Restless Rambler brings big speed to claiming sprint

ARCADIA, Calif. – Restless Rambler had the best season of his five-year career in 2019, winning at five racetracks in eight starts.

More often than not, the 7-year-old gelding was too quick to catch in claiming races on turf and dirt at Indiana Downs, Churchill Downs, Los Alamitos, Del Mar, and Santa Anita. The season ended with a sixth-place finish behind Ghoul in an allowance race with a $62,500 claiming option at Santa Anita on Dec. 29.

Ghoul is in Saudi Arabia for Saturday’s $1 million 1351 Turf Sprint. Restless Rambler has remained at Santa Anita where he will have his 2020 debut in Friday’s seventh race, a $50,000 claimer at 5 1/2 furlongs on turf.

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A winner of 19 of 40 starts, Restless Rambler is dangerous on the lead. He won turf sprints in that fashion at Santa Anita on Oct. 14 and at Del Mar on Nov. 8 before losing by 3 1/2 lengths to Ghoul after leading to early stretch.

Restless Rambler, trained by Mark Glatt for Lee and Lynn Drummond, broke from the rail in that eight-horse field and will start from post 4 in Friday’s field of six. Reedley, who starts to the inside of Restless Rambler, is the only other runner in Friday’s field with significant speed.

“I don’t think he has his speed,” Glatt said.

Restless Rambler will be ridden for the first time by Flavien Prat on Friday.

Glatt said Restless Rambler “may have bounced” in the Dec. 29 race after a hard-fought nose win on Nov. 8 in which he earned a career-best Beyer Speed Figure of 99.

“He ran a huge number,” Glatt said. “He should be set for this one.”

Two runners – Kazan and Snazzy Dresser – ran in stakes in the last few years.

Kazan was second in the Grade 2 Del Mar Derby in 2018, and had one win in six starts last year. The victory came in a $40,000 claimer at a mile on turf here last February. Kazan later finished second by a half-length in an optional claimer at 1 1/16 miles on turf at Del Mar last August in his most recent start. A gelding, Kazan was claimed for $40,000, but the claim was voided because of unsoundness, according to California Horse Racing Board records.

Trainer Doug O’Neill said in a text message earlier this week that Kazan will benefit from a start on Friday and “more ground.”

Four days after Kazan’s claim was voided, a similar situation occurred with Snazzy Dresser. He was claimed for $32,000 when beaten a nose in a race at 1 1/8 miles on Aug. 15, and has not raced since. Trainer George Papaprodromou said Snazzy Dresser’s claim was voided because “he was a little off.”

“He got a little sour and we gave him a freshening,” Papaprodromou said. “We gave him 60 days off.”