Pee Wee Reese awaiting Thunder Road Stakes

ARCADIA, Calif. – Pee Wee Reese, winner of the Joe Hernandez Stakes on the hillside turf course Jan. 1, will have his next start in the Grade 3 Thunder Road Stakes on Feb. 10 and will not run in Saturday’s $200,000 California Cup Turf Classic at Santa Anita.

Trainer Phil D’Amato said the distance of the $100,000 Thunder Road Stakes at a mile on turf had greater appeal than the Turf Classic, which is run at 1 1/8 miles on turf.

“I’m going to wait,” D’Amato said. “I think the extra eighth of a mile could catch up to him.

“I like the spacing to the Thunder Road and that will give us 30 days to his next race.”

D’Amato said the Grade 1 Frank Kilroe Mile on turf March 10 is the primary goal for Pee Wee Reese in coming months.

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Pee Wee Reese has won 6 of 11 starts and earned $345,490 for owner and breeder Nick Alexander. Pee Wee Reese would have been a strong favorite in the Turf Classic, the richest of four stakes for California-breds on Saturday’s program.

Without Pee Wee Reese, the stakes winners Smokey Image and He Will, who were fourth and seventh in the Grade 2 San Gabriel Stakes at 1 1/8 miles on turf Jan. 6, are the leading contenders in the Turf Classic.

The most high-profile race of the day is the $150,000 California Cup Sprint at six furlongs led by Edwards Going Left and Masochistic.

Edwards Going Left was second in the Grade 1 Malibu Stakes on Dec. 26. Masochistic, who won the Grade 1 Triple Bend Stakes here in 2015, has not raced since finishing 13th in the Grade 2 Churchill Downs Stakes last May.