Prince Abu Dhabi will stretch out for Los Alamitos Derby
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After a near-perfect start to his career at Golden Gate Fields, Prince Abu Dhabi will race away from the Bay Area for the first time in Saturday’s $125,000 Los Alamitos Derby at Los Alamitos.
“We’ll test him against the SoCal horses,” trainer Blaine Wright said on Sunday. “We’ll give it a shot.
“He gets to stay with straight 3-year-olds. There aren’t a lot of races out there for him.”
The Los Alamitos Derby, run at 1 1/8 miles, will be the longest start for Prince Abu Dhabi, who has won 4 of 5 starts and earned $124,200 for owners Steve and Lance Kinross.
The competition in the Los Alamitos Derby may include Skinner, who has not raced since a third in the Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby on April 8.
Trainer Bob Baffert has four nominees – Mr Fisk, National Treasure, Reincarnate and Tahoe Sunrise. Baffert said on Sunday that National Treasure, who won the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico on May 20 and was sixth in the Belmont Stakes on June 10, will not start, but did not state a race goal for the colt.
Baffert said he may wait until entries are taken on Wednesday to finalize race plans.
Prince Abu Dhabi, purchased as a yearling for a mere $8,000, won his first three starts in overnight races and his fourth race in the California Derby at 1 1/16 miles on the synthetic track at Golden Gate Fields on April 29 in his stakes debut.
Prince Abu Dhabi was third in a field of five in the Alcatraz Stakes at a mile on turf on May 28. Wright said Prince Abu Dhabi’s chances in the Alcatraz were affected when Harcyn and Welton, who had shown speed at times, were both withdrawn on the morning of the race.
“I know he’ll handle the turf,” Wright said. “As soon as I heard the early scratches, I called the owner and said, ‘We’re in trouble today.’ The horse that won got loose on the lead.”
Prince Abu Dhabi closed from last to finish 2 1/4 lengths behind race winner Game Time, who led throughout the Alcatraz. Game Time is a candidate for the restricted $100,000 Oceanside Stakes at a mile on turf at Del Mar on July 21.
Prince Abu Dhabi is not eligible for the Oceanside after winning a first-place purse of $60,000 in the California Derby. The Oceanside is restricted to 3-year-olds that have not won a first-place purse of $50,000 in races at a mile or more this year.
At Los Alamitos, Prince Abu Dhabi will be ridden by Alexander Chavez, who has been aboard the gelding for two wins and the third in the Alcatraz. Prince Abu Dhabi worked five furlongs in 1:01 at Pleasanton on Sunday.
The Los Alamitos Derby is the leading race on the final weekend of the Los Angeles County Fair meeting at Los Alamitos. Racing will be held on Saturday and Sunday following a holiday program on Tuesday.
There is no daytime Thoroughbred racing in Southern California on the weekend of July 15-16 prior to opening day at Del Mar on July 21.
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