Maiden Calculator Installed as Sham Favorite

Photo: Alex Evers / Eclipse Sportswire

Santa Anita oddsmaker Jon White has installed Calculator, a maiden, as the morning line favorite in Saturday’s Grade III Sham Stakes. The In Summation colt will be making his 2015 debut in the one mile test for 3-year-olds.

“Not only did I make Calculator the morning line favorite, but I made him a strong favorite at 8-5,” White said. “He is certainly not your typical maiden. He finished second in two Grade I races last year. He ran second in both the Del Mar Futurity and the FrontRunner here at Santa Anita. And it’s not as if those were weak editions of those races, either. American Pharoah won those two races, earning an excellent 101 Beyer Speed Figure each time.
“American Pharoah is an Eclipse Award finalist for champion 2-year-old male. Texas Red finished third, behind Calculator, in the FrontRunner and went on to win the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile by 6 ½ lengths. Texas Red also is one of the three Eclipse Award finalists in his division, along with Hootenany (who won the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf).
“I did some research on the Sham and found that not only is Calculator going against the grain in that he is a maiden running against winners, he also is going against the grain in terms of something nine of the last 10 winners of the Sham have had in common. Nine of the last 10 winners went into it off a victory, the only exception being Colonel John, who won the 2008 Sham after having finished second in the CashCall Futurity.
“This begs the question, ‘Who is going into this year’s Sham off a victory?’ And the answer is Rockinatten and Hero Ten All.”
Rockinatten is coming off an 8 ¾-length maiden victory at Gulfstream Park West, while Hero Ten All is coming off a 1 ¾-length maiden win at Los Alamitos.

“Four of the last five winners of the Sham went into it off a win in a maiden race,” White noted. “So perhaps that also will bode well for Rockinatten and Hero Ten All. Midnight Hawk (the 2014 Sham winner) and Out of Bounds both were coming off a maiden win at Hollywood Park. Tapizar (2011) was coming off a maiden win at Churchill Downs. And Alphie’s Bet (2010) was coming off a maiden win on the grass at Santa Anita.”

ROCKINATTEN DEBUTS FOR O’NEILL IN SHAM STAKES

Team O’Neill hopes to make another contentious run in the Triple Crown classics this year with recent acquisition Rockinatten, who is entered in Saturday’s Grade III, $100,000 Sham Stakes for 3-year-olds at one mile, the first of a series of important sophomore steppingstones at Santa Anita that could lead to greater gold and glory capped by the $1 million Santa Anita Derby on April 4.

Rockinatten will be making his West Coast debut, having raced three times at Gulfstream Park in Florida, breaking his maiden by nearly nine lengths at seven furlongs on Oct. 26.

“Steve Rothblum (O’Neill assistant and bloodstock guru) and a couple of our owners made the connection for us,” said Leandro Mora, assistant to trainer Doug O’Neill. “Hopefully, we can put the horse in the major leagues. The timing is right to try and see if we have another I’ll Have Another or Goldencents.”

Each of those horses won the Santa Anita Derby, in 2012 and 2013, respectively. I’ll Have Another went on the capture the first two jewels of the Triple Crown, the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes, before a last-minute injury forced him to abort his try for the elusive Triple in the Belmont Stakes.

Rafael Bejarano will be riding Rockinatten competitively for the first time in the Sham, but the meet’s leading rider has worked the Florida-bred gelding twice at Santa Anita.

“He’s doing really well and I really like him,” Bejarano said.

The field for the Sham, which goes as race six: St. Joe Bay, Martin Pedroza, 8-1; Pioneerof the West, Corey Nakatani, 12-1; Rockinatten, Rafael Bejarano, 7-2; Unblunted, Joe Talamo, 6-1; Rock Shandy, Victor Espinoza, 8-1; Papacoolpapacool, Fernando Perez, 8-1; Calculator, Elvis Trujillo, 8-5; and Hero Ten All, Tyler Baze, 4-1.

Source: Ed Golden, Santa Anita Stable Notes

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