Santa Anita notes: San Juan Capistrano Handicap shaping up with short field

ARCADIA, Calif. – The San Juan Capistrano Handicap will have a new winner this year.

Tuesday, trainer Neil Drysdale said that Bourbon Bay, winner of the San Juan Capistrano in 2010 and 2012, will skip Sunday’s race at Santa Anita.

Drysdale plans to start Fire With Fire, who was third in the Grade 2 San Luis Rey Stakes over 1 1/2 miles on turf March 16.

“He ran well the other day and he should love the distance,” Drysdale said.

The $150,000 San Juan Capistrano is run over about 1 3/4 miles on turf, the longest stakes of the Santa Anita winter-spring meeting, which ends Sunday.

Bourbon Bay is winless in four starts since the 2012 San Juan Capistrano, including two races this year. He worked six furlongs Monday in 1:15.40 at Betfair Hollywood Park.

The San Juan Capistrano will not have a large field. Trainer Bob Baffert said Tuesday that he was “on the fence” about starting Sky Kingdom, who won the Tokyo City Cup over 1 1/2 miles on the main track March 23. A 4-year-old, Sky Kingdom has never run on turf.

Other candidates are All Squared Away, Interaction, Oilisblackgold, Smart Ellis, and The Only Key.

The Only Key, a 7-year-old mare, won an optional claimer over 1 1/4 miles on turf at Santa Anita on April 5 when entered to be claimed for $40,000. Owned by former Santa Anita president Ron Charles, The Only Key also is nominated to Saturday’s $150,000 Santa Barbara Handicap for fillies and mares over 1 1/4 miles on turf.

Beitia set to resume riding after spill

Jockey Jose Beitia, who was unseated when his mount slipped and fell in a turf race Sunday, is scheduled to resume riding Thursday, according to his agent, Alex Procel-Crowley.

Beitia, who has one win at the meeting, was taken to a local hospital for observation and was released late Sunday, his agent said. His mount, the 5-year-old mare The Grans, was walked off the track.

Thursday, Beitia is booked to ride Soi Phet in the first race, a starter allowance over a mile.

Spellbound sidelined with bone chip

Spellbound, fourth in the Grade 1 Santa Anita Oaks in her stakes debut April 6, has been sidelined with a bone chip in an ankle, trainer Richard Mandella said.

“We’ll have her back in the fall,” Mandella said. “With time and filling out, she could be a nice filly.”

Owned by the partnership of Claiborne Farm, Ramona Bass, and Adele Dilschneider, Spellbound, by Bernardini, has won 2 of 6 starts and $88,500.

◗ There will be no 2-year-old races at Santa Anita at the current meeting. Two maiden races for $100,000 claimers were offered Thursday and Friday, but failed to draw sufficient entries.