Santa Anita: Dry Summer liable to improve in Twilight Derby with blinkers

ARCADIA, Calif. – Gabriel Charles had a brilliant summer at Del Mar, finishing second in a division of the Oceanside Stakes in July and winning a division of the Grade 2 Del Mar Derby on Sept. 1.

Those results rightfully place him at the fore of the field for Friday’s $150,000 Twilight Derby at Santa Anita.

Now, he has to beat his stablemate, Dry Summer. Both horses are owned by Sam Britt and Michael House and trained by Jeff Mullins.

Dry Summer did not have a successful Del Mar, finishing fourth in the Grade 2 La Jolla Handicap in August and seventh in the other division of the Del Mar Derby.

For the Grade 2 Twilight Derby, Mullins will fit Dry Summer with blinkers for the first time. Since Dry Summer added that equipment in early October, Mullins said the gelding has shown considerable improvement.

“He’s had four strong works,” Mullins said. “The way he’s working, I think he could be a factor.”

The 1 1/8-mile Twilight Derby drew a field of 13, including 11 stakes winners. Gervinho, who beat Gabriel Charles in the Oceanside but was second to that colt in the Del Mar Derby, is part of the field, along with Kid Dreams, who won the Grade 3 Hawthorne Derby over 1 1/8 miles on Oct. 5 for his first stakes win.

Gabriel Charles will be ridden by Mike Smith, who was aboard for the Del Mar races.

Trainer John Sadler starts Riding Legend, who won a division of the Oceanside but was ninth behind Gabriel Charles in the Del Mar Derby after his saddle slipped.

“It was a race you can draw a line through,” Sadler said. “He’s going to run well. I know the horse is in good shape.”

There are four stakes on the undercard of Friday’s Breeders’ Cup program.

The $200,000 Golden State Juvenile for California-bred 2-year-olds over a mile is led by Tamarando, winner of the Grade 1 Del Mar Futurity on Sept. 4. Owners Larry and Marianne Williams and trainer Jerry Hollendorfer chose to skip Saturday’s BC Juvenile with Tamarando because of the Breeders’ Cup’s policy of not allowing 2-year-olds to race with the anti-bleeder medication Lasix. No such prohibition exists for the Golden State Juvenile.

“That was a tough decision to make,” Hollendorfer said.

Tamarando was third in the Grade 1 FrontRunner Stakes over 1 1/16 miles here Sept. 28 after a slow start. Hollendorfer said the Golden State Juvenile is designed to prepare Tamarando for the $750,000 CashCall Futurity at Betfair Hollywood Park on Dec. 14.

“That’s our fall point race,” Hollendorfer said.

Tamarando is part of a field of nine that includes two stakes winners – California Chrome, who won the Graduation Stakes for California-breds at Del Mar on July 31; and Life Is a Joy, who is unbeaten in three starts, including the Charlie Palmer Futurity at the Big Fresno Fair on Oct. 5. Hollendorfer trains and co-owns Life Is a Joy.

The $200,000 Golden State Juvenile Fillies for California-breds over a mile will be the stakes debut for Cal Gal and Stole a Kiss, maiden race winners in their last starts. Cal Gal is trained by Doug O’Neill and won a maiden race on the hillside turf course in her third start Oct. 5. Stole a Kiss, trained by Mike Puype, has not started since winning a maiden race for California-breds at Del Mar on Aug. 31, her third career start.

They face Moving Desert, who was second to California Chrome in the Graduation and third in the Generous Portion Stakes for California-bred fillies Aug. 28.

The 11th and final race Friday is the $150,000 President of the United Arab Emirates Cup for Arabians over 1 1/16 miles. The race is part of a worldwide series and has been run in the past at Churchill Downs, Keeneland, and Pimlico.

Friday’s race drew a strong field of American-based runners, including four champions – Smoke House, top 3-year-old male of 2012; So Big Is Better, the champion older male of 2012; Ms Dixie, the champion 4-year-old filly of 2012; and Grilla, the champion 4-year-old male of 2010 and champion older male of 2011.

Grilla, owned and trained by Bill Waldron, beat Smoke House in the Delaware Arabian Classic Handicap at Delaware Park on Oct. 5. Sergeant Pepper Mhf, third in that race, drew the rail Friday.

The field has one international shipper in No Problem Al Maury, the 25-length winner of President of the UAE Cup in Turkey on Sept. 8. On Oct. 3, No Problem Al Maury was purchased for approximately $328,000 at the Arqana Arabian sale in Paris. The 5-year-old No Problem Al Maury races for Sheikh Joann bin Hamad Al Thani.