Weekend Watch: Calm before Santa Anita's opening day storm
Merry Christmas! With the holidays kicking off, doings at tracks nationwide are rather quiet this weekend. Gulfstream Park hosts the only pre-Christmas graded stakes race, but come Tuesday, the action ramps right back up as Santa Anita opens for its winter meet.
Here's our look ahead:
X Y Jet returns from layoff in the Mr. Prospector Stakes at Gulfstream.
X Y Jet was last seen finishing third in the Frank J. DeFrancis Memorial Dash Stakes (G3) in November of last year. He was consequently sidelined after that race, requiring knee surgery. Thirteen months later, the gelding is now set to return and will headline Saturday’s Grade 3, $100,000 Mr. Prospector Stakes at Gulfstream Park, the second edition of this race held in 2017. Trainer Jorge Navarro is hoping that X Y Jet will show the same form from two years ago; during 2015, the gelding put together a five-race winning streak, including a pair of Grade 3 races at Gulfstream Park. Saturday's drew a field of 10 with X Y Jet as the 7-5 morning line favorite. New Year’s Day winner Squadron A will not be back to defend his title.
Hoppertunity seeks second 2017 San Antonio win.
Hoppertunity started off 2017 on a high note, closing from last to win last winter’s edition of the very same Grade 2, $300,000 San Antonio Stakes by a length. You read that right. Due to Santa Anita reworking its stakes schedule, the San Antonio is being run twice in the same calendar year. While seven lined up to contest the race in February, only six will enter the starting gate Tuesday, with Accelerate, who was third in February, also back for more. It is new shooter Collected, however, who will likely go to post as the favorite. After nearly a year off following the 2016 Preakness, the 4-year old colt ran second Gun Runner in the Breeders’ Cup Classic in his most recent start. A known front-runner, Collected will likely go straight to the front and dare his five rivals to come and get him in a prep for the Pegasus World Cup.
Big Score looking for just that in the Mathis Brothers Mile.
While consistent, Big Score has not seen the winner’s circle since winning the Grade 3 Transylvania back in April. The 3-year old Mr. Big colt will seek to rectify that in the Grade 2, $200,000 Mathis Brothers Mile on opening day at Santa Anita. The race drew a field of eight, and a good many of its contestants are familiar with each other due to frequently racing on the Southern California circuit. Other win contenders include Bowies Hero and B Squared.
La Brea pits Unique Bella against Paradise Woods.
An early favorite for the Kentucky Oaks, Unique Bella ended up missing the big dance for fillies as well as California’s biggest prep for it, the Santa Anita Oaks. In Bella’s absence, Paradise Woods ended up winning the Santa Anita Oaks. Because of Unique Bella’s layoff, the two fillies ended up in different Breeders’ Cup races last month. With just one prep under her belt, Bella ran seventh in the Filly & Mare Sprint while Paradise Woods ran a bang-up third in the Distaff. They will face each other for the first time in the Grade 1, $300,000 La Brea Stakes.
Also part of the field are Princess Karen, most recently fifth in the Filly & Mare Sprint, and Mopotism, fifth in the Distaff. Grade 2 Raven Run winner Miss Sunset will also contest the La Brea and is currently on a three-race winning streak.
Grade 1 glory on the line for Pavel in the Malibu.
Lightly raced Pavel was just unveiled by trainer Doug O’Neill in July. From there, O’Neill dove right into stakes company with the colt, who ran fourth in the Jim Dandy (G2), won the Smarty Jones (G3), ran third in the Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1) in his first start against his elders, and then ran 10th in the Breeders’ Cup Classic. He finds himself amongst much easier company when once again facing strictly his own crop in the Grade 1, $300,000 Malibu. Class relief plus a cut back in distance to seven furlongs should equate to Pavel earning a top-level win, but doing so will not come without a fight. Swale Stakes (G2) winner Favorable Outcome is part of the field, as is recent impressive allowance winner Dabster.