Razen Hazen to double up?

ARCADIA, Calif. - A nose away from a perfect record after three starts, Razen Hazen will attempt to win his second stakes in Saturday's $75,000 Sunny Slope Stakes at Santa Anita.

Trained in Northern California by owner Dennis Ward, Razen Hazen brings a strong record to the Sunny Slope Stakes, run over six furlongs for 2-year-olds.

Razen Hazen won the Cavonnier Juvenile over 5 1/2 furlongs at Santa Rosa in early August and was a game second to Hajji's Honor in the San Mateo Stakes on Sept. 28, losing by a nose over six furlongs.

"He was dead-dog tired and it was just a head bob," Ward recalled. "I had them one jump before the wire, he got me on the wire, and I had him after."

Razen Hazen had a seven-week gap between the Cavonnier and the San Mateo, which Ward felt was too much time.

"With 2-year-olds you need to run once a month," he said. "There was no place to run. I worked every seven days to get to the last race."

In the Sunny Slope, Razen Hazen will start for Ward's son, Wesley.

The Sunny Slope Stakes has drawn nine runners, including Voladero, who was stakes placed at Arlington Park, and Cooperation, who didn't hit the board in two graded stakes this year.

Voladero was second in two stakes at Arlington Park during the summer - the Honest Pleasure Stakes over six furlongs on July 26 and the Spectacular Bid Stakes over seven furlongs on Sept. 6.

By Private Talk, Voladero may be best at six furlongs. Trained by D. Wayne Lukas, Voladero led with a furlong remaining in the Spectacular Bid, but finished three lengths behind the multiple stakes winner Korbyn Gold, who later ran fourth in the Arlington-Washington Futurity.

"He's done well since he got here," Lukas said of Voladero. "He's quick but he's bred to go further."

Both Razen Hazen and Voladero are likely to be close to the pace early.

Cooperation, fourth as the favorite in the Del Mar Futurity, is expected to stalk the pace. He was seventh in the Lane's End Breeders' Futurity at Keeneland on Oct. 4.

Regardless of the outcome of Saturday's race, Dennis Ward has no races planned for Razen Hazen for the rest of 2003.

"After the race, win lose or draw, he's headed for the pasture," he said.