Turn On The Jets gets needed class relief in allowance turf sprint

ARCADIA, Calif. – Increasing evidence points to Motorious as a legitimate contender in the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint, an argument that may gain credibility in the featured seventh race Friday at Santa Anita.

An open allowance at 5 1/2 furlongs on turf, the race is led by Phil D’Amato-trained Turn On The Jets and Unconquerable Keen. Turn On The Jets drops after finishing fourth at Del Mar in the Grade 3 Green Flash Handicap won by Motorious, also trained by D’Amato.

It turns out, the Green Flash was productive. Fifth-placed Lane Way won a Grade 2 next out; eighth-placed Silent Poet, a Grade 1 winner in Canada, won an open allowance; third-placed Beer Can Man, a Grade 3 winner, subsequently finished third in a Grade 2; stakes winners Bus Buzz and Bran, sixth and seventh, finished second in their next starts.

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In other words, Motorious defeated a good field in the Green Flash, including Turn On The Jets, the best horse in the richest race Friday at Santa Anita. The gelding makes his first start since his Green Flash fourth, and with stablemate Unconquerable Keen, gives D’Amato a one-two punch in the $71,000 allowance.

The field includes comeback front-runner Sharp Aza Tack, a juvenile stakes winner last year making his first start in seven months. Sumter drops after finishing unplaced in a pair of Grade 2 races; front-runner See Through It and late-runner Barristan The Bold are claiming-caliber veterans who have won a combined 16 races.

The allowance goes through Turn On The Jets, although he squandered a great trip in the Green Flash. Turn On The Jets tucked fourth on the rail close to the pace, angled out for the stretch, made the lead, and sputtered to lose by 2 1/4 lengths. Maybe the pace was too fast, maybe he was not good enough.

Friday at Santa Anita, 4-for-11 Turn On The Jets meets easier and is due for luck over the course. In his previous start on the main turf oval at Santa Anita, Turn On The Jets finished fourth by a length after he bobbled, steadied, got shuffled, and was blocked on the turn. Antonio Fresu rides Turn On The Jets for the first time Friday.

Unconquerable Keen also had a bad trip two weeks ago in the Grade 2 Eddie D. He was hard-held early, shuffled, rank, and wide. It was a brutal trip, yet he ran okay to finish seventh by 3 1/2 lengths behind BC Turf Sprint contender Lane Way.

The race 7 feature is the middle leg of the $3 all-turf pick three Friday on races 5, 7, and 9. The first leg of the sequence, race 5, is a maiden-claiming turf mile in which D’Amato-trained front-runner Christina’s Candy and late-runner Port Ellen are principals.

Race 9 is turf mile for California-bred 2-year-old maiden fillies. Asada Fries stretches out with a style and pedigree for a turf route. Lady Lithesome, a longshot, makes her second start after a better-than looked eighth-place debut.

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