Touching Rainbows should fire fresh in allowance

ARCADIA, Calif. – A main-track comebacker with fast works and a two-race win streak, and a European import with conspicuous overseas form return from layoffs in first-rate allowance sprints Friday at Santa Anita.

Touching Rainbows, unraced since two decisive victories last summer, is expected to start favored over Red Lightning and Law Abidin Citizen in race 3, a second-level allowance sprint at six furlongs on dirt.

Special Purpose makes her U.S. debut in race 5, a first-level allowance for 3-year-old fillies at 6 1/2 furlongs on turf. Group 3-placed last fall, Special Purpose faces dropper Lexington Grace and lightly raced Ahimsa in the downhill turf sprint.

Touching Rainbows improved last summer after being moved to trainer Phil D’Amato. Runner-up in his comeback, he scored highly rated victories at Del Mar in a California-bred allowance and an open first-level allowance.

Following his 99- and 95-Beyer victories, Touching Rainbows worked once and then was sidelined. His comeback works include a 46.80-second half-mile from the gate and a 1:13.20 six furlongs. Both were the day’s fastest.

D’Amato has an oustanding 27 percent win rate with dirt sprinters off six months, which is another reason to expect Touching Rainbows will fire first start back. He will need to, because rivals Red Lightning and Law Abidin Citizen are fast. Both have earned 94 Beyers.

Santa Anita second-level allowance sprints such as Friday’s have gained relevance. The last three winners moved directly into stakes, and two of them won. Bobby Abu Dhabi won a second-level allowance on Dec. 31, finished second in a Grade 1, and won the Grade 2 Kona Gold last Saturday. Dr. Dorr won a second-level allowance on March 2, then won the Santana Mile on March 31.

The race 5 turf sprint attracted a big field – 13 entered, 10 can run. Special Purpose is trained by Simon Callaghan, whose comeback sprinters tend to race their way into form. However, Special Purpose won her debut last summer in England, so she does fire fresh.

The best race last year by Special Purpose was a third-by-a-neck finish in a Group 3. She could win Friday by reproducing her European form, though the allowance is merely a starting point for her 3-year-old campaign.

Her rivals include route-to-sprint dropper Lexington Grace, along with lightly raced Ahimsa, Ms Dupree, and Best of Me. Through Sunday, favorites have won just one of the last 14 turf sprints. The downhill course has been kind to late runners.