Santa Anita: Midnight Hawk sheds blinkers for Sham Stakes

ARCADIA, Calif. – Midnight Hawk was at 6-5 in his debut and won like a 1-5 shot, romping by 6 1/4 lengths at Hollywood Park. And yet trainer Bob Baffert was not satisfied.

There were elements of Midnight Hawk’s performance that Baffert thought insufficient.

“I was surprised at how green he was,” Baffert said.

With a colt about to test the road to the Kentucky Derby, there’s no room for inexperience.

So, despite the easy win first time out, when Midnight Hawk competes Saturday in the Grade 3, $100,000 Sham Stakes at Santa Anita, he will be without the blinkers that helped propel him to that runaway victory Dec. 13. It is an unusual move, but one Baffert felt necessary to get the best out of Midnight Hawk as he stretches out around two turns and faces more experienced rivals in the one-mile Sham.

“He’s much better without the blinkers,” Baffert said. “I got him okayed out of the gate without blinkers.”

[bc_video_id:313826:]A horse changing equipment after a win must have that approved by the starter and the stewards.

Baffert said Midnight Hawk won his debut “on raw talent.” Now begins the effort to mold that raw talent into a top 3-year-old prospect. The Sham offers 10 points to the winner under the system used by Churchill Downs to determine the field for the May 3 Kentucky Derby should more than the maximum of 20 enter.

Five others are in the Sham, including Top Fortitude – like Midnight Hawk a winner of his lone start – and Kristo, who has been awaiting this race since an impressive win against maidens at Santa Anita’s fall meeting.

“It’s a small field but very competitive,” Baffert said.

[ROAD TO THE KENTUCKY DERBY: Prep races, point standings, replays]

Top Fortitude stalked the pace in his debut and finished strongly to win by 2 3/4 lengths going 6 1/2 furlongs Nov. 16 at Hollywood Park. He got a Beyer Speed Figure of 92, the highest recorded by any horse in the Sham. The under-the-radar team of trainer Kory Owens and jockey Kayla Stra is extremely productive, going 8 for 16 over the past two years.

Kristo was highly regarded even before he made his debut last summer at Del Mar. It took him three starts to finally beat maidens, showing marked improvement when allowed to go two turns. He should fall into an ideal trip from the rail.

I’ll Wrap It Up took five starts to defeat maidens, winning last time out at Hollywood Park in a race that was rained off the turf. His two best races have been in his starts around two turns.

Life Is a Joy was a distant second in the King Glorious Stakes against California-breds last time out at Hollywood Park. His most recent race at Santa Anita, the Golden State Juvenile, is difficult to gauge since he never fired after stumbling at the start over a surface on which it was challenging to make up ground.

Ontology dipped back into the maiden ranks to record his first win last time out after six starts in stakes races, including four graded events. He improved with the removal of blinkers last time, but his lone start on Santa Anita’s dirt track last fall was poor.