Santa Anita: Wild Dude wins Palos Verdes in stakes debut

ARCADIA, Calif. – The spotlight in Sunday’s $200,000 Palos Verdes Stakes at Santa Anita was meant to be on 2013 Breeders' Cup Sprint winner Secret Circle or Sahara Sky, the winner of the Grade 1 Metropolitan Mile last May.

Instead, Wild Dude, a stablemate of Sahara Sky with trainer Jerry Hollendorfer, ran the best race of his career to win the Grade 2 Palos Verdes by a neck over 1-2 Secret Circle.

Wild Dude ($19.20) ran six furlongs in 1:08.09 in the Palos Verdes, his stakes debut. Sahara Sky finished last in a field of five, beaten a little more than 3 1/2 lengths.

The result was not determined until the final strides. Jockey Rafael Bejarano had Wild Dude in fourth for the first five furlongs and rallied between Secret Circle and Moonshine Bay to reach the front late. Bejarano had to wait briefly with a sixteenth of a mile remaining before finding running room.

“When I got clear, I tried to come out,” Bejarano said. “I tried to wait for the right time.”

Secret Circle finished a length in front of the Hollendorfer-trained Moonshine Bay. The Palos Verdes was Secret Circle’s first start since a win in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint here in November.

“I don’t think he saw that horse until it was too late,” Bob Baffert, who trains Secret Circle, said of Wild Dude.

Moonshine Bay was followed by Majestic Stride and Sahara Sky. Majestic Stride had won the Grade 3 Underwood Stakes at Hollywood Park on Nov. 28. Sahara Sky was last throughout as the 5-2 second choice.

“I hope nothing is wrong,” Hollendorfer said of Sahara Sky. “I don’t think it is.”

Wild Dude races for Hollendorfer and Green Smith Jr. A 4-year-old colt by Wildcat Heir, Wild Dude was purchased by Hollendorfer and Smith for $42,000 at the Ocala Breeders’ Sales Co. auction of 2-year-olds in training in April 2012.

Wild Dude has won 4 of 8 starts and earned $265,220, with all the wins coming since a maiden race at Del Mar last summer. After finishing second and third in two optional claimers here in September and November, Wild Dude won allowance races at Hollywood Park on Dec. 1 and here Jan. 3, leading to a start in the Palos Verdes.

The win Jan. 3 against only two rivals led Hollendorfer to start Wild Dude with stablemates Moonshine Bay and Sahara Sky in the Palos Verdes.

“We knew the horse had tactical speed,” Hollendorfer said. “The race was coming up light, and we decided to go with three horses instead of two.”