Santa Anita: Karma King set for 3-year-old debut Friday

ARCADIA, Calif. – Karma King may race like a new colt when he makes his 3-year-old debut in an optional claimer on the hillside turf course Friday at Santa Anita.

Trained by Craig Dollase for a partnership, Karma King has not raced since being pulled up in the Grade 1 CashCall Futurity at Hollywood Park last December. Before the start of that race, he was unruly for jockey Joe Talamo. In the days following the race, he underwent a procedure to improve his breathing.

“Everything kind of went wrong,” Dollase said. “He ran off with Talamo before the race. Then, he pulled up. We had the procedure on his throat after the CashCall.”

Earlier in 2013, Karma King won his debut in a maiden race at Del Mar and was third in the Real Quiet Stakes over 1 1/16 miles on the synthetic track at Hollywood Park in November.

Friday’s optional claimer over about 6 1/2 furlongs will be Karma King’s first start on turf, a task Dollase thinks the colt can handle.

“We’re throwing a few things at him – coming back from a layoff, down the hill, and turf,” Dollase said. “The objective is to get him back in the game and go from there.”

Karma King, by the Storm Cat stallion Pure Prize, is part of a field of eight and is the only runner with a stakes placing. Raise the Roof was ninth in the Barretts Juvenile at the Los Angeles County Fair last September.

There are four last-race winners – Forever Juanito, in a maiden race at Del Mar last July; Fort Wagner, who won a starter allowance on turf March 9; Number Five, in a maiden race on the hillside March 6; and Pathway to Yes, in a starter allowance on the hillside Feb. 23.

Owner Jim Ford and trainer Vann Belvoir start two English imports – Al Baz and Photography.

Al Baz, a three-time winner last year, was purchased for approximately $59,000 last fall. Photography, who has one win in seven starts, was purchased for approximately $17,000 last fall.

“It took some time for them to acclimate,” Belvoir said. “They’ve been training in their last two works together. It seems Al Baz might have a little more speed, but Photography has been working right with him. I don’t think there should be a big difference in their ability. I think they can compete at this level.”