Santa Anita: San Gabriel good fit for Jeranimo

[bc_video_id:313266:]ARCADIA, Calif. – Jeranimo tosses in an occasional dud, but the 8-year-old has never misfired in the Grade 2 San Gabriel Stakes, a turf race at Santa Anita that he and jockey Rafael Bejarano practically own.

Jeranimo starts Saturday in his fourth consecutive San Gabriel, a race he won in December 2010 and January 2013. He finished second in January 2012.

Bejarano, meanwhile, has won five straight San Gabriels on three horses and is back aboard Jeranimo for the first time since a Del Mar victory in the Grade 1 Eddie Read.

Then there is Mike Pender, the only trainer for Jeranimo since he arrived at the racetrack as a 2-year-old in summer 2008.

“To have a horse that has been a fixture in my barn for six years is absolutely amazing,” Pender said.

Jeranimo enters 2014 having won 10 races and $1,401,364 from 38 starts. Owned by B.J. Wright and Robert LaPenta, Jeranimo made his debut Jan. 3, 2009, at Santa Anita and developed into one of the most durable veterans on the circuit. He is not done yet.

“So long as he continues to thrive and give us every indication that he wants to go out there and put his running shoes on, we’ll let him lead the way,” Pender said.

Saturday in the 1 1/8-mile San Gabriel, Jeranimo faces 10 rivals, including front-runner Slim Shadey and sharp allowance runners Dubai You X Y Z and Te Rapa. The others are Artic North, Fire With Fire, Utopian, Empty Headed, Black Spirit, Huntsville, and Willyconker.

Jeranimo is the horse to beat, despite murky recent races. Following his Eddie Read victory, Jeranimo switched to the main track. The experiment did not work. He finished ninth in the Pacific Classic at Del Mar and Awesome Again at Santa Anita, followed by a seventh-place finish in the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint at Santa Anita.

Saturday, the veteran is doing what he does best – run long on turf.

“He’s ready,” Pender said. “He’s ready to come back to his Eddie Read.”

His published workout pattern has a gap from Dec. 8 to Dec. 26, with an explanation. Pender said a five-furlong workout Dec. 17 at Santa Anita was not recorded.

“I’m not one of those guys [that] go every seven days,” Pender said.

For the last work, Pender took him back to Hollywood Park.

“Hollywood has always been home for him,” he said. “I took him back there for his final workout. I needed to know where he was at.”

To win the San Gabriel, Jeranimo must catch front-runner Slim Shadey. Although Slim Shadey’s most recent win was in February, trainer Simon Callaghan expects a return to form over a course on which Slim Shadey has scored his four U.S. wins.

“He’s the sort of horse that the race needs to have a certain setup for him to give his best,” Callaghan said. In other words, Slim Shadey needs to be loose on the lead.

“He seems to be doing good. We purposely kept him back for this race and the San Marcos,” Callaghan said. “When he puts it together, he is obviously a very talented horse and he likes the turf course in particular.”

Slim Shadey, a 6-year-old gelding with 5 wins from 31 starts, is expected to set the pace under Corey Nakatani. The next start for Slim Shadey will be the Grade 2 San Marcos Stakes at 1 1/4 miles on Feb. 8.

The long-distance winter turf series also is the objective for Te Rapa, who had traffic trouble last time finishing third behind Dubai You X Y Z. Trainer Howard Zucker is looking forward to stretching out Te Rapa to 1 1/2 miles in the Grade 2 San Luis Rey on March 22 and then the 1 3/4-mile San Juan Capistrano later in the meet.

Te Rapa, whose improvement coincides with a change in jockeys, will be ridden again by Kayla Stra.