Prospect Park starts drive to Santa Anita Handicap

ARCADIA, Calif. – Prospect Park was fourth in the $1 million Santa Anita Derby last April, the track’s top race for 3-year-olds. This year, trainer Clifford Sise wants to start Prospect Park in the $1 million Santa Anita Handicap on March 12, the track’s top race for older horses.

To reach that goal, Prospect Park will start in an optional claimer at 1 1/16 miles on dirt Sunday, and not in Saturday’s $200,000 Arcadia Stakes at a mile on turf. Prospect Park was entered in both races.

“The horse is doing so good, and I want to think about the Santa Anita Handicap,” Sise said.

Owned by Marty and Pam Wygod, Prospect Park has not raced since finishing third in the Grade 2 Del Mar Derby on turf Sept. 6. He was turned out in the fall after a flare-up with ulcers, Sise said.

“He’s awesome now,” Sise said. “We were fighting ulcers with him, and that’s cleared up. He wants to train now.”

Prospect Park is part of a field of six that could produce other runners for the Big Cap. Midnight Hawk, who won the Grade 3 Sham Stakes here in 2014, will run in the optional claimer Sunday, trainer Bob Baffert said. Midnight Hawk also was entered in Saturday’s Essex Handicap at Oaklawn.

Midnight Hawk was fourth as the 9-10 favorite in an optional claimer at a mile Jan. 8. Baffert expects a better performance Sunday.

“He’s working well, and he should run well,” Baffert said. “If this hadn’t gone, I would have shipped.”

Follow Me Crev, claimed for $50,000 last May, has the best form of the six runners in Sunday’s race, with three consecutive wins. He won a starter allowance and two optional-claiming races, including one at 1 1/16 miles here Jan. 9.

“He’s almost as good as last time, but not quite,” trainer Vladimir Cerin said. “It’s a tougher race, and there’s not as much pace.”

Other candidates for the Santa Anita Handicap include the first three finishers of the $500,690 San Antonio Stakes on Feb. 6 – Hoppertunity, Imperative, and Donworth.

In the days after the Grade 2 San Antonio Stakes, Hoppertunity and Donworth were being considered for the $10 million Dubai World Cup in the United Arab Emirates on March 26. Now, trainers Bob Baffert (Hoppertunity) and Doug O’Neill (Donworth) said those horses might stay at Santa Anita.

“I’ll watch him for the next 10 days,” Baffert said of Hoppertunity. “His next start will be in Dubai or the Big Cap. He’ll let me know. He tips me off.”

Hoppertunity won the San Antonio Stakes by a nose over Imperative, ending a nine-race losing streak.

“We’re waiting for the win picture so we can put it up in his stall and let him know he won,” Baffert said.

O’Neill said on Thursday that the Big Cap is a goal for Donworth.

“If we get invited to Dubai, we’ll address that,” he said.

Owned by Paul and Zillah Reddam, Donworth finished a nose and a half-length behind race winner Hoppertunity. Donworth, a 4-year-old colt by Tiznow, has won 2 of 5 starts and earned $164,000. He was purchased for $550,000 at the Keeneland November breeding stock sale.

Previously trained by Graham Motion, Donworth won the Stanton Stakes at 1 1/16 miles by 11 lengths at Delaware Park last June. Donworth did not start again until the San Antonio Stakes.