Sophomores take on elders in allowance
ARCADIA, Calif. – The impressive Grade 3 winner Kentuckian ranks as trainer Jerry Hollendorfer’s top 3-year-old, but the colt has backup.
Those include flashy allowance winner Desert Dynamo and stakes winner Cross the Line.
Kentuckian is scheduled to work Thursday at Santa Anita in preparation for the Grade 2, $350,000 Los Alamitos Derby on July 4. Later on Thursday, the Hollendorfer-trained Desert Dynamo and Cross the Line face older for the first time in a second-level allowance.
Ten colts and geldings race one mile in race 7. Desert Dynamo and Cross the Line are the only 3-year-olds, and both have credentials. Desert Dynamo crushed a 3-year-old allowance last out, while Cross the Line, the winner of the California Derby in January, returns from a two-month freshening.
The field also includes 2013 Sunland Derby winner Govenor Charlie, the class-dropping closer You Know I Know, and sharp allowance winner Anxious Times. Others entered include Jules Journey, Snuggley Bear, Kung Fu Mambo, Solid Wager, and Midnight Transfer.
The main handicapping issue Thursday is age. Can a 3-year-old successfully transition from age-restricted races to an older allowance? As every summer, the answer is beyond probable. It is likely.
KEY CONTENDERS
Desert Dynamo (Last 3 Beyers: 92-69-74)
The last-out win by Desert Dynamo was his first try around two turns and his first start since transferring to Hollendorfer. He won the allowance by more than four lengths. “He was really impressive,” assistant trainer Dan Ward said. “He tracked the pace and drew off.”
Fernando Perez rides Desert Dynamo, who gets a four- to eight-pound weight break from his older rivals. Desert Dynamo is drawn outside main pace rival Anxious Times and figures for the same trip that led to his last-out win.
DRF FORMULATOR FACT: No. 7 Desert Dynamo. Trainer Jerry Hollendorfer is 42-7-6-4 with a $0.61 ROI over the past two years with last-out winners in dirt routes at Santa Anita. Click for more details. – Mike Hogan
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Cross the Line (Last 3 Beyers: 79-95-82)
Cross the Line was considered for the Ohio Derby last weekend until his connections opted to keep him home. “He gets in with 114, and he’s training great,” Ward said.
Rafael Bejarano rides Cross the Line, who is making his first start since finishing fifth April 18 in the Illinois Derby. He previously finished fifth in the Santa Anita Derby and second in the Grade 3 El Camino Real Derby at Golden Gate.
DRF FORMULATOR FACT: No. 4 Cross the Line. Trainer Jerry Hollendorfer is 19-1-5-2 with a $0.85 ROI over the past five years with 3-year-olds facing older horses on dirt at Santa Anita following a layoff of 45 days or more. Click for more details. – Mike Hogan
You Know I Know (Last 3 Beyers: 89-96-90)
A class drop is the right move for You Know I Know. “We tried one or two aggressive spots, he has to be in for $62.5K,” trainer John Sadler said. “This is his group.” Two starts back, You Know I Know finished second at the same class level.
Sadler has been almost as hot as the 90-degree June weather. He is 8 for 23 this month. Edwin Maldonado rides You Know I Know.
Anxious Times (Last 3 Beyers: 98-98-87)
The field’s only starter with back-to-back Beyers in the 90s, Anxious Times moves up in class following a 3 1/4-length N1X win.
Richard Mandella trains; Gary Stevens rides.
DRF FORMULATOR FACT: No. 6 Anxious Times. Trainer Richard Mandella is 23-11-5-2 with a $3.90 ROI over the past five years with last-out winners in dirt routes at Santa Anita. Click for more details. – Mike Hogan