Santa Anita handicapping roundup: Week of Feb. 22

Future international stars?

A highly regarded mare from Brazil teams with a promising young rider from France in the sixth race Saturday at Santa Anita. The imported Baruta could be something special, and the same is true for her jockey, Flavien Prat.

“She’s pretty exciting,” trainer Richard Mandella said about Baruta. The Group 1-placed mare will make her U.S. debut in a first-level allowance on the hillside course. Mandella is eager to get her started.

“She’s a stout, good-looking mare and shows extreme ability,” he said. “She’s fast. I would expect she’d run pretty good first time.”

But if the turf sprint is hello for Baruta, it is good-bye for Flavien Prat. The 21-year-old jockey will return to France on Sunday after a two-month stint in California. Prat won with 6 of 25 mounts at Santa Anita, including 4 of 11 for Mandella. People noticed.

“He’s that popular,” Mandella said. “You walk through the grandstand and everyone asks, ‘What about your rider?’ My answer is, ‘Sorry, he’s leaving.’ ”

In France, Prat rides second call for leading owners Alain and Gerard Wertheimer, whose first-call jockey is Olivier Peslier. Riding in the United States, Prat adjusted to the quicker tempo of American racing.

“The races are faster here,” he said. “In Europe, we go more slowly, and the last two furlongs, we go. But the first part is really slow.”

Prat is patient when necessary and aggressive when strategy calls for speed. He put Snaps on the lead in the first race Feb. 16 and wired the field. He rode second-timer Quotient in the fifth race Feb. 15, putting the maiden into the race early and pouncing from second.

“I like it here,” Prat said. “And I hope to come back next year.”

Nearing comebacks

Beholder is nearing her first comeback work for Mandella. Champion juvenile filly in 2012 and champion 3-year-old filly in 2013, Beholder has been galloping regularly.

“I’ll probably give her a little workout just before the rains come next week,” Mandella said Thursday.

Shared Belief, the 2-year-old champion of 2013 whose 2014 campaign was delayed due to foot issues, also is galloping regularly. Trained by Jerry Hollendorfer, Shared Belief galloped 1 1/2 miles on Thursday, according to assistant trainer Dan Ward.

“He’s pretty close to a workout,” Ward said.

Amazombie, 2011 champion sprinter and Breeders’ Cup Sprint winner, but unraced since finishing eighth in the 2012 Breeders’ Cup Sprint, might not be done, according to trainer Bill Spawr.

“We’re riding him around the shed row,” he said. “He’s ready to go to the track to jog.”

Amazombie, 8, has been sidelined with quarter cracks and an ankle injury.

“The first sign it looks like he won’t make it, he’ll retire,” Spawr said. “We’re being overly cautious, but we’re giving him a chance.”

Sensational claim

Summer Hit goes route to sprint and can defeat Lakerville on Saturday in the $100,000 Sensational Star, a turf sprint named for a successful $32,000 claim Spawr made in 1988. Two years after the claim, Sensational Star won the Bing Crosby and Triple Bend at Del Mar.

“They were routing him, and we thought he might be a better sprinter,” Spawr explained. “And we were right. He was very professional, like a pony, and had a lot of class.”

Spawr recalled Sensational Star’s final career start in fall 1990 at Hollywood Park. He dropped the gelding into a $40,000 claiming sprint and named a relatively unknown 19-year-old jockey visiting from Europe.

Sensational Star won the race. In the winner’s circle, Spawr said, “I looked over at the jock and he wasn’t there – he was in the air.” It was one of the first flying dismounts in California by now-legendary jockey Frankie Dettori.

California invasion

California shippers are key in big races Saturday at Fair Grounds. Grade 1-winning filly Streaming could be loose on the lead in the Grade 3 Rachel Alexandra. Highly rated maiden winner Hoppertunity, a colt, gets tested for class in the Grade 2 Risen Star Stakes.

Streaming will be overbet. She had no visible excuse finishing second as the even-money favorite Feb. 1 in the Grade 1 Las Virgenes Stakes. She had trained super going in, but could not catch front-runner Fashion Plate, who went the final half-mile in 50.56 seconds.

Hoppertunity moves up following a visually impressive maiden win in his second start. He earned a 92 Beyer Speed Figure that makes him a contender in the Risen Star.