Sadler has solid pair in featured optional claimer
Course specialist Sweet Swap and the comebacker Spring Up give trainer John Sadler a solid one-two punch in Friday’s featured seventh race at Santa Anita, an optional claimer for older sprinters at about 6 1/2 furlongs on the hillside turf course.
Sweet Swap has won four races on this course but has failed in his last three tries and four overall since capturing the Grade 3 San Simeon Stakes last April. He most recently was third, beaten less than a length after a tardy start, in the Clockers’ Corner Stakes, behind Pure Tactics and Hay Dude, so he gets a bit of class relief by using his third-level allowance condition.
Spring Up has been idle since July, when he finished third in the Grade 1 Eddie Read Stakes going 1 1/8 miles at Del Mar, but he’s a versatile sort who is effective sprinting, too. He beat softer over this course last June in his final start before the Eddie Read.
There are seven others entered in the race, none using the $80,000 claiming option. Five – Cummings Road, Spring Up, Global View, County Lineman, and Si Sage – are coming off layoffs of at least four months. Two – Cummings Road and County Lineman – are listed as having been gelded since their last starts. And three – Little Jerry, Global View, and Si Sage – are making severe distance cutbacks after going 1 1/4 miles or farther in their last outings.
Key contenders
Sweet Swap (Last 3 Beyers: 94-88-94)
* He might not be quite as good as he was a year ago, but he’s plenty good enough to beat this group, and his 11 races worth of experience on this tricky course give him a decided edge.
* He was reunited last time with Joe Talamo, who rode him to victory in a pair of races on this course last year, the San Simeon and the Joe Hernandez.
* He’s occasionally had bad gate habits and can’t afford to give his rivals a head start here.
Spring Up (Last 3 Beyers: 98-88-92)
* As good as Sadler is in so many categories with all classes of horses, his poor record with horses gone 180 days or more is conspicuous.
* However, Spring Up was a winner the only time he came down this course. It was against easier competition, but experience on the course is paramount.
DRF FORMULATOR FACT: No. 4 Spring Up. Trainer John Sadler is 23-1-1-0 with a $0.46 ROI over the past five years going route to sprint at Santa Anita following a layoff of 60 days or more. Click for more details. – Mike Hogan
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Global View (Last 3 Beyers: 80-87-85)
* Before taking his act on the road and running in Grade 1 races like the Belmont Derby and Secretariat, he defeated maidens on this course back in October 2013. This will be the first time he has sprinted since then.
* Trainer Tom Proctor strikes at 23 percent with horses gone more than 180 days.
DRF FORMULATOR FACT: No. 7 Global View. Trainer Tom Proctor is 19-6-1-1 with a $2.42 ROI over the past five years going route to sprint at Santa Anita following a layoff of 45 days or more. Click for more details. – Mike Hogan
County Lineman (Last 3 Beyers: 90-91-88)
* Idle since June and gelded since then, his downhill form is encouraging, and the fact that the meet’s leading rider, Rafael Bejarano, winds up on him is extremely noteworthy.