Straight No Chaser, For All Mankind may duke it out on lead in Sprint Championship

The lineup for Sunday’s Grade 2 Santa Anita Sprint Championship has changed from what was expected earlier in the week.

Absent are such luminaries as Dr. Venkman and Speed Boat Beach, both graded stakes winners who were anticipated to have leading roles in the $200,000 race at six furlongs.

Dr. Venkman, winner of the Grade 2 San Diego Handicap at 1 1/16 miles at Del Mar in July, will be trained toward a start in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint at six furlongs or the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile at Del Mar on Nov. 2, trainer Mark Glatt wrote in a text message on Thursday.

Speed Boat Beach, unraced since winning the Grade 1 Malibu Stakes at Santa Anita in December, was not entered by trainer Bob Baffert.

Without them, For All Mankind and Straight No Chaser have inherited more prominent roles in a field of seven. Both are quick and have something to prove on Sunday.

Straight No Chaser has not raced since he finished a troubled fourth at 7-10 in the Grade 3 Runhappy Stakes at Aqueduct in April. Trained by Dan Blacker for the My Racehorse partnership, Straight No Chaser was entered in the Grade 1 Bing Crosby Stakes at Del Mar in July, but was a late withdrawal.

“He came up with an issue three days before the race,” Blacker said on Friday. “We made sure it wasn’t anything serious.”

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A winner of 4 of 8 starts, Straight No Chaser resumed workouts in late August. The works have been fast lately, notably a half-mile from the gate in 47.60 seconds on Sept. 15 and five furlongs in 59.80 last Sunday.

“He’s really fast and over the last six weeks he’s trained as good as he always has,” Blacker said. “I’m optimistic we’ll see a big run on Sunday.

“The race at Aqueduct was disappointing. He stumbled and the race was over at that point.”

Straight No Chaser is fast enough to set the pace, as is For All Mankind, who will have his stakes debut on Sunday.

“It will be interesting to see how the race plays out,” Blacker said.

For All Mankind, trained by John Sadler for Hronis Racing, won his first start of the year in an allowance race at 5 1/2 furlongs at Del Mar on Aug. 10, setting a quick pace and drawing clear by 4 3/4 lengths.

On Sunday, Hector Berrios will ride For All Mankind for the first time, replacing Juan Hernandez, who has the mount on Fort Bragg.

Trained by Baffert, Fort Bragg has not raced since a sixth-place finish in the Malibu Stakes at Santa Anita last December, the final start of an eight-race campaign in 2023 that included a third-place finish in the Santa Anita Sprint Championship.

Fort Bragg closed from fourth of nine to lose the 2023 Santa Anita Sprint Championship by 1 1/4 lengths. A similar late rally may put Fort Bragg close on Sunday.

There are three other stakes winners in the field in Mbagnick, Neiman, and See Through It.

Neiman, trained by Justin Evans, won the Budweiser Stakes at six furlongs at 18-1 at Emerald Downs in June and was later third in the Governor’s Stakes at 6 1/2 furlongs there in July.

Neiman rebounded to win a six-furlong allowance race at the Washington track in late August.

“His races up there were really good,” said Evans, the leading trainer at Emerald. “He won and got a lot of confidence.”

Evans, who had his first career winner in California at Fresno on Sept. 21, quickly admits Neiman will need his “A” game in the Santa Anita Sprint Championship.

“I think he drew great,” Evans said. “He drew outside and can be in a stalking position.

“I don’t rule out an upset. I’m hoping for big things.”

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