Turf the concern for Letsgetlucky on rescheduled card

ARCADIA, Calif. – A chance of rain on Friday convinced Santa Anita management to postpone the Friday card to Monday. If there is any silver lining to the delay, it is the extended opportunity for horseplayers to spend an entire week analyzing the program.

Entries for Friday, March 4, were drawn way back on Feb. 27. Rather than redraw, Santa Anita moved the entire program to Monday. The postponement requires bettors to avoid a classic, albeit corny, pitfall – “study long, study wrong.”

Still, many handicapping questions did not change in the eight days since the card was drawn. That includes a surface dilemma regarding the favorite in the first race. Letsgetlucky would likely win the California-bred allowance sprint if the race was on dirt. However, the race is scheduled for 6 1/2 furlongs on the main turf oval.

Letsgetlucky enters off the best races of his career, including a third last out in the California Cup Sprint. He finished 3 1/2 lengths behind Brickyard Ride and earned a 92 Beyer Speed Figure. Letsgetlucky is the program favorite.

However, trainer Brian Koriner offered a candid reply when asked if Letsgetlucky is as good on turf as on dirt.

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“I don’t think so,” Koriner said. “The one time he ran on the grass [second place] he was bobbling a bit. I wasn’t convinced he liked it that much.”

In a lesser-of-evils scenario, Koriner will run Letsgetlucky against California-bred allowance rivals on turf, rather than face open allowance company on dirt.

If weather caused the Monday race to be moved off turf, Letsgetlucky would remain eligible despite already having won the California-bred allowance dirt condition. His main rival is Hail Freedom, runner-up last out in a similar California-bred allowance turf sprint.

Race 4 on Monday is a turf mile for California-bred maidens, and second-time starter Cool Acclaim should relish the distance after a better-than-looked fifth-place debut in a turf sprint. He broke slowly, made an extended run, and missed by 3 1/2 lengths.

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Trainer Phil D’Amato suggested afterward that bettors take notice.

“The horse that should be on your horses-to-watch list is Cool Acclaim,” D’Amato said, and described the debut runner’s trip. “He spotted them eight lengths, made a big move, still thought he was going to win, then kind of got in tight a little, and flattened out.”

Cool Acclaim was gelded days later, at which time D’Amato planned to stretch him out. That was more than a month ago. Sure enough, Cool Acclaim shows up Monday as the program favorite in a California-bred maiden turf mile. His main rivals are Just About Enough and Erebus.

The seventh race Monday is a dirt sprint for California-bred 3-year-olds in which What in Blazes benefits by a significant class drop. John Sadler trains What in Blazes, fifth last out in the Grade 2 San Vicente Stakes won by Forbidden Kingdom.

What in Blazes adds Lasix for the six-furlong sprint. His rivals include tough-trip surface-switcher Franklin One Star, Moose Mitchell, and Quick Buck.