Whatmakessammyrun ($38) tries hillside course, takes Eddie D

ARCADIA, Calif. - In his 15th start, the 4-year-old gelding Whatmakessammyrun seems to have found his niche – stakes on Santa Anita’s unique hillside turf course.

In his debut on the course, Whatmakessammyrun closed from sixth in a field of nine to win Saturday’s Grade 2 Eddie D Stakes at about 6 1/2 furlongs. Ridden by Joe Bravo, Whatmakessammyrun ($38) took the lead in early stretch and held off 4-1 Lane Way to win by three-quarters of a length for his fourth career win.

Whatmakessammyrun had won his first two starts in turf races at Santa Anita – an allowance race and the minor Desert Code Stakes in the spring of 2021 – but those races were run at six furlongs on the flat portion of the course.

Whatmakessammyrun was one of four runners in a field of nine racing on the hillside turf course for the first time.

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“I’ve been waiting and waiting and I finally got the opportunity,” trainer Mark Glatt said. “I thought when he got a chance to run down the hill, the fields will spread out and he’ll have more ground to work with.”

Whatmakessammyrun had an ideal trip in the $202,000 Eddie D Stakes, stalking a quick pace of 21.38 seconds set by Goliad, who was closely followed by Barristan The Bold and Dubai Key. Goliad reached a half-mile in a rapid 43.12 seconds with Whatmakessammyrun in fifth at that stage, trailing by slightly less than two lengths.

Whatmakessammyrun finished in 1:11.47 and earned a career-best Beyer Speed Figure of 98. Bravo rode Whatmakessammyrun for the first time, but had studied race replays.

“I felt like I knew him,” Bravo said.

Lane Way finished 1 1/4 lengths in front of 2-1 favorite Gregorian Chant, who was followed by Coulthard, Air Force Red, Dubai Key, Tango Tango Tango, Goliad and Barristan the Bold.

Whatmakessammyrun, by We Miss Artie, is owned by Sterling Racing, and has earned $304,570.

The Eddie D Stakes is designed as a prep for the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint at Keeneland on Nov. 5, but Glatt said that race is not a certain goal for Whatmakessammyrun.

The Eddie D Stakes capped a milestone day for the 49-year-old Glatt: it was the first time he won two graded stakes on the same program. In the preceding race, the Glatt-trained Howbeit won the Grade 2 Santa Anita Sprint Championship.

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