Tosheen brings winning habit to Friday allowance

ARCADIA, Calif. – Jack Carava had a simple reason for claiming Tosheen for $40,000 at Del Mar in November.

“He’s a horse that wins races,” Carava said.

Tosheen has won 4 of 10 starts and earned $98,330, and he’s now owned by Chris Curtis and Oakhart Racing. Carava starts Tosheen for the first time Friday, when the 4-year-old gelding runs in an optional claimer on the hillside turf course at Santa Anita.

For Carava, a win by Tosheen would move him closer to a milestone 1,000th win. Going into Friday’s program, Carava has 995 wins. Earlier on Friday, he runs the contender Ann’s Gold in a maiden claimer in the second race.

“It’s a good milestone,” he said. “It’s a lot of years and a lot of work. It’s a fun thing to have coming up.”

KEY CONTENDERS

Tosheen (Last 3 Beyers: 82-84-81)

◗ A quick horse, Tosheen has never started on the hillside.

◗ Trained by Peter Miller in his first 10 starts, Tosheen won at distances ranging from six furlongs to a mile.

◗ Tosheen was claimed Nov. 16, the day he won a $40,000 claimer over a mile on turf.

“He’s a City Zip, and those always run,” Carava said. “I kind of claimed him thinking the hill would be good for him. The mile seems like all he wants.”

◗ Carava expects jockey Martin Pedroza to have Tosheen on the lead.

“It doesn’t seem like there is a lot of speed,” Carava said. “He’s improved on grass.”

U S Citizen (Last 3 Beyers: 85-79-86)

◗ U S Citizen is winless in four starts on the hillside, including a head loss in October. He has won 2 of 20 starts and has been second or third 10 times.

◗ A 6-year-old gelding, U S Citizen usually races just behind the leaders or from farther off the pace.

“I think we landed a good outside post,” trainer Doug O’Neill said. “He always gives us a top try.”

Skylander (Last 3 Beyers: 86-75-83)

◗ Skylander, 5, won a starter allowance over 1 1/16 miles on turf at Churchill Downs on Nov. 2 in his most recent race.

◗ Owned and trained by Wesley Ward, Skylander has raced in Florida, Kentucky, and New York in the last 20 months.

◗ He won a $15,000 claimer on turf at Kentucky Downs last September, stalking the pace to early stretch.