Santa Anita: Chitu faces winners for first time Friday

ARCADIA, Calif. – Chitu could not have looked sharper in winning a six-furlong maiden race in his career debut at Betfair Hollywood Park on Dec. 7. Now, trainer Bob Baffert wants to see a similar performance when Chitu makes his first start against winners in an optional claimer over six furlongs at Santa Anita on Friday.

“He ran well first time out, and it’s important to see that he doesn’t regress,” Baffert said.

Chitu is one of two Baffert-trained runners in Friday’s sixth race. The stable also starts Beach Hut, who won his debut at Santa Anita on Nov. 3 but was a disappointing seventh in the Real Quiet Stakes over 1 1/16 miles at Hollywood Park on Nov. 23.

Friday’s race could lead to stakes in early 2014 for Beach Hut and Chitu.

“We need to get some races into them,” Baffert said.

Chitu was purchased for $300,000 at the Ocala Breeders’ Sales Co. March sale of 2-year-olds in training. A colt by Henny Hughes, Chitu races for Tanma Corp. In his debut, Chitu led throughout, winning by 1 1/4 lengths.

“He ran well on synthetic,” Baffert said. “You don’t know how he’ll run on dirt. He’s a good horse.”

Baffert expects improvement from Beach Hut, a colt by First Defence who races for Juddmonte Farms. In the Real Quiet, Beach Hut was always at the back of the field, racing in traffic.

“Beach Hut should run well,” Baffert said. “He didn’t show any speed. We’ll draw a line through that. [He fell] back, and he lost contact with the field. He’s trained well since.”

The Baffert runners have four rivals, including Papa Turf, who was fourth in the Grade 3 Hollywood Prevue Stakes behind the highly rated Shared Belief at Hollywood Park on Nov. 10. Shared Belief won the Grade 1 CashCall Futurity at Hollywood Park on Dec. 14.

The other runners – Benny Time, Oh Daddy Oh, and Street Icon – have won maiden races.

Benny Time won his debut at Golden Gate Fields on Nov. 30, his only start.

Oh Daddy Oh won a $40,000 claiming race for California-bred maidens Sept. 27 at Santa Anita and was third in a starter allowance at Hollywood Park on Dec. 1.

Street Icon has not raced since finishing eighth in the Willard Proctor Memorial at Hollywood Park in June. He was trained by John Sadler then but has been switched to trainer Jerry Hollendorfer.