Yeng Again, a half-brother to Owendale, makes debut on Sunday

ARCADIA, Calif. – Yeng Again may turn out to be one of the bargains of the 2018 Keeneland September yearling sale.

Purchased for $75,000, Yeng Again will make his career debut in a maiden special weight race at 5 1/2 furlongs at Santa Anita on Sunday. The colt, by Carpe Diem, has worked well in recent weeks, including a five-furlong workout in 59 seconds on Jan. 12, the fastest of 69 works at the distance.

“He’s pretty quick, a nice, big horse,” trainer Richard Baltas said. “He’s finally ready to run.”

Owned by Calvin Nguyen, Yeng Again may have sold for much more had he been in the 2019 Keeneland September yearling sale. Yeng Again is a half-brother to Owendale, an outstanding 3-year-old last year who was third in the Preakness Stakes and second in the Grade 1 Clark Stakes at Churchill Downs in November.

When Yeng Again was sold as a yearling, Owendale was winless in two starts and days away from a win in a maiden special weight race at Indiana Grand.

“He stood out in the sale as far as I was concerned,” Baltas said. “I think we got a good price.”

In Sunday’s race, Yeng Again will be ridden by apprentice jockey Jorge Velez from the outside post in a field of seven.

Yeng Again is one of three first-time starters in the field, along with Canadian Pride, a colt by Creative Cause bought for $250,000 as a yearling and trained by Peter Eurton, and Lemon Kick, a gelding by Lemon Drop Kid bought for $290,000 as a 2-year-old and trained by Doug O’Neill.

“He’s drawn outside, which I’m happy with,” Baltas said.

Rosario fined

Jockey Joel Rosario, who led the standings at the Santa Anita winter-spring meeting through Thursday, had a costly delay to his return from riding in Saudi Arabia last weekend.

Rosario was booked on five mounts on Sunday, but travel delays forced him to miss the program. Monday, Rosario was fined $1,000 by track stewards for failing to ride.

Through Thursday, Rosario had won 16 races, four more than Abel Cedillo.