Comma to the Top Set for Palos Verdes
Dr. Fager in miniature--long, short, turf, dirt, synthetic--Comma to the Top handles it all. Racing’s newest millionaire is scheduled to make his next start in Saturday’s Palos Verdes Stakes rather than ship to Florida for the Sunshine Million at Gulfstream Park the same day.
“He does it all,” said trainer Peter Miller of the winner of the Grade III Daytona Stakes on a wet/fast Santa Anita main track Dec. 29. “We’re going to run and Edwin Maldonado will ride him. The horse is doing super. We’ll step him up in class and see what he can do.”
The Palos Verdes is a Grade II event for 4-year-olds and up at six furlongs. Comma to the Top, a 5-year-old Florida-bred gelding by Bwana Charlie, has won on dirt, synthetic and turf and at distances from 5 ½ furlongs to a mile and a sixteenth.
He was second by a head in the mile and an eighth Santa Anita Derby in 2011. His victory in the Daytona put his earnings at $1,027,696.
“We were considering the Sunshine Millions,” Miller said, “but we decided to stay home. We just thought it was a better slot for him here. We don’t have to ship and he likes this track.”
Comma to the Top worked a half mile on Betfair Hollywood Park’s Cushion Track Sunday morning in 48.40 seconds. “It was super,” Miler said. “He was just breezing. He galloped out in a minute flat.”
Fast Bullet, whose only loss in four starts came to Trinniberg in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint, will miss the Palos Verdes due to an abscess that was discovered Saturday, Bob Baffert said Sunday morning. In his most recent start, Fast Bullet won by 7 ¼ lengths as the 2-5 favorite at Hollywood on Dec. 6.
Palos Verdes nominee Capital Account worked four furlongs for Baffert in 57.80 at Santa Anita Sunday morning under Martin Garcia.