Santa Anita: A maturing Blue Tone steps up in Thursday allowance

ARCADIA, Calif. – The gelding Blue Tone is turning into a mature professional. He was not always that way. As a young, testosterone-fueled colt, he was nasty.

“He was incorrigible, to say the least,” trainer Bob Hess said. “He was a dangerous horse. He was either going to hurt himself or hurt a rider.”

Hess waited as long as possible before taking action.

“We did not want to geld him,” he said.

There was little choice. Blue Tone, unraced, was going nowhere.

As a gelding, his attitude improved. In April, two years after his first recorded work, Blue Tone finally made it to the races. Five starts and two wins later, he is becoming a good older horse, with personality.

“He’s still tough, but boyish tough,” Hess said.

Thursday at Santa Anita, Blue Tone is favored in the race-7 feature, a second-level allowance at 1 1/16 miles on dirt. His rivals include front-runners American Act and Circle the Moon and closers Rousing Sermon, Myhorseofcourse, and Royal F J.

Mike Smith rides Blue Tone, who moves up one level after a convincing Aug. 31 victory at Del Mar.

“He’s a big, gorgeous two-turn horse,” Hess said. “He’s dappled; he’s added weight, which was an issue at Del Mar.”

One knock on Blue Tone is minor, according to Hess. The gelding’s training routine originally was to include three workouts between starts. He got loose one morning, banged a knee, and missed a workout.

No problem.

“I was on the fence anyway whether to give him two works or three works,” Hess said.

Blue Tone worked twice since his last start. Asked if missing a work might compromise the gelding’s condition, Hess was steadfast – “Not in the least bit. He’s 100 percent.”

Blue Tone is a deserving favorite, but the race is hardly a walkover thanks to front-runner American Act. Although three previous routes cast doubt on his distance ability, the dynamics of the Thursday allowance are more beneficial than his two recent route races.

Twice this summer at Del Mar, American Act broke from inside posts and was hounded through fast fractions, losing his punch late in both one-mile races. Thursday, he drew the outside post in a six-horse field and meets only one true pace rival, Circle the Moon.

American Act and jockey Gary Stevens can either make the lead or apply pressure from the outside. Either way, American Act figures for a more comfortable trip. If the pace unravels, then deep closer Rousing Sermon could be along in time.

The most probable winner Thursday runs in race 6. Heat Trap appears formidable in the allowance turf sprint for fillies and mares. In her most recent start, she set the pace and weakened to fourth in a $150,000 turf-route stakes at Del Mar.

Heat Trap shortens in distance and drops in class Thursday for trainer Carla Gaines. Victor Espinoza rides the filly, whose rivals include Atta Girl Alma, Brilliant Melody, and Unseen Visitor.