Weewinnin eyes another stakes upset

ARCADIA, Calif. – The 5-year-old gelding Weewinnin will make his seventh start Saturday in the $100,000 Sensational Star Stakes for California-breds at Santa Anita.

Twice in his career, Weewinnin has scored an upset in a California-bred stakes. He was the 60-1 winner of the King Glorious Stakes at Hollywood Park in December 2012 and a 21-1 winner of the California Cup Turf Classic at Santa Anita in January 2014.

Twice in his career, Weewinnin has been given substantial time between starts. He was rested for 11 months in 2013 and has not raced since the win in the 2014 Cal Cup Turf Classic. Trainer Brian Koriner said that Weewinnin did not require surgery during his most recent break.

“He was a little sore all over,” Koriner said Thursday. “He had a lot of little things.”

Weewinnin is one of seven stakes winners in a field of eight in the Sensational Star, run at about 6 1/2 furlongs on the hillside turf course. The field includes Ambitious Brew, the winner of the 2014 Sensational Star, and Bettys Bambino, who won the Grade 3 Daytona Stakes on the hillside in December.

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Weewinnin has never run in a turf sprint at Santa Anita but was second in an allowance race at six furlongs on turf at Hollywood Park in December 2013.

“He’s run well on grass, and I think he’ll be okay,” Koriner said. “He looks good. That race came up tough. For a comeback, it’s not the greatest spot. Hopefully, somebody scratches and makes it a little easier.”