Si Sage will skip Whittingham, point to shorter stakes

ARCADIA, Calif. – Si Sage, the winner of the Grade 3 Last Tycoon Stakes on April 25, will not start in the $200,000 Charles Whittingham Stakes at Santa Anita on May 24.

On Sunday, trainer Darrell Vienna said he would prefer to run Si Sage in a race shorter than the Grade 2 Whittingham Stakes, which is run at 1 1/2 miles on turf.

“I don’t think we’ll run there,” Vienna said. “We’re looking around.”

Vienna said races at 1 1/8 or 1 1/4 miles on turf would be considered, with an emphasis on races in California. One option during the summer could be the $300,000 Eddie Read Stakes at 1 1/8 miles on turf July 18 at Del Mar. The Last Tycoon Stakes was run at 1 1/4 miles on turf at Santa Anita.

Si Sage would have been a top contender for the Whittingham Stakes.

The field of probable starters is led by Ashleyluvssugar, unraced since winning the Grade 2 San Luis Rey Stakes at 1 1/2 miles in March; Ganesh, who was second in the Last Tycoon; and Big John B, who was last of eight as the 8-5 favorite in the Last Tycoon but won the Grade 2 Del Mar Handicap last summer.

The Whittingham is one of eight stakes at Santa Anita from Friday through Monday’s Memorial Day program. Five stakes are for California-breds on Saturday, led by the $250,000 Snow Chief Stakes for 3-year-olds at 1 1/8 miles on turf.

The list of candidates for the Snow Chief is led by Grazen Sky, the winner of the Silky Sullivan Stakes for California-breds at a mile on turf April 26 at Golden Gate Fields.