Shea Brennan will take back in King Glorious Stakes

Shea Brennan raced near the front in the Golden State Juvenile at Del Mar on Nov. 1 before fading to finish third.

Reflecting on the loss on Friday, trainer Phil D’Amato wondered if he gave jockey Flavien Prat the wrong instructions.

“I had Flavien put him into the race more than I think he probably likes,” D’Amato said. “That was all on me.”

Jockey Antonio Fresu will be given a different directive when he rides Shea Brennan for the first time in Sunday’s $100,000 King Glorious Stakes for 2-year-old statebreds at a mile at Los Alamitos.

“He likes to get his feet under him and make a late run,” D’Amato said of Shea Brennan.

The King Glorious Stakes is the leading race on the final day of the two-week Los Alamitos meeting. Santa Anita begins its winter-spring meeting on Dec. 26.

Shea Brennan, who races for owner and breeder Nick Alexander, will start at a mile for the first time in the King Glorious, which drew a field of nine.

“I think he’ll appreciate longer,” D’Amato said. “He’s a big, long-striding colt.”

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The field includes R Heisman, winner of the Graduation Stakes for statebreds at 5 1/2 furlongs in August who has been gelded since his last start, a second in the Golden State Juvenile. The recent maiden race winner Got’m Cot’m, sixth in the Golden State Juvenile after a slow start, will command attention.

The field does not include the D’Amato-trained Speedy Wilson, who won the Golden State Juvenile. Speedy Wilson was briefly out of training later in November after developing a temperature, D’Amato said. Speedy Wilson is under consideration for the $175,000 California Cup Derby at Santa Anita on Jan. 12.

In the Golden State Juvenile, R Heisman closed from sixth in a field of eight to miss by a half-length as the 7-5 favorite.

“He looked like he hung a little bit in the last race,” trainer Peter Miller said. “He looked like he would run by that horse and he just stayed” behind.

“Gelding is going to help him. He started to get a little hot and a little nervous in the last couple of races.”

R Heisman, a winner of 2 of 7 starts, has faced California’s leading 2-year-olds. He was fifth of seven in the Grade 1 Del Mar Futurity in September. Citizen Bull, who was third in the Del Mar Futurity, won the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile at Del Mar on Nov. 1.

Miller said a return to California-bred company is a better fit for R Heisman.

“He’s back with his friends and hopefully he can get the job done,” Miller said.

Got’m Cot’m rebounded from his loss in the Golden State Juvenile to record an attractive win by 4 3/4 lengths as the 4-5 favorite in a maiden race for California-breds at 5 1/2 furlongs at Del Mar on Nov. 24.

Trained by Val Brinkerhoff, Got’m Cot’m will start at a mile for the first time in the King Glorious. He is a half-brother to Lady Puchi, who was stakes-placed at a mile at Laurel Park in 2022.

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