Scratch of Nysos leaves others with 'golden opportunity' in San Felipe

ARCADIA, Calif. – The scratch of undefeated Nysos from the Grade 2 San Felipe Stakes provides a golden opportunity for a quartet of less-accomplished 3-year-olds on Sunday at Santa Anita.

Trainer Bob Baffert scratched Nysos Saturday morning, leaving a field of four in the 1 1/16-mile San Felipe. Baffert trains two of the remaining entrants – graded stakes-placed Wine Me Up, and last-out allowance runner-up Imagination.

The Baffert runners are not eligible to earn Kentucky Derby qualifying points due to Churchill Downs extending its ban of Baffert. Two others in the field – lightly raced Scatify and the maiden Mc Vay, are eligible to earn Derby points on a 50-25-15-10-5 scale.

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Scatify is trained by John Sadler; Mc Vay is trained by John Shirreffs. They finished third and fourth, respectively, last out in the Grade 3 Robert B. Lewis that Nysos won in a landslide.

The scratch of Nysos, who was listed as the 1-5 morning-line favorite, gives Scatify a chance to steal the San Felipe, race 6 Sunday.

Sired by Justify, Scatify won his debut in a sprint in December, then stretched out and finished third in the Lewis, three-quarters of a length behind runner-up Wine Me Up and a long way behind Nysos. Sadler believes circumstances were against the son of Justify.

“I missed a work with [Scatify] because of the weather, and I thought he went a little quick early,” Sadler said. “He wasn’t going to beat the winner, but I thought it was a good race. I think he has a little more to come.” The San Felipe is only his third start. Hector Berrios rides Scatify, who is expected to use his speed from the inside post.

If he clears the field, Scatify could wire the field. However, it is never easy to clear a field that includes Baffert runners with speed. Wine Me Up and Imagination both have speed.

Wine Me Up returned to form last out, earning a career-high 92 Beyer Speed Figure finishing 7 1/2 lengths behind Nysos. Juan Hernandez rides Wine Me Up.

“He’s getting better,” Baffert said referring to Wine Me Up. He speculated the colt might be “one of those summer derby kind of horses. We don’t know yet.”

Imagination is expected to vie for favoritism based on his last-out runner-up finish behind highly regarded Maymun. Imagination missed by a neck with an 89 Beyer.

Maymun was nominated to the San Felipe, but Baffert said “I’ll probably look at something like the Arkansas Derby for [Maymun].”

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