Santa Anita: Mandella mulls giving Setsuko one more shot at Big Cap

ARCADIA, Calif. – Setsuko is 7 and winless in three starts in the last two years. One of those losses was a second to Ron the Greek in the 2012 Santa Anita Handicap, a performance that has trainer Richard Mandella thinking of another Big Cap start in the $750,000 race on March 8.

Setsuko was fifth in an optional claimer Jan. 1, but emerged from the race with an illness. His training in recent weeks has given Mandella hope that the Big Cap is a reasonable goal.

“His last race wasn’t very good, but he was a little sick coming out of it,” Mandella said. “He’s coming along.”

Saturday, Setsuko worked seven furlongs in 1:27, giving Mandella further encouragement.

“I want to see that he wants to do it,” Mandella said Saturday. “I gave him a nice work today. It wasn’t his best. Next week will be the test.”

Setsuko races for breeders Alain and Gerard Wertheimer and has won 2 of 20 starts and earned $657,936. He was second in the 2010 Santa Anita Derby and 2011 Big Cap.

This year’s Big Cap is likely to have a large field. The candidates are led by Mucho Macho Man, winner of the Breeders’ Cup Classic here last November; Blingo, winner of the Grade 2 San Antonio Stakes on Feb. 8; and Game On Dude, who won the 2011 and 2013 Big Caps, but was fifth in the San Antonio.

Other potential runners are American Blend, Appealing Tale, Blueskiesnrainbows, Fury Kapcori, Imperative, Majestic Harbor, and Rousing Sermon.

Stakes on horizon for pair

Valtari and Peace and Justice won optional claimers on turf Friday in a fashion suggesting they will be in stakes races in coming months.

Peace and Justice, 4, led throughout a third-level optional $80,000 claimer and held off a late run from Di Giorgio to win the one-mile race by a head in 1:32.26. Ridden by Brice Blanc for trainer John Shirreffs, Peace and Justice won for the third time in five starts.

Blanc said that Peace and Justice ran on his left lead throughout, never switching lead legs, which is customary.

“He’s a raw diamond,” Blanc said.

Valtari ($16.60) won a first-level optional $40,000 claimer over 1 1/2 miles by a half-length over Mambo Man. Ridden by Tyler Baze, Valtari was always close to the pace and won for the second time in six starts.

Trained by Carla Gaines for Santa Anita chairman Keith Brackpool, Valtari missed a week of training before Friday’s race because of an abscess in a foot, Gaines said. Later this year, Valtari is likely to run in marathon turf stakes.

Filly flourishes at San Luis Rey

After the closure of Hollywood Park’s stable area in late January, trainer John Sadler moved 50 of his horses to the San Luis Rey Downs training center in northern San Diego County.

Friday, Sadler had a winner from that division when Browsing rallied to win a starter optional claimer over a mile for her second consecutive victory. Browsing had two workouts at San Luis Rey Downs in the first week of February.

“She’s a filly that needs a quieter environment,” Sadler said.

Fiftyshadesofhay rerouted

Fiftyshadesofhay, winner of the Grade 2 Black-Eyed Susan Stakes at Pimlico last May and two other stakes in 2013, was scratched from Saturday’s $200,000 Santa Maria Stakes because of an abscess in a foot, trainer Bob Baffert said.

Baffert said Fiftyshadesofhay will be pointed to the $350,000 Santa Margarita Invitational over 1 1/8 miles on March 15.

◗ California Chrome, the easy winner of the California Cup Derby on Jan. 25, worked a half-mile from the gate in 47.80 seconds at Los Alamitos on Saturday. Trained by Art Sherman, California Chrome will make his next start in the $300,000 San Felipe Stakes over 1 1/16 miles on March 8.