Take the One O One ready to rumble in Echo Eddie Stakes

ARCADIA, Calif. – Take the One O One ran so well in his 3-year-old debut March 4 that owner Samantha Siegel and trainer Brian Koriner briefly considered starting him in the Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby on Saturday.

Very briefly.

With top 3-year-olds such as Bolt d’Oro and Justify in the $1 million Santa Anita Derby, the idea was abandoned in favor of Saturday’s $200,000 Echo Eddie Stakes for California-bred 3-year-olds at 6 1/2 furlongs.

There will be time soon to run Take the One O One in graded stakes, which Koriner is eager to try.

“He’s a good horse,” Koriner said Wednesday. “He’s a real horse. He’s more than a Cal-bred. If he loses, I think something goes wrong.”

Take the One O One is part of a field of eight in the Echo Eddie Stakes, the sixth race and one of two stakes for Cal-breds on Saturday’s 13-race card. The other is the Evening Jewel Stakes for 3-year-old fillies, which is the fourth race.

Take the One O One, who is by Acclamation, was third in the Grade 1 FrontRunner Stakes behind Bolt d’Oro last September. In his only start since then, Take the One O One disputed the pace and won an optional claimer at 6 1/2 furlongs by a half-length last month.

Koriner expects jockey Joe Talamo to have Take the One O One engaged from the start of Saturday’s race.

“All he has to do is break clean and stay out of trouble to win,” he said.

Heck Yeah will be near Take the One O One throughout. Trained by Bob Baffert, Heck Yeah won his first three starts, including the California Cup Derby at 1 1/16 miles on Feb. 19, before finishing fifth in his first start against open company in the $200,000 Pasadena Stakes at a mile on turf on March 17.

For the Echo Eddie Stakes, Heck Yeah will race without blinkers for the first time.

Evening Jewel Stakes

Mike Smith, who will ride Heck Yeah, also has the mount on Show It N Moe It in the Evening Jewel Stakes for trainer Gary Sherlock. He replaces Rafael Bejarano, who is sidelined with a wrist injury sustained March 18.

Earlier this year, Bejarano rode Show It N Moe It to consecutive wins in optional claimers at 6 1/2 furlongs. Last August, Show It N Moe It won the CTBA Stakes for Cal-bred 2-year-old fillies at 5 1/2 furlongs at Del Mar.

The Evening Jewel will be a welcome drop in class for One Fast Broad, who was last of five in the Grade 3 Santa Ysabel Stakes at 1 1-/16 miles on March 3. Last year, One Fast Broad won consecutive stakes for Cal-bred 2-year-old fillies at Del Mar and Los Alamitos.

Koriner starts Spiced Perfection, who won the Generous Portion Stakes for Cal-bred 2-year-old fillies at Del Mar last August, but is winless in three subsequent starts. She was not helped by drawing the rail, the trainer said.

“She’s usually laying right off the pace and that’s doesn’t work from the fence,” he said.

Spiced Perfection was seventh in an optional claimer on the hillside turf course on Jan. 17. The race has turned out to be productive. Ms Bad Behavior and Pulpit Rider, who were first and third, have since won stakes.

Sheikha Fatima Stakes

Santa Anita’s annual stakes for Arabians is Saturday’s final race, the $100,000 Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak Darley Award Stakes at 1 1/16 miles.

Easter Man and Quick Sand AA, who finished in a dead heat for first in the Sheikh Zayed Stakes at seven furlongs at Sam Houston Race Park on March 3, are the leading contenders in a field of 12.

Easter Man, trained by Jerenesto Torrez, was second in this race last year to Paddys Day, the Arabian Horse of the Year in 2015 and 2016. Paddys Day was 13th in the $1 million Kahayla Classic at Meydan Racecourse in Dubai last Saturday.