Wildman Jack tops O'Neill trio in Daytona Stakes

Doug O’Neill is hoping he has strength in numbers on Saturday at Santa Anita, when the trainer sends out a trio of runners against recent comeback winner Cistron in the Grade 3, $100,000 Daytona Stakes for older turf sprinters.

The best of O’Neill’s bunch in the 5 1/2-furlong race is Wildman Jack. He left the United States earlier this year as a first-level allowance winner, and returned this spring from Dubai as one of the best grass sprinters in the world, as evidenced by his overpowering victory in the Group 3, $350,000 Nad al Sheba Turf Sprint in March. That performance would have made him one of the top contenders for the Al Quoz Sprint before it was canceled.

But O’Neill has plenty of support. Stubbins makes his first start of the year after a rallying fourth in the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint last fall. The veteran Murad Khan has run two sharp races for O’Neill since being claimed in January. Murad Khan, 7, most recently was third behind Cistron in the Grade 3 San Simeon – also at 5 1/2 furlongs on turf – on March 21.

The field of seven also includes Texas Wedge, a two-time turf sprint stakes winner this year, as well as the comebacking Blameitonthelaw and the longshot Sparky Ville.

“Man, the race came up super tough,” O’Neill said Thursday morning.

:: To stay up to date, follow us on: Facebook | Instagram | Twitter

“Seems like Wildman Jack has returned from his record-time-setting win in Dubai in great order,” O’Neill said.

Wildman Jack, a homebred for Glenn Sorgenstein’s W C Racing, will have Mike Smith aboard for the first time.

Sorgenstein “has been friends with Mike Smith for a while,” said O’Neill, who said Sorgenstein “has been saying for a while, ‘I’d love to put Mike on a really good one.’ Well, this may be the one.”

Stubbins won the Grade 2 Woodford going 5 1/2 furlongs at Keeneland last fall, and found the five furlongs of the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint a bit abrupt, O’Neill said.

Stubbins “would have been closer in the Breeders’ Cup if he had a clearer trip and it was 5 1/2 instead of five,” O’Neill said.

:: Want to get your Past Performances for free? Click to learn more.

Murad Khan is “a hard-knocker who’s long in the tooth, taking on some up-and-comers,” O’Neill said. “He definitely has a good chance to get them on the wire with his determined stretch run.”

Jon White, Santa Anita’s linemaker, made Wildman Jack the 2-1 favorite, with Cistron next at 5-2.

Cistron, winner of last year’s Grade 1 Bing Crosby, returned from a layoff of nearly eight months to win the San Simeon while equaling his career-best Beyer Speed Figure of 100. He and Wildman Jack, who line up alongside one another in posts 5 and 6, both can set the pace or lay right off it.

Texas Wedge is a serious threat. Perhaps the heir apparent to the now-retired pair of Belvoir Bay and Om as the best turf sprinter in Peter Miller’s barn, he is 4 for 7 at five or 5 1/2 furlongs on turf, and he has the circuit’s best rider in Flavien Prat.

The Daytona is race 5 on the nine-race card.