Singletary Stakes a distance test for Game Time
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Quick enough to lead, Game Time should be prominent to early stretch of Sunday’s $100,000 Singletary Stakes for 3-year-olds at 1 1/8 miles on turf at Santa Anita.
Trainer John Sadler insists Game Time has shown the necessary signs to sustain the run in what will be the longest race of his career.
“Even though he’s got some speed, he’ll handle the trip,” Sadler said Friday. “We’re really happy with him. He’s been incrementally getting a little better.”
Game Time is part of a field of six in the Singletary. None have won a stakes, although Game Time, Malibu Coast, and Wizard of Westwood are stakes-placed.
Game Time was second in the Grade 3 Cecil B. DeMille Stakes at Del Mar in December in his stakes debut and fourth later that month in the Eddie Logan at a mile on turf at Santa Anita.
In his lone start this year, Game Time stalked the pace in the Pasadena Stakes at a mile on turf on April 2 at Santa Anita, led briefly in early stretch, but could not hold off a late threat from Johannes, the 3-10 favorite. Johannes scooted clear to win by 3 1/2 lengths, while Game Time finished three-quarters of a length in front of Wizard of Westwood.
“The horse that beat him the other day is a runner,” Sadler said.
Johannes was entered in Saturday’s Grade 2 American Turf at Churchill Downs.
Owned by Hronis Racing, Game Time’s lone win in six starts was a one-mile maiden race on turf at Santa Anita last October in which he led throughout.
Mi Hermano Ramon will be a danger as a stalker. Trained by Mark Glatt, Mi Hermano Ramon was a troubled fourth behind Johannes in the Baffle Stakes at about 6 1/2 furlongs on the hillside turf course on March 5 in his stakes debut. Mi Hermano Ramon raced in traffic in the stretch and was beaten 2 1/4 lengths.
The stretch run left Glatt wondering how close Mi Hermano Ramon could have finished to Johannes.
“With a clean trip, we would have made him earn it,” Glatt said. “It wouldn’t have surprised me if [Mi Hermano Ramon] would have beaten him.”
Mi Hermano Ramon was fourth in the Grade 3 Transylvania Stakes at 1 1/16 miles on turf on April 7 at Keeneland, losing by three lengths to Mo Stash.
“It was a tough race,” Glatt said. “He kind of got stuck down inside a little bit. It was a respectable performance.”
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Trainer Michael McCarthy has three starters in the Singletary – Escape Artist, Malibu Coast, and Wizard of Westwood.
Escape Artist will have his stakes debut Sunday after leading throughout a maiden race at 1 1/8 miles on turf April 9. Malibu Coast was last of nine in the Baffle after a troubled trip. He won a maiden race at a mile on turf from off the pace in November at Del Mar.
Eastbound, trained by John Shirreffs, drew the outside post for his stakes debut. Eastbound won a maiden race against older horses at a mile on turf on March 25 in his fifth start.
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