Rain puts damper on Astra Stakes, Sunday card

ARCADIA, Calif. – Turf racing eventually will return to Santa Anita, and so will the $75,000 Astra Stakes, originally scheduled for the grass on Sunday.

Close to eight inches of rain during the past week and a half left a saturated turf course that track officials decided was best left unused for a while. While the Grade 3 Megahertz Stakes is expected to be run Monday at a mile on turf, grass races Saturday and Sunday could be moved to the dirt.

As for the Astra, the only change is the date of the race. The 1 1/2-mile stakes for fillies and mares attracted seven entrants for Sunday, but uncertainty regarding weather and wet turf made it an easy decision to temporarily call it off.

“We didn’t cancel it, we postponed it,” vice president of racing Rick Hammerle said. “It’s a unique race, and we want to preserve it.”

Hammerle said the new race will be the “Astra II,” with the same conditions, in late January or early February. The stakes will be included in the next condition book, which goes into effect the last week of January.

The remainder of the Sunday card is light. Four of the nine races (1, 3, 6 and 8) are left over from the Thursday card, which was canceled due to rain. Sunday’s card begins with four maiden races, followed by five claiming or starter-allowance/optional-claiming races.

Race 4 is a maiden special weight for 4-year-olds and up scheduled for a mile on turf. On turf or dirt, Wise Curlin is the horse to catch. He finished second in his recent comeback, adds blinkers, and could be the controlling speed.

Bedeviled is a nine-start maiden who will rally from behind, while the well-bred Taniko adds blinkers for his second start. Taniko is a sibling to Tepin and Vyjack.

Race 7 is a starter-allowance/optional $32,000 claiming race for 3-year-old fillies at one mile. The decisive maiden win last out by Honor Maker stamps her as the one to beat. Perfect Cocktail stretches back out to two turns and is a threat from off the pace.

Race 8 is a starter allowance for older horses. Elegant Street was the 7-5 program favorite when the race was scheduled to be run Thursday; his odds are likely to be similar Sunday. Elegant Street wired maiden special weight rivals at Los Alamitos last out.

His main rivals include Above Board and Vodka Texted You.