. “When she came over, she was very skinny.”