Works say surface switch no problem for Lava Lane

Following six months at Santa Anita and preceding seven weeks at Del Mar, the Southern California circuit drops by Los Alamitos Racecourse for a short visit starting Friday, opening day of the two-week, all-dirt meet, which runs through Monday, July 5.

Pick-six bettors welcome the menu at Los Alamitos, the only track in Southern California that offers a traditional $2 pick six unencumbered by a jackpot provision. Los Alamitos also is the only track on the circuit without a turf course, and surface-switchers will see plenty of action during the seven-day meet.

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The turf-to-dirt dilemma applies in both six-furlong allowance races Friday – race 5, for Cal-bred fillies and mares, and race 7, an entry-level allowance. The most probable winner Friday is lightly raced turf filly Lava Lane in race 5, assuming she is as effective on dirt. Thumbs up from trainer Phil D’Amato.

“Turf horses do really well on the Los Al main strip because it’s just a little bit faster track that has more bounce to it,” D’Amato said. “And she’s trained there for the last year.”

Lava Lane has raced twice, both in turf sprints. She finished a troubled third in her debut last summer, took time off with what D’Amato described as “little issues,” and returned last month at Santa Anita with a powerful maiden win by more than five lengths. She has trained well since.

“She had two really nice back-to-back five-eighths drills, so I think she should be ready to go,” D’Amato said.

Lava Lane would be the first Los Alamitos winner for Umberto Rispoli, one of the top three jockeys in Southern California along with Flavien Prat and Juan Hernandez. Rispoli is 0 for 16 at Los Alamitos.

D’Amato, whose 52 wins at Santa Anita led the trainer standings, is likely to start additional turf-to-dirt runners at Los Alamitos, mostly Cal-breds.

“The way the Cal-bred program is, you can win the same condition twice, on different surfaces,” he said. “It gives [Lava Lane] the opportunity to win on the dirt, and then come back and try to get the same condition on the grass.”

The main rival for Lava Lane is turf-to-dirt front-runner Capital Heat. Her last four starts were on turf but she has run well on dirt. Others in the race-5 allowance include comebacker Ten the Smart Way, Homehome, and Miss Carousel.

Six colts and geldings entered race 7, including two principals returning to dirt with solid recent form on turf. Fratelli is a front-runner whose five wins include four on dirt. Hernandez rides for trainer Peter Miller.

Notre Dame finished second last out in a starter-allowance turf sprint. Rispoli rides Notre Dame for Doug O’Neill, whose second entrant I Will Not might be the one to beat. Mario Gutierrez rides I Will Not, who could tuck into a cozy trip just off the speed.

The others in race 7 are Handsome Cat, Full of Luck, and Coastal Kid. First post Friday is 1 p.m. The pick six covers races 3 to 8.