Spotlight on Roy H in Palos Verdes Stakes
ARCADIA, Calif. – Roy H does not win them all, but he wins most. And maybe he is not a lock Saturday at Santa Anita, but he looks to be just that.
Roy H, the Eclipse Award-winning sprinter for 2017 and finalist for 2018 and back-to-back winner of the Breeders’ Cup Sprint, will launch his 2019 campaign for trainer Peter Miller in the same way as he did in 2018 – favored to win the Grade 2 Palos Verdes Stakes.
The difference is Roy H faces a better Palos Verdes field than the three overmatched rivals he crushed a year ago at 1-5. Roy H, who has eight wins from his last 11 starts, will be favored again Saturday, but his odds will be less lopsided against six worthy opponents in the $200,000 race at six furlongs. Santa Anita linemaker Jon White made Roy H the 4-5 favorite.
The chief rivals for Roy H include two trained by Jerry Hollendorfer. Graded winner Kanthaka was compromised by severe trouble finishing eighth in the Grade 1 Malibu Stakes. Awesome Anywhere, an odds-on third at Golden Gate, returns to the Santa Anita surface on which he scored the fastest win of his career two starts back.
The field also includes two Miller-trained stablemates of Roy H. They are front-running Grade 3 turf winner Conquest Tsunami trying dirt, and durable Grade 1-placed veteran Distinctive B. St. Joe Bay, the 2017 Palos Verdes winner, is entered along with stakes winner Touched by Autism.
Roy H’s attributes are obvious. He is the fastest on figures, his versatile style and outside post should lead to a pressing trip under jockey Paco Lopez, and he has won his last four starts at Santa Anita – three Grade 1’s and a Grade 2.
Kanthaka’s form is less conspicuous, and his eighth in the Malibu was entirely forgivable. Kanthaka was stopped cold on the turn, steadied and lost position, then tried to re-rally.
“I didn’t think he got the best of it, neither did the rider,” Hollendorfer said, referring to Flavien Prat.
A challenge for Kanthaka is the six-furlong Palos Verdes distance; his three wins were at seven. If front-runners Conquest Tsunami, Awesome Anywhere, and St. Joe Bay contest an honest pace, Kanthaka should have a shot at a come-from-behind upset.
KEY CONTENDERS
Roy H, by More Than Ready
Last 3 Beyers: 111-105-96
◗ Owned by Rockingham Ranch and David Bernsen, 7-year-old Roy H is using the Palos Verdes as a bridge to the $2 million Golden Shaheen on March 30 in Dubai.
Kanthaka, by Jimmy Creed
Last 3 Beyers: 92-89-84
◗ Kanthaka won two graded stakes for 3-year-olds last year. The Palos Verdes is his first start against older.
◗ The 3-for-7 colt is owned by West Point Thoroughbreds.
Awesome Anywhere, by Awesome of Course
Last 3 Beyers: 88-100-92
◗ Claimed by Hollendorfer for $32,000, he since has won two of three starts, including a second-level allowance romp at Santa Anita. Hollendorfer won the 2013 and 2014 Palos Verdes with Sahara Sky and Wild Dude. At the time, both were second-level allowance winners,
St. Joe Bay, by Saint Anddan
Last 3 Beyers: 99-91-87
◗ He was trained by Miller when he won the 2017 Palos Verdes. John Sadler claimed him for $62,500 last May.
◗ St. Joe Bay adds speed to the field.
