Santa Anita: Tokyo City gives Ever Rider another chance

ARCADIA, Calif. – Ever Rider arrived in California from Argentina last fall with the reputation as a main-track distance horse who would be dangerous in the Breeders’ Cup Marathon.

Ever Rider was the 4-1 favorite in the Marathon, but did not finish the race. Jockey Gary Stevens pulled him up on the backstretch.

“The saddle wasn’t right that day,” trainer Mike Puype said on Wednesday. “When he was done, Gary stopped on him.”

Ever Rider is winless in two subsequent starts – a third in an optional claimer on dirt on Jan. 1, and an eighth in an optional claimer on turf on March 6. He starts in Saturday’s $100,000 Tokyo City Cup Stakes over 1 1/2 miles on the main track, a race that could determine whether Ever Rider stays in the United States.

“They were ready to take him home,” Puype said. “I think they’ll evaluate him after Saturday. Let’s see what he does. There aren’t many races for mile and a half horses on the dirt.”

Ever Rider, 6, has won 4 of 26 starts and earned $83,963, all for Stud Parque Patricios. He has been with Puype’s stable since last fall. In the March 6 turf race, which came over 1 1/8 miles, Ever Rider set the pace and faded to finish last.

Puype is dismissing the loss.

“He went way too fast and he couldn’t run on the turf,” Puype said. “The mile and a half is what he wants to do.”

The Grade 3 Tokyo City Cup has a projected field of eight led by Blueskiesnrainbows, a four-time stakes winner who was second in the BC Marathon. The other expected runners are American Blend, Majestic Harbor, Niagara Falls, Segway, Tiz Dynamic and Toccetive.

Blueskiesnrainbows won the Grade 2 San Pasqual Stakes here on Jan. 11 but was sixth in the Grade 2 San Antonio Stakes on Feb. 8 after dueling for the early lead with Game On Dude. Game On Dude returned to win the Santa Anita Handicap on March 8.

Puype said that Blueskiesnrainbows deserves to be favored in the Tokyo City.

“I don’t know if he can beat Blueskiesnrainbows,” Puype said of Ever Rider.