Weather will decide Sensational Star surface

ARCADIA, Calif. – The weather will dictate the field for Sunday’s $100,000 Sensational Star Stakes for California-bred sprinters at Santa Anita.

The race is scheduled for about 6 1/2 furlongs on the hillside turf course, but there is a chance of rain late Saturday and early Sunday that could put the race on the main track.

Peter Miller trains four of the 14 horses entered in a race that will have a maximum of 11 if run on the hillside turf course. Miller does not plan to start all four.

Stakes winners Richard’s Boy and Solid Wager will run if the race is moved to the dirt. If the race stays on turf, the allowance-class runner Anatolian Heat, stakes-placed Fly to Mars, and Richard’s Boy will start.

“It all depends on whether it stays on grass,” Miller said.

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Richard’s Boy, second in the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint at Del Mar in November, is the most prominent runner in the field, but was third in his first two starts this year – the Joe Hernandez Stakes on the hillside turf course Jan. 1 and the Gulfstream Park Turf Sprint at five furlongs on turf Jan. 27.

The loss in Florida did not discourage Miller.

“He ran four wide,” Miller said. “He didn’t really have an excuse, but I thought he ran well.”

Miller said Richard’s Boy is being considered for the Group 1 Al Quoz Sprint at six furlongs on turf at Meydan Racecourse on March 31 in Dubai.

Anatolian Heat, who will have his stakes debut in the Sensational Star, is underrated, Miller said.

“Anatolian Heat is kind of an up-and-coming Cal-bred,” Miller said. “He was unlucky to lose last time.”

The graded stakes winner Masochistic will run regardless of the surface. Masochistic was a well-beaten fifth at 7-10 in the California Cup Sprint at six furlongs on dirt Jan. 27, his first start for trainer Bob Baffert and first race since May.

“He’s doing well,” Baffert said. “I think he was dead short the first time I ran him. He’s been working well since that race. He runs no matter what.”