Santa Anita: DRF Plus handicapping report for January 11, 2014
Race 1 |
Spot PlaySecond-time starter MAGNA WARRIOR (#3, 4-1) can wire the field, moving up to maiden-50 after setting a hot pace and tiring to fourth in a maiden-30. He benefits by the cutback from six and one-half furlongs, to six. -Brad Free
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Race 2 |
Spot PlayPLANET SUNSHINE (#6, 3-1) should get a favorable setup and run the speed down from a stalking position, and his last SA start suggests he prefers dirt to synthetic. The 3-1 line seems fair; 2-1 or less not so much. - Marcus Hersh
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Race 3 |
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Race 4 |
Vulnerable FavoriteHIGH ON FINAL (#3, 2-1) looks imposing on paper coming off 2 nice third-place finishes against straight maidens. But therein lies the concern: he ran well enough to show he fits with those tougher guys so why then the big drop in for $20K? After all, they don’t give anything away out here. This also marks his first try on dirt so the drop and different footing are issues when you’re embracing what figures to be a short number. -Michael Hammersly
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Race 5 |
Sham Stakes by Michael HammerslyIt’s Southern California’s first step on the Derby trail, even if some of the big fish in the pond (Shared Belief, recently retired New Year’s Day, Candy Boy, Kobe’s Back, Tap It Rich, Bayern, Bond Holder, Tamarando, among others) are not here. But don’t take that to mean there won’t be ramifications from this as some talented sophomores are set to take part, some of whom you may know a whole lot better in the coming months. Before KRISTO ever set foot on the track his name had already been bandied about as a potential Derby horse. The colt, who cost $500K at auction, is by Distorted Humor, a Grade 2 winner and top sire who produced Grade 1 Kentucky Derby/Grade 1 Preakness hero Funny Cide. And the way the colt worked in the mornings for trainer John Sadler the buzz seemed to fit. Well, it was a bit rocky at first as he lost his initial two starts, both as the 3-5 favorite. In his defense, both were sprints and while he showed tactical speed he also showed some immaturity. After those two sprints Sadler moved him to a route here Oct. 31 and the distance move and experience came together to produce what many had expected from day one – a big effort. He set the pace under pressure and drew off to win in a romp by 6 3/4 lengths. Sadler toyed with the idea of coming back at BHP for a couple of the big races there but instead opted to wait until racing returned to dirt. Well, the wait is over. The colt has been working in splendid fashion and while the water is much deeper – it’s first time vs. winners – at least none of the real big boys showed up. That means he can still get tested for quality but won’t be thrown into the deepest end of the pool. At least not yet. This run will go a long way to determining when that happens. From a tactical standpoint KRISTO has shown he can sit and pass horses, but as his maiden win showed he can also take control of things and dictate tempo. That shouldn’t be necessary here with a couple others lined up here who have speed and may be more bent on showing it. That likely means KRISTO can stalk under Rafael Bejarano (and it’s great to see him take the call in a race where he likely had options) and then pounce turning for home. From there it’s a matter of whether he’s good enough and the presence of big maiden winners MIDNIGHT HAWK and TOP FORTITUDE may help keep his price palatable. MIDNIGHT HAWK, part of the Bob Baffert armada, looked super whipping maidens in his debut at BHP Dec. 13. Unlike KRISTO however, he’s never routed and never raced on dirt. He’ll experience both for the first time here, as well as having to face winners. Still, you can’t deny he’s got talent judging by his big debut win, and as far as handling dirt goes, well, daddy was a monster on dirt (two-time sprint champion, also 2nd beaten a nose in the Grade 2 San Fernando, a dirt route) and ‘HAWK has been working in dazzling fashion on THIS track of late to indicate he handles the footing just fine. In other words, this edition of the Sham looks fairly chalky, as the two favorites each appear to hold a strong hand. If you’re looking for a price to hook up with those two, I’LL WRAP IT UP may be of interest. The son of Tapit (so we’re talking dirt pedigree) looked good whipping maidens at BHP Dec. 7, looking like a horse who may have turned the corner. With the focus on the top two, plus big debut winner TOP FORTITUDE his price may float up and he could help turn a short-priced winner into a 4-1 or 5-1 exacta payoff, and that’s never a bad thing.
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Race 6 |
Spot PlayBERTRAN HILL (#4, 5-1) has never won two in a row, but the 7-year-old low-level claimer figures for a good trip forwardly placed right behind the speed. -Brad Free
Spot PlayPEACENIK (#1, 5-2) hasn’t been seen since DMR but trainer Spawr does very well off the bench, thank you. He also claimed this guy when last seen (Aug. 28) and obviously they’ve taken their time getting him back into the game. He handles dirt just fine and boasts a series of solid works to indicate he’s ready to fire off the bench. Oh, and it doesn’t hurt that the leading rider takes the call. -Michael Hammersly
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Race 7 |
Spot PlayANTYHINGSCOOKIN (#5, 6-1) can wire the field, second start following a short layoff and returning to a turf course on which he ran so well during the fall meet. -Brad Free
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Race 8 |
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Race 9 |
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