Time for Midnight Storm to get started

ARCADIA, Calif. – Midnight Storm was taken out of training last autumn having won three of his last four starts, capped by a win in his stakes debut, the Grade 2 Del Mar Derby in August.

He resumes racing at Santa Anita on Thursday in an optional claimer at a mile on turf, which trainer Phil D’Amato expects will lead to further stakes appearances.

Midnight Storm, who races for Marjorie Dye, Alex Venneri, and the Little Red Feather Racing partnership, is part of a strong field that includes Global View, who won the Grade 2 American Turf Stakes at Churchill Downs last May; Flamboyant, who won the La Puente Stakes here last April; and Gabriel Charles, who won a division of the 2013 Del Mar Derby.

Earlier on the program, an optional claimer for 3-year-olds at a mile matches Rock Shandy, second or third in three consecutive graded stakes since November, and Cyrus Alexander, a sharp maiden-race winner in February.

SIXTH RACE

Midnight Storm (Last 3 Beyers: 95-90-69)

◗ Midnight Storm was sidelined last fall with what D’Amato described as “something minor.”

“At the end of the day, he’d had a long campaign,” D’Amato said. “We turned him out for a month, and he was right back in.”

◗ D’Amato said Midnight Storm has matured and grown since the Del Mar Derby. Since resuming training, Midnight Storm has impressed jockey Tyler Baze, who was aboard for the Del Mar Derby win.

“He breezes him now, and he thinks he’s a much stronger version,” D’Amato said. “I’m excited to get him going this year. He’s so athletic and does everything so well. We’ll take it race by race with him. I’d like to think we could shoot for a Breeders’ Cup race, but we’ve got a long way to go.”

◗ Midnight Storm led throughout the Del Mar Derby, but D’Amato said the colt is not reliant upon that style. Super Ability, fifth in the California Cup Turf Classic in January, could set the pace Thursday.

THIRD RACE

Rock Shandy (Last 3 Beyers: 66-90-75)

◗ Rock Shandy, trained by Peter Miller, was a well-beaten third in the Grade 3 Robert B. Lewis Stakes here Feb. 7, his most recent start. Race winner Dortmund won the Santa Anita Derby on April 4. Runner-up Firing Line won the Sunland Park Derby on March 22. Both are contenders for the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs on May 2.

◗ Rock Shandy drew the rail and will race without blinkers for the first time in his sixth career start.

Cyrus Alexander (Last 3 Beyers: 84-83-73)

◗ Cyrus Alexander, trained by Jerry Hollendorfer, beat maidens in his fifth start Feb. 7. He was later second, beaten a neck, in an optional claimer at 1 1/16 miles on Feb. 27. Verraco, the winner of that race, is a candidate for Saturday’s $400,000 Hawthorne Derby in Illinois.