Santa Anita: M One Rifle takes steep drop

The promising 5-year-old Capital Account will be favored to win an optional claimer over six furlongs in Sunday’s fifth race, but faces a multiple stakes winner in the 6-year-old gelding M One Rifle.

Capital Account races for leading trainer Bob Baffert. The horse won an optional claimer over 6 1/2 furlongs on Jan. 28 by 3 1/2 lengths as a heavy favorite.

M One Rifle is winless in six starts since the Cool Frenchy Stakes at Hollywood Park last May. He was last of seven in the Grade 2 Arcadia Stakes over a mile on turf on Feb. 4.

Trained by Bruce Headley, M One Rifle has started in 10 consecutive stakes dating back to a third in an optional claimer at Hollywood Park in May 2010. M One Rifle is best known for winning the Grade 1 Malibu Stakes in 2009.

All in the family for Randall

David Randall recalled with detail his last winner before Oulaoulala won a maiden special weight race in Thursday’s first race.

“Her mom,” he said.

Delavallade, the dam of Oulaoulala, won a maiden race for Randall and his wife, Vida, at Santa Anita in April 2009. The couple tends to only have one horse in training, which they own. The couple owns a horse transportation business.

David Randall is at Santa Anita each morning to look after Oulaoulala.

He has two horses in training, both out of the mare Delavallade. The mare is expected to produce a foal by Mizzen Mast this year, and will be bred to Einstein. Randall has a connection to Einstein; he helped ship the horse around the nation during his racing career.

“I shipped him all the time when he was running,” he said on Friday.

“He was a trier.”

Randall’s father trained and staying in that aspect of the game is important.

“I couldn’t be without horses in my life,” he said.

As for Oulaoulala, a 4-year-old filly by Arch, she won on the main track on Thursday and could make her next start on turf.

“She keeps improving,” Randall said. “My job is to keep her happy.”

Gomez expects to ride next Friday

Jockey Garrett Gomez will return to riding next Friday after a two-month absence caused by heel and ankle injuries, his agent, Tony Matos, said on Friday.

Gomez, 40, sustained the injuries when unseated from his mount on a path leading from Santa Anita’s paddock to the racetrack on Jan. 8. Gomez had hoped to return to riding this weekend, but did not receive doctor’s clearance, he said earlier this week. He has been undergoing physical therapy in recent weeks.

A return next weekend would allow Gomez to ride Out of Bounds in the $300,000 San Felipe Stakes on Saturday, a key prep for the $750,000 Santa Anita Derby on April 7.

Gomez rode Out of Bounds to a victory in the Grade 3 Sham Stakes here on Jan. 7, the colt’s stakes debut.

The San Felipe will draw a strong field. The probable starters include American Act, second in the Grade 2 San Vicente Stakes last month; Blingo, sixth in the CashCall Futurity in December; Creative Cause, third in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile last November; Empire Way, second in the Robert Lewis Stakes last month; Fed Biz, an allowance race winner last month; Liaison, the winner of the CashCall Futurity; Midnight Transfer, who won the San Pedro Stakes in January; and Rousing Sermon, who was second in the CashCall Futurity.