Pontchatrain auditions for Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint

ARCADIA, Calif. – Not all the prospective runners in Breeders’ Cup races at Santa Anita on Oct. 31 and Nov. 1 are running in glamorous stakes races across the nation a month before the big races.

On Friday at Santa Anita, Pontchatrain, the winner of four consecutive stakes from September 2013 until February of this year, returns from an ankle injury to start in a third-level optional $75,000 claimer over about 6 1/2 furlongs on the hillside turf course.

“She’s ready to run,” said Craig Bernick, whose family’s Glen Hill Farm owns Pontchatrain. “We hope she runs a good race. If she runs well, we might look at the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint.”

The $1 million BC Turf Sprint is run on the hillside turf course Nov. 1. Pontchatrain, trained by Tom Proctor, is unbeaten in three starts on the hillside and four career starts on turf at Santa Anita. She won the Grade 2 Buena Vista Stakes over a mile last February. Shortly after that race, the ankle injury was detected.

“She’s coming off her injury well,” Bernick said. “Her injury was a chip, but it did not require surgery. It was not detached. She needed the time off. She had a chip out of her knee as a 2-year-old, and that was a serious issue. This one wasn’t as significant.”

Pontchatrain is part of a strong field of seven in the third of nine races at Santa Anita on Friday.

Race 3

KEY CONTENDERS

Pontchatrain (Last 3 Beyers: 98-97-92)

◗ A 4-year-old, Pontchatrain was in the best form of her career when sidelined. Jockey Gary Stevens rode Pontchatrain to her four consecutive stakes wins, but he is out with a knee injury this fall. Mike Smith has the mount on Pontchatrain, who is likely to race from just off the pace.

“I know she won’t be in front,” Bernick said.

Biorhythm (Last 3 Beyers: 68-65-89)

◗ Another 4-year-old filly owned by Glen Hill and trained by Proctor, Biorhythm is likely to race closer to the lead. She was second in the Mizdirection Stakes on the hillside last May. She finished fifth in her last start, an allowance race over a mile on turf at Del Mar on Aug. 14, after leading by more than eight lengths on the backstretch.

“Biorhythm will be tough to beat,” Bernick said. “She’s a good filly in her own right.”

Fanticola (Last 3 Beyers: 80-88-89)

◗ Fanticola returned from a break of five months to finish fifth in the CERF Stakes on Polytrack at Del Mar on Sept. 3. Earlier this year, Fanticola was second or third in three consecutive minor turf stakes at Santa Anita, including a third in the Wishing Well on the hillside course in February.