Mandella Okay With Eddie D Post
Gary Mandella is on the outside looking in Friday in Santa Anita’s feature race, the Grade III Eddie D. Stakes for 3-year-olds and up at about 6 ½ furlongs on turf.
The trainer has two horses entered, Snowday, who drew post 12, and No Silent, on the also-eligible list at 13.
“I think the post is great,” Mandella said. “You see a lot more horses win from the outside than they do stuck on the rail, so I’m not worried about that at all. I’d like to see Snowday a little more off the pace than he has been.
“But he’s training well and he came back strong from his second at Del Mar on Aug. 2. We’ve got a shot if he gets the right kind of trip and can relax, which was the whole point of gelding him this summer.
“He was a little fresh in the Del Mar race and it was only five-eighths, so what are you going to do? You’re not going to drag him back when he broke good. Coming down the hill (in the Eddie D.) and another month since he was gelded, I like to think we might be able to get him to relax better than what he as so far, and that might help.”
The field for the Eddie D., the ninth and last of race on the opening day card which begins at 1 p.m.: Eddie’s First, Mario Gutierrez, 8-1; Pure Tactics, Victor Espinoza, 5-1; Lil Bit O Fun, Aaron Gryder, 9-2; Mr. Sexy, Elvis Trujillo, 20-1; Gallant Son, Tyler Baze, 6-1; Unbridled’s Note, Corey Nakatani, 3-1; Artest, Edwin Maldonado, 12-1; Ambitious Brew, Mike Smith, 4-1; Global Power, Kent Desormeaux, 15-1; Home Run Kitten, Joe Talamo, 12-1; Snowday, Alex Solis, 12-1; and also-eligible No Silent, Espinoza, 12-1.
Source: Santa Anita Park