Santa Anita: Creative Cause, Liaison get to work

Three leading contenders for major 3-year-old stakes in coming months worked Friday.

Creative Cause, winner of the Grade 1 Norfolk Stakes at Santa Anita in October and third in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile at Churchill Downs in November, breezed three furlongs in 37 seconds at Hollywood Park. Trained by Mike Harrington, the workout was Creative Cause’s first official exercise since returning to training in early December.

Creative Cause is expected to make his 3-year-old debut in the $150,000 San Vicente Stakes over seven furlongs Feb. 19.

At Santa Anita, Liaison and Rousing Sermon, the first two finishers of the Grade 1 CashCall Futurity at Hollywood Park on Dec. 17, each worked five furlongs.

Liaison, trained by Bob Baffert, was timed in 1:00.40. Rousing Sermon, trained by Jerry Hollendorfer, worked in 1:02.40. They are scheduled to make their first starts of 2012 in the $200,000 Robert Lewis Stakes over 1 1/16 miles on Feb. 4.

The Lewis is a possibility for the Harrington-trained Empire Way, fifth in the CashCall Futurity.