Proud Pedro could punch ticket to stakes company in Friday optional claimer

ARCADIA, Calif. – Three starts into his American career, Proud Pedro is showing the sort of ability that could lead to an appearance in a graded stakes at Del Mar in August.

Friday at Santa Anita, Proud Pedro starts against winners for the first time in an allowance race with an $80,000 claiming option at a mile on turf. Trainer Leonard Powell hopes Friday’s race will lead Proud Pedro to the Grade 3 La Jolla Handicap for 3-year-olds on turf at Del Mar on Aug. 4.

The optional claimer is the seventh race on a nine-race program that begins the final weekend of the marathon Santa Anita meeting, which began on Dec. 26. The Los Alamitos summer meeting starts on June 29.

Proud Pedro won a maiden special weight race at 1 1/8 miles on turf May 25, the first time he was fitted with blinkers since joining Powell’s stable from France last winter. Proud Pedro closed from seventh in a field of nine to win by a length under leading jockey Flavien Prat, who has the mount on Friday.

The win has left Powell encouraged about Proud Pedro’s chances on Friday.

“I thought he was a lot more focused on his job and paying attention to the rider,” Powell said. “He should be very live.”

Owned by Gerald Benowitz, Madaket Stable, and Mark Mathiesen, Proud Pedro was second and fifth in maiden races at a mile in April and May in his first two starts for Powell. Proud Pedro finished third in a maiden race in France last September in his debut.

On May 3, Proud Pedro was fifth, beaten 5 1/4 lengths, by Nolde, a Pioneerof the Nile colt who is part of Friday’s field.

Trained by John Shirreffs for Jerry Moss, Nolde made his turf debut in his fifth start on May 3, closing from fourth to win by a convincing 3 1/4 lengths. Nolde needs a strong performance on Friday to be considered for stakes at Del Mar, Shirreffs said.

“Let’s see how he runs,” he said. “We’ve always thought he’d be a good horse.”

The optional claimer drew a field of eight, including Urban Light, who was a troubled sixth in the Singletary Stakes for 3-year-olds at a mile on turf on April 28. Trained by Phil D’Amato, Urban Light raced in traffic in the stretch of the Singletary Stakes, losing all chance. Urban Light will race as a gelding for the first time on Friday.

The form of the Singletary Stakes is solid. Race winner Neptune’s Storm returned to win the Cinema Stakes, while third-place finisher Jasikan won an optional claimer on May 27.