Tough It Out, Pacific Heat will stick with California-breds

ARCADIA, Calif. - Pacific Heat and Tough It Out, winners of California-bred stakes at Santa Anita on Saturday, are likely to stay in the comfort of the statebred 3-year-old division for their next starts, their trainers said on Sunday.

Peter Eurton said Pacific Heat, who won her third stakes in the $200,345 Evening Jewel Stakes for fillies, will be pointed for the $200,000 Melair Stakes for Cal-bred 3-year-old fillies at 1 1/16 miles at Santa Anita on May 28.

Phil D’Amato said Tough It Out, winner of the $200,345 Echo Eddie Stakes, is a candidate for the $100,000 Silky Sullivan Stakes for Cal-breds at a mile on turf at Golden Gate Fields on May 1, but said the $150,000 California Chrome Stakes at 1 1/16 miles against open company at Los Alamitos on April 30 is another possibility.

The Evening Jewel Stakes and Echo Eddie Stakes were run at 6 1/2 furlongs on a sloppy-sealed track.

Pacific Heat, the 6-5 favorite, disputed the pace on the backstretch before taking a two-length lead in the stretch. She won by 1 1/4 lengths over 15-1 Run for Retts despite racing on the wrong lead until the final furlong.

“I was thinking, ‘Come on finish line,’ ”Eurton said.

Owned by Sharon Alesia, Mike Burns, Joe Ciaglia, and Taylor Legan, Pacific Heat has won three stakes for statebreds in her six-race career. She won the Golden State Juvenile at seven furlongs last October, and the California Cup Oaks at a mile on turf in January. Pacific Heat was fourth, beaten three-quarters of a length in the China Doll Stakes at a mile on turf against open company on March 12.

Eurton said the lucrative purse of the Melair makes the race attractive. Beyond that, the $200,000 Summertime Oaks on June 18 is a goal. The Grade 2 Summertime Oaks is run at 1 1/16 miles for 3-year-old fillies.

“That would be fun,” Eurton said.

Pacific Heat was eighth in the Grade 1 Los Alamitos Starlet Stakes last December in her only previous start in a graded stakes. She was found to have a breathing problem after that race.

Pacific Heat has won 4 of 6 starts and earned $376,280. By Unusual Heat, Pacific Heat was purchased for $175,000 at the 2014 Barretts October yearling sale, the most expensive hip at that auction.

Eurton is convinced that Pacific Heat is still developing and that a race-a-month schedule will have benefits.

“It gives her a chance to mature,” he said. “Unusual Heats get better with age.”

Nick Alexander bred Tough It Out at his farm in Santa Ynez, Calif., and races the gelding, who is by Grazen. Tough It Out won his first stakes in his eighth start in the Eddie Echo Stakes.

Tough It Out closed from eighth in a field of nine to win the Echo Eddie Stakes by 4 1/2 lengths, pulling clear late.

“He needs to get to the outside,” D’Amato said. “He gets comfortable that way.”

The Echo Eddie Stakes was Tough It Out’s third start in a stakes. He was third to the ill-fated Found Money in the King Glorious Stakes at Los Alamitos last December, and second to Smokey Image in the California Cup Derby in January. Found Money was euthanized as a result of an injury suffered in training at Santa Anita on April 4.

Tough It Out has earned $222,790. He beat maidens on turf at Del Mar last November, which makes the Silky Sullivan an option. A start in the California Chrome Stakes would not require travel.

“We’ll play it by ear and see how the two races come up,” he said.

The Silky Sullivan or California Chrome Stakes may include Smokey Image, the California-bred champion 2-year-old male of 2015. Smokey Image was a well-beaten seventh in the $1,000,690 Santa Anita Derby on Saturday, racing in third for the first six furlongs before fading from contention.

Sunday, trainer Carla Gaines said she had not made plans for Smokey Image.

“We’re still getting over it,” Gaines said. “It was perplexing. It could have been the surface. The good point is he’s healthy and looked good this morning.”