Santa Anita: Closer Looks for February 16, 2014

Race 1

China Girl Lover

1st-blinkered race saw him outfinished for the exacta by Apostle Paul; clearly a good sign that he owns a career-improving Beyer speed figure pattern; the 3-back DQ'd winner Beyered 87 in his next-out SA-MSW win; the debut winner and runner-up finisher Beyered 82-75 in next-out SA-MSW and optional-claiming wins.

Silectico

Dirt-back-to-turf today removng blinkers seeking answers; the 3-back turf loss saw the runner-up finisher Beyer 82 in a next-out BHP-MSW win; 3f-bullet workout for this suggests he will flash some gate speed in a race filled with other early zip while stretching out to his longest-distance test ever is a concern.

Apostle Paul

Exits a career-best Beyer when just missing; could not ask for a better mid-pack closing setup than this with 4 or more wanting the lead here; his October-SA close-fresh loss saw the runner-up finisher Beyer 80 in his next-out BHP-MSW win; if fires back to last will be hard to handle here.

Aqua Revelation

Projects to be part of a hot pace with Snaps and Tale of Power; consistent Beyers on display off the 8-week layoff for a high-percentage fresh trainer; this is just his 3rd race since May, 2012; has been working well on dirt for this; would think he's a logical contender for win honors off the pre-rest exacta finishes.

Scarly Charly

Sire is 3-for-128 with 1st-turf starters; 3-for-20 dam (52K) went 0-for-1 on grass; 3 foals to race on turf are 0-for-3 combined; adds blinkers trying to hang on late which he could not do in latest vs. Crucero; the 2-back runner-up finisher Beyered 86 in his next-out BHP-MSW win.

Snaps

Super-fresh barn also hits a high percentage 1st-time out with newly-acquired runners; the 5th and 7th-place finishers from last Beyered 81-71 in next-out BHP-GG-MSW wins; projects to be part of a hot pace with Tale of Power and Aqua Revelation then hopes to hang on late for a share.

Mavericks Gun

Nearly a 1-year layoff following his 2nd-best Beyer ever; he posted a speed figure-career top on a wet-SA dirt oval; outfinished in that good effort pre-rest which is an obvious issue coming off the long layoff a 1-for-13 move from the trainer since 2013; the 3-back winner captured his next 2 starts with 97-93 Beyers taking SA-OPC and alw. wins.

Tale of Power

Projects to be part of a hot pace with Snaps and Aqua Revelation likely pressing it wide; owns an improving-Beyer pattern a good sign as last was 1st grass; would be more convinced he could last on the lead if we didn't have so much other early zip signed on.

Crucero

Sire is 0-for-0 with 1st-turf starters; 3-0-1-0 dam did not race on grass; 2 of 3 foals to race on turf are lawn winners incuding 22K-turfer 2-for-6 Sagal; exits a field-best Beyer speed figure on SA dirt; widest drawn like last sure to lose ground; wish the trainer wasn't 5% winners 1st turf since 2013. - Brian Mulligan

Race 3

Dothraki

Maiden not only vs. winners but facing stakes rivals seems up against it from a class standpoint today; he was screaming out for more distance in last but remains at 6.5F off the 106-day layoff; the 3-back winner and runner-up finisher posted 88-78 Beyer speed figures in next-out SA-Grade 1 stakes wins.

Gangnam Guy

Exits a field-best Beyer speed figure when just missing racing 1st time on turf and outkicked in the final yards for the win; versatile sort has won on the lead also a well-timed ride is needed; the 76-day freshening produced that huge effort now back in just 31 days for this trying to reproduce it; the 2-back show runner Beyered 88 in his next-out BHP-100K stakes win.

Royal Banker (GB)

Still hasn't won in the USA yet while exits his worst Beyer and finish ever here; should be a lot happier now back on grass; cuts back to his shortest-distance test since the September-maiden brraker in England; hopes for a pace meltdown here because he figures far back early to rally.

Noble Metal (GB)

Royal Banker beat him on the grass in the USA debut but a great sign that high-percentage-SA rider Bejarano stays here off the 50-day layoff; wish the worktab sparkled more off the last-place stakes loss; his August 5th-place finish in England saw the runner-up take a 42K event next out.

Horse Laugh

Sire is 6-for-20 with 1st-turf starters; 1st foal from the dam who won 3-of-12 on grass (122K); beat the 2-back runner-up finisher who Beyered 70 in his next-out BHP-starter alw. win; 4 of his 6 starts have been in claimers so seems to be shooting high in the stakes debut although the added half furlong is a plus.

Red Outlaw

Sire is 25-for-160 with 1st-turf starters; is out of an unraced dam who produced 2 grass winners including Grade 2-SW Liberian Freighter (8-for-28, 634K turf); perfect runner is the one to catch trying to harness that speed an extra half furlong for this.

Life Is a Joy

Sire is 7-for-48 with 1st-turf starters; 2-for-8 dam (23K) did not race on grass producing 2 turf winners including 101K-grasser Life Is A Rock; is 2-for-2 in races shorter than today's 6.5F event; was primed for this at longer; new rider is sizzling 57% winners for the barn at SA a trainer winning 27% route-to-sprint since 2013. - Art Gropper

Race 5

Grazen's Hope

Colt has much more speed than he showed in last and now he has to deal with the rail at this demanding distance; like fact he came down to get a race over the surface and the 2nd and 9th finishers in the debut graduated next out; runner draws some talent from stakes placed dam that earned nearly $250K; don't ignore.

Rprettyboyfloyd

Connections entered in a MSW sprint on Saturday when he drew post 8; he could have sulked in his debut after the poor start but he showed some try and just ran out of real estate last time; could need softer to show top talent.

Papa Turf

Runner nearly showed a new wrinkle last time settling early before making the move to get within a length of the lead before being inhaled; runner got his last furlong in :12.41 last time; runner has the 2 races to draw from now; and he boasts experience; interesting.

Roger Rocket

Agile enough to overcome the poor start in the debut and that's not simple for a young horse; that's just pure talent; no reason he won't thrive with more distance with classic blood on the bottom side; several solid drills since the debut; he has some upside to him.

Cherubim

Soph stalked to no avail in debut and the winner returned to beat Papa Turf in the San Pedro; the place horse in last graduated with a 83 Beyer on 1/26; and the show horse took a MSW by nearly 3 lengths with a 90 Beyer 8 days ago; connections have been high on this guy; may forget to stop with a lonely lead.

Kobe's Back

Not a ton of horses start their careers in stakes, concede nearly 10 lengths when walking out of the game, and then power home to score going away; the colt followed it up by chasing the champ and lost all chance from the marooned slot on the CashCall; that race came back solidly as the 5th finisher took a MSW next out, the show horse was 2nd in the Cal Cup Derby and is entered today in the El Camino Real, and the place horse powered home to win the Lewis with a clever 96 Beyer; class there as kin to Grade 3 winner and over $350K earner Well Spelled; his trainer spoke about this guy in Ed Golden's SA notes, Sadler: "In his second race, he was second-best, and in his third race, he clipped heels, so he's had excuses. He's doing really well"; slam dunk? - Brian Mulligan

Race 6

Van Dien Avenue

Beaten odds on chalk cuts back to sprint after coming up short routing last time; her effort 2 back at the trip was pretty solid, but the gal who finished right in front of her in that one returns in this spot as well; she's had her share of chances but the price will be improved and she does enter this one in solid form; contender.

Warren's Cracker

Tired late in his return from the 9 month break while going long on the Hollywood lawn and was again given some time; 4 year old ran well while routing here last winter and maybe the return to the local sod helps and her interim local main track drills are improved; worth a look.

Sidepocket Run

She's had 14 chances and her last out try over the local sod was the first time she hit the board on the course; her hillside try in the fall wasn't much and she's better going long but she does figure to be doing her better running in the lane today; nice to see Rosario taking the call.

Little Unusual

Mare makes her 35th career start after taking a step back on the figure scale when stepped up to face open company maidens; late runner came up short the last couple of times that she ran down the hill and doesn't look to be a legitimate threat for the top spot in here.

Coconut Cream Pie

Filly has had her troubles since finishing runner up in 3 straight on the lawn on this circuit last year; her recent couple of tries on the green weren't very good and though she had some trouble with the hood removed last time she was again given time off following the effort and now she'll try a tricky course; maybe for a minor share.

Yes She's Unusual

Lightly raced gray did little when finishing behind some of these on this course first time out but her subsequent spin on the main track was quite improved; like the fact she showed more speed in that one and the dam was a G3 SP, SW on the lawn so maybe she deserves a second shot over the stuff.

Heavens Stairway

Hood comes off after tiring from her pace efforts on the main track last month; filly showed pretty sharp early foot down the hill late last year and maybe she's able to relax a bit early given the equipment change today; she's kin to a 2 time turf winner and a sharp interim drill suggests she's on her toes for this; can't overlook.

Autumn View

Mare has solid early foot and showed it when trying the hill for the initial time late last year; she wasn't beaten much in that one and did finish in front of one of the bigger gals in here that day; Bejarano sticks with a filly who boasts a sharp interim drill and she's run quite well fresh in the past; one to beat.

Diablita

Moves back to the hill after showing speed on the stretchout in her second career start; mare has been handily beaten by several of the gals she'll catch again in this spot and there's not much to suggest she'll go a lot better in this one; can only watch this price.

Hot and Pleasing

Outside drawn filly hasn't hit the board in 11 career tries and wasn't a threat behind some of these in her last couple of spins; she does own back numbers that fit here and did have trouble the lone time she tried the hillside course; with a move forward second time in blinkers she can get in the exotics mix.- Steve Grabowski

Race 7

Sun Spots

Late foal was sired by 142K earner Unusual Heat whose offspring have won nearly 10 percent of their debuts; the dam won 1 of 12 and 22K; among the winning siblings is 237K earner Mega Heart.

K Thirty Eight

The gelding has drilled at today's distance several times, an encouraging sign; his sire won multiple graded stakes and 1.04 million; progeny of Surf Cat have won 1 of 18 initial races; the dam was unraced; sib to 188K earner Soldier's Kiss.

True Ten

Excellent move on the morning of 1/15; his sire won multiple G1s and 1.87 million in total; descendants of Rock Hard Ten have won their first effort at a rate of 12 percent; the dam won 1 of 4 and 13K; sib to G1 Notional who banked 733K.

Go Jeremiah

Raced evenly in his initial try when chasing some swift fractions; his sire won a G1 and 1.01 million; the dam scored in 1 of 15 appearances earning 35K; there are no winning siblings to mention.

Nooten

Might have been best in the last run if not for being burdened by a wide post and racing path; draws much more favorably now but may have to deal with a different pace set-up; still warrants respect based on the last venture.

Whine for Wine

Progeny of Ministers Wild Cat, who won 6 of 22 starts and 368K, have been successful in 12 percent of their debuts; the dam won 1 of 10 and 191K; this is her only foal to compete; top-notch trainer/jockey tandem to consider.

Cinematic Cat

Never got untracked in either performance while high odds; the gelding's sire won 2 of 3 and 98K; the mom won 2 of 14 and 43K; sib to 26K earner Our New Tale; cannot afford another slow getaway today.

Dubai Ruler

Beaten favorite was cooked in a speed duel last year to begin his career but has trained in progressive fashion for this return; his sire won 2 of 4 and 77K; the dam won 3 of 29 and 125K; sib to 169K earner Ruler of Dubai; playable.

Fifteen Black

Scheduled to add blinkers after being caught very wide in his sole start; his sire won multiple G1s and 3.18 million; the dam was without victory in 7 attempts; sib to 266K earner Chairman Now; sizzling workout only 6 days ago.

Antinanco

Upbeat work tab for this new face whose sire won at the G1 level en route to amassing 633K; offspring of Sky Mesa have won 49 out of 371 initial tries; the dam won 8 of 47 and 566K; sib to 8K earner Mansion Mayhem. - Jim Kachulis

Race 8

Oscar Party

Stakes winning filly has a strong pedigree for turf and her best effort is clearly strong enough to put her in with a chance at the top prize; she figures to appreciate the drop in class after a number of stakes attempts.

Rathbaun

She's run well in back-to-back starts since moving into this barn but it does look like she's going to need to show up with a career best effort to get the better of this field; Espinoza has won with 5 of 16 (31%) mounts for this barn in 2013.

Irish Presence

Not wild about what this filly has shown in her four turf attempts prior to this, but her form has improved since moving into this barn, and perhaps that's a reason to give her another chance to see what she can do racing on grass.

Bonnie Lesley (IRE)

Her complete lack of early speed is always a concern, and she was beaten by today's rival My Gi Gi in her latest outing, but she has developed a nice level of consistency to her game and it wouldn't be a surprise to see her rally herself into the mix against these.

Journey On

She's G3 stakes placed racing over turf and she owns the type of early speed to take it right at this field from the bell; it looks like she'll appreciate stretching out in distance after a couple of sprint attempts, and given an early breather, she might be tough to reel in through the lane.

My Gi Gi

She has a G2 victory racing over turf to her credit and she deserves a lot of respect for how consistent she's been racing over turf throughout her career; she's clearly a strong fit at this level of competition and she might be ready for a top try while making her second start of the year.

Bee Brave (GB)

She's two-for-two to begin her career and she deserves extra credit for the sharp performance at second asking while making her first start in America when considering all of the time off she needed prior to that; runner up from latest won next out here on 2/9 going 1 1/8m over turf vs. N1X rivals with an 87 Beyer.

Flashy Ways

She ran a couple of really nice races in her first two career starts, including a stakes win in her turf debut at second asking, but it's just difficult to give her a push for anything more than a minor award when looking at what she's been doing lately; respect the presence of Rosario, but looking toward others. - Brian Pochman

Race 9

Notonthefirstdate

At least she showed some semblance of speed last time and the shorter trip could help her; backers can point to the fact that there are several multiple race winner in the family including a near $100K earner; passing.

More Stormyweather

Been given time since giving up the lead last time; Grade 3 placed 4 for 24 dam earned nearly $200K; lone half bro was one for 9; this miss looks live.

Natal

Sadler solid with this move; he is 18 for 59 or 32% with debuting maiden claimers the last 5 years with a median playoff of 4-1; City Zip about 15% with debuters in a 549-runner sample; sire won 5 times at 2, took a Grade 1, earned over $725K sprinting; dam was 0 for 8; 2 of 3 siblings won including 6 for 27 racer and over $200K earner Chapman s Peak; love the spacing of the drills.

Indian Fields

Puype 10 for 60 or 17% the last 5 years with debuting maiden claimers with a median payoff of 6-1; Indian Charlie about 16% of his debuters in a 637-horse sample; sire took debut at 2, won first 4 starts including the SA Derby; dam was one for 4; all 3 siblings won including over $100K earner Candilejas; in for $18K more than purchase price.

Audrey Rules

She could be more relaxed with blinks off but wonder how high the expectations can be for this $4K purchase?; 2 for 10 dam earned just over 2 grand an appearance; this is her first to race; would be careful here.

Bequick Donthurry

Gallagher 3 for 34 the last 5 years with debuting maiden claimers with a median payoff of 5-2; Go Bob 0 for 2 with firsters; sire didn't go at 2, won second career start in Argentina; 3 for 10 dam earned $85K; lone full sis to race was 2nd in best outing beaten a length and a half in a maiden $8K fray at GG; she does look fit enough.

Violate

Miss lost ground late the other time for a tag; back to the original pilot; due to hit paydirt.

Que Sorpresa

Cassidy 2 for 23 the last 5 years with debuting maiden claimers with a median payoff of over $29 and 2 ran 2nd at 7 and 33-1; Dixie Union has hit with about 12% of his firsters in a 557-horse study; sire was precocious enough to win debut at 2, took 7 of 12 including multiple G1s, earned over $1.2 million; 1 for 12 dam did win at 2; this is her first to race; drills ideally spaced.

Red Barris

Soph has more speed than she just flashed; nothing but winners in the tree and 2 banked 6 figures; should be around the wire once again.

Sunday Stroll

Hofmans 6 for 33 or 18% the last 5 years with debuting maiden claimers with a median payoff of 4-1; Stroll 13 for 69 with debuters; sire won at 2, took 7 of 16, won a G1, all on grass, banked nearly $800K; stakes placed 4 for 18 dam earned nearly $140K; 5 of 6 siblings won; one took both starts, top kin Crafty Judy took 3 of 22, banked about $75K; miss seems realistically placed.

Rambunchkie

Proctor 14 for 68 the last 5 years with MSW to maiden claiming moves and 12 ran second; with a median payoff of 6-1educated in tougher spot, if she can run at all, she should show it on the drop today; 3 for 14 dam earned nearly $60K; one of 2 siblings won; that runner took 4 of 21, earned over $200K; respect.

Capers N Wine

These appear to be her friends; she ran too good to lose the last time offered for sale; a full sister won once; miss was hung wide in last; should be right there when the smoke clears.

Parade Bound

Never thrilled to see them give up clear leads like she did in last; there is a triple winner in the minor leagues in the family; backers have to address stamina issue.

Schmaltzy

Homebred took overland route to kick off the career; 4 for 24 dam banked $40K; lone half bro took 2 of 14, earned just over a grand a start; must display more. - Brian Mulligan