Santa Anita: Macias looks to the front in Thursday turf route

ARCADIA, Calif. – Macias has conspicuous speed. Somethingabouther is more discreet. Both will use front-running tactics Thursday at Santa Anita trying to wire the turf routes that are races 5 and 7.

Macias won a mile turf race, long ago. In 2009, he won the Eddie Logan Stakes for 2-year-olds at Santa Anita. Macias is now 7, trained by Robertino Diodoro, and the horse to catch in the starter handicap.

“He’s got some old back class to him; I think he’ll be all right,” Diodoro said by phone from Turf Paradise, where he notched his 1,000th training win on Monday.

Macias has won seven races and $306,930 from 28 starts. His two recent sprint wins are among the 12 wins from 50 starts that have made Diodoro and assistant Sean Williams a welcome surprise this winter at Santa Anita. Seven of the stable’s 12 winners paid more than $10.

“We have some better horses this winter, and made some better claims,” Diodoro said.

He keeps about 20 horses at Santa Anita, while the Diodoro stable star, Broadway Empire, is based at Turf Paradise.

Broadway Empire, who has four wins from eight starts with $405,865 in earnings, worked six furlongs Tuesday preparing for his 4-year-old debut. Broadway Empire won the Grade 3 Oklahoma Derby at Remington Park last fall. His first major objective of 2014 is the Grade 3 Hanshin Cup on May 24 at Arlington.

In the meantime, Macias and jockey Fernando Perez will try to wire race 5 at Santa Anita, a starter handicap for horses that raced for a $12,500 claim tag or less since March 17, 2013. The turf rails are up to 24 feet Thursday, which theoretically benefits front-runners.

However, the presence of sprinter Money Cannon, and speed/pressers Nahem and Bluegrass Reward could keep Macias from an easy lead.

The pace scenario is entirely different in race 7, a first-level allowance for fillies and mares at 1 1/8 miles on turf. Find a pacesetter? Good luck.

“I don’t think there is much speed in the race,” trainer Leonard Powell said. None of the eight entered are front-runners, a scenario that might benefit Powell trainee Somethingabouther.

“We’ve been trying to find the right distance for her,” Powell said. “She’s got a steady way of going; she does not have a sharp turn of foot.”

Somethingabouther stretches out from a sprint, and could make the lead. If so, she will not be going fast. Claimed for $62,500 in November, Somethingabouther is making her fourth start for Powell. Joe Talamo rides.

Other contenders in race 7 include Ginger Tap, who is using the same pattern that led to a maiden win last summer in her third career start. Ginger Tap has two prep races under her belt.

Feline Forum supposedly was short on works for her California debut Feb. 20. She won anyway, and has worked three times since. She moves up in class Thursday.