Seven enter California Crown, with a few on the fence

The number of runners in Saturday’s Grade 1 California Crown at Santa Anita may not necessarily equal the number of runners entered on Monday.

The field of seven is led by the older horses Senor Buscador, the winner of the $20 million Saudi Cup in Saudi Arabia in February, and National Treasure, who won the Grade 1 Pegasus World Cup Invitational at Gulfstream Park in January; and the 3-year-old Muth, the winner of his last two starts, the Grade 1 Arkansas Derby in March and Shared Belief Stakes at Del Mar on Sept. 1.

The 3-year-old Indispensable, second in the Shared Belief, has been cross-entered in the California Crown and Sunday’s Grade 3 Oklahoma Derby at Remington Park. Trainer John Sadler said over the weekend that he plans to assess Indispensable’s chances in the two races before making a decision, with an eye on staying in California.

“I’m leaning toward running” at Santa Anita, Sadler said. “I will look at both races. They’d love to have him here.”

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The other runners are Subsanador, winner of the Grade 3 Philip H. Iselin Stakes at Monmouth Park in August for trainer Richard Mandella; Katonah, seventh in the Grade 1 Pacific Classic at Del Mar on Aug. 31; and Newgate, unraced since a ninth-place finish in the $12 million Dubai World Cup in the United Arab Emirates on March 30.

Trainer Doug O’Neill said in a text message over the weekend that there was an “80 percent” chance that Katonah would run in the California Crown.

Newgate, who won the Grade 1 Santa Anita Handicap on March 3, is trained by Bob Baffert, who also starts National Treasure and Muth. National Treasure won the Metropolitan Handicap at Saratoga in June, but was only sixth in the Grade 1 Whitney Stakes there on Aug. 3.

The $1 million California Crown, run at 1 1/8 miles, offered a fees-paid berth to the winner for the Breeders’ Cup Classic at Del Mar on Nov. 2.

The purse of the California Crown has been boosted by $700,000 from last year by Santa Anita’s parent company, 1/ST Racing, who also enhanced the purses of two Grade 2 turf stakes on Saturday’s program from $200,000 to $750,000 – the John Henry Turf Championship at 1 1/4 miles and the Eddie D Stakes at about 6 1@ furlongs on the hillside turf course.

The California Crown was previously known as the Awesome Again Stakes.

The increases are part of an effort to draw a larger ontrack audience and make the opening Saturday of the track’s autumn meeting an event with a significant audience. Food and concert promotions are also planned.

The five-week Santa Anita fall meeting begins Friday and continues through Oct. 27.

Saturday’s 10-race program has five stakes, including the Grade 2 City of Hope Mile on turf and the $100,000 Unzip Me Stakes for 3-year-old fillies on the hillside turf course.

The program begins at 12:30 p.m. Pacific.

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