Valentine Boy switches surfaces for new connections
CYPRESS, Calif. – Valentine Boy had been on trainer Jack Carava’s mind in the weeks before he claimed the 5-year-old gelding for $20,000 at Santa Anita on June 12 on behalf of client Chris Curtis.
“I’ve always liked that horse,” Carava said. “It looked like he was starting to come around.”
Valentine Boy finished fifth of 10 in that turf race and will have his first start for Curtis and Carava in a first-level optional $20,000 claimer for California-breds over six furlongs at Los Alamitos on Friday. The sprint is the top race on an eight-race program that is part of the final week of the track’s two-week summer meeting. Del Mar opens its summer meeting July 17.
Valentine Boy has won 2 of 22 starts and earned $101,330, the highest earnings of the five runners in Friday’s second race. Carava sees the race as a chance for Valentine Boy to win for the third time in his career in advance of expected starts on Polytrack at Del Mar.
“I thought he would fit in this situation,” Carava said. “I think he would work on synthetic.”
Carava has two runners in the optional claimer. The Carava-trained Bob Consultation drew the rail, with Valentine Boy one post to his outside. Night Badger, Just Call Me Al, and Valdirone are the other runners. Carava said he was discouraged by the draw.
“I wish I had different post positions,” Carava said. “To me, the outside is the better spot to be.”
On July 3 at Los Alamitos, Bob Consultation was entered in a starter allowance over 5 1/2 furlongs but was withdrawn when he drew the rail. On May 21 at Santa Anita, the 4-year-old Bob Consultation finished eighth of nine in an optional claimer for California-breds.
“He was stuck down inside,” Carava said.
Night Badger was third in front of Bob Consultation on May 31, his second start following a layoff of almost 10 months. Night Badger will be ridden by Drayden Van Dyke, who had four consecutive wins last Sunday.
DRF FORMULATOR FACT: No. 3 Night Badger. Trainer Karen Headley is 5 for 8 (with 7 in the money) with a $1.84 ROI over the last year in sprints with runners that were in the money in their previous start.Click for more details. – Mike Hogan
:: Learn more about Formulator | Buy Formulator PPs
:: Follow the @DRFFormulator Twitter feed and get free Formulator facts
Just Call Me Al was sixth and 10th in optional claimers at Santa Anita in May.
DRF FORMULATOR FACT: No. 4 Just Call Me Al. Trainer Mike Harrington is 1 for 65 over the past five years with all runners going from routes to sprints.Click for more details. – Mike Hogan
Valdirone drew the outside and should play a major factor. Trained by Brian Koriner, the 5-year-old Valdirone was sixth in an allowance race on the hillside turf course at Santa Anita on April 19 but has run well on dirt courses in the past.
DRF FORMULATOR FACT: No. 5 Valdirone. Trainer Brian Koriner is 3 for 5 with a $3.04 ROI over the past five years going turf to dirt off a layoff between 61 and 180 days.Click for more details. – Mike Hogan