Talco, Avanzare ones to beat in City of Hope Mile
ARCADIA, Calif. – Say this about Grade 1-winning turf miler Talco – he is dependable. Either first or second in six straight races and already assured of a berth in the Breeders’ Cup Mile, Talco will prep for the BC by running Sunday in the Grade 2 City of Hope Mile at Santa Anita.
“He’s pretty reliable; he runs well every time,” trainer John Sadler said. “And he’s already in [the BC Mile], so I’m not worried about anything.”
Talco heads to the BC Mile based on a June 13 qualifying victory in the Shoemaker Mile, which means there is no pressure Sunday. But a confidence booster would be nice.
“I just hope we get a good trip and go in off a win,” Sadler said.
Good trips are never assured with closers such as Talco and Avanzare. They are the top choices Sunday as a weekend of Breeders’ Cup prep races ends with an evenly matched field in the City of Hope Mile, for 3-year-olds and up on turf.
Avanzare and Talco are graded stakes winners; the upward-cycling Twentytwentyvision rejoins the graded ranks. Graded stakes winner Alert Bay has returned to form, and Silentio returns from a layoff. Big Bane Theory won the City of Hope Mile last year, but his form tailed off thereafter.
The $200,000 race is a good betting race, and those looking for a longshot could do worse than Alert Bay. He scored a decisive stakes win last out at Golden Gate Fields and won a Grade 2 at Santa Anita in December, defeating Talco.
Hot Hot Heat and Big Cazanova are the speed of the field. Poshsky seems to be in tough.
KEY CONTENDERS
Avanzare
(Last 3 Beyers: 99-98-88)
◗ Avanzare won a one-mile turf stakes last out in unlikely fashion – with a perfect trip from the No. 10 hole. Breaking from the outside in the Grade 2 Del Mar Mile under jockey Gary Stevens, Avanzare dropped in and was on the rail before the first turn. He saved ground until the quarter pole, where Stevens took him wide, and held off Talco the length of the lane. It was the second straight graded stakes win for Avanzare.
◗ Tom Proctor trains Avanzare for owners Donato Lanni and John Youngblood. The 5-year-old gelding has won 7 of 13 and earned $505,180. Avanzare is the horse to beat.
Talco
(Last 3 Beyers: 98-103-100)
◗ Talco needs pace to flatter his rally. “He’s better when you have more pace in front,” Sadler said. “There was no real pace the other day; he was wide and back and still ran huge.”
◗ Rafael Bejarano rides Talco, who has won 5 of 16 and earned $531,123. The 4-year-old colt is owned by Hronis Racing, which will have at least two Breeders’ Cup runners. The Hronis-owned Hard Aces is headed to the Classic after a qualifying victory in June. Hard Aces was scheduled to run Saturday in the Awesome Again.
Twentytwentyvision
(Last 3 Beyers: 95-93-89)
◗ A four-time winner from eight starts, Twentytwentyvision makes his second start in a graded stakes.
“He’s been through his conditions, and he ran a pretty good second in the [Grade 1] Eddie Read,” trainer Richard Mandella noted.
◗ Mandella initially believed the colt would be better suited by a longer distance. But with a major prep in his backyard, Mandella opted to take a shot at the shorter distance.
“It’s a prep for the Breeders’ Cup Mile,” he said. “We’ll give him a try and just see if he is good enough. He acts like he might be.”
◗ Victor Espinoza takes over in the saddle for the sidelined Flavien Prat.
◗ Twentytwentyvision, a sibling to stakes winners Alphie’s Bet and Unusual Heatwave, is owned by breeders Peter and Ellen Johnson.