Rockefeller, Mackinnon head Sham Stakes
Rockefeller, the winner of the Grade 3 Nashua Stakes at Aqueduct on Nov. 7, and Mackinnon, third in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf at Del Mar on Nov. 5, are part of an expected small field in Saturday’s Grade 3 Sham Stakes at Santa Anita.
The $100,000 Sham Stakes at a mile is the first race for 3-year-olds at the track’s winter spring meeting. The 3-year-old series leads to the Grade 1 Runhappy Santa Anita Derby on April 9.
Rockefeller is trained by Bob Baffert, who is expected to also run Newgrange, the winner of a maiden special weight race at six furlongs in his debut on Nov. 28. Other likely runners are Degree of Risk, second or third in four consecutive stakes since late August, and Oviatt Class, who was fifth in the BC Juvenile on Nov. 5.
There are four stakes at Santa Anita on Saturday, including the Grade 2 Joe Hernandez Stakes, a $250,000 race at about 6 1/2 furlongs on the hillside turf course.
The program includes the Grade 3 Robert Frankel Stakes for fillies and mares at 1 1/8 miles on turf, and the Grade 3 La Canada Stakes for fillies and mares at 1 1/16 miles on dirt.
The Frankel was scheduled for Friday, but postponed one day because of concern over a forecast of extensive midweek rain. The inclement weather led to the cancellation of Thursday’s program on Monday.