Santa Anita: Sabercat remains on target for San Felipe

ARCADIA, Calif. – Sabercat, the winner of the Delta Jackpot last fall, is making rapid progress toward his expected 2012 debut in next month’s San Felipe Stakes at Santa Anita, and on Sunday morning, he worked five furlongs in 1:01.80 in his third drill here in the past 13 days.

Sabercat had a pair of half-mile works earlier this month, and will have time for two more works before the San Felipe on March 10.

“He didn’t miss that much time,” said Scott Blasi, the assistant to trainer Steve Asmussen who oversees their Santa Anita stable. “He worked back at Fair Grounds a couple of times after the Delta Jackpot, then he came out here and we freshened him up for a month.

“We’re expecting the Kentucky Derby to be his third race off the layoff. He’s got plenty of two-turn experience.”

Sabercat also has plenty of cash, giving Asmussen and Blasi the luxury of making sure, steady progress. As of Sunday morning, Sabercat was third on the graded stakes earnings list, behind only Hansen and Union Rags.

As for Daddy Nose Best, who won the El Camino Real Derby for Asmussen on Saturday, Blasi said his next start would be determined “after we see how the weekend shakes out.”

Daddy Nose Best was being vanned back to Santa Anita on Sunday.