Moreno has Bigger Fish to Fry After Californian

If speed and class count for anything, Moreno is a legitimate morning line favorite in the Californian Stakes Saturday, even though trainer Eric Guillot would prefer to have another zero on the purse of $200,000 for the Grade II race at 1 1/8 miles, a forerunner to the Grade I, $500,000 Gold Cup at Santa Anita on June 27

“I wish there was another zero on there,” Guillot said. “That would be nice. But if things go well, there will be opportunities down the road.”

They could include the Gold Cup, a “Win and You’re In” Challenge Race that gives the winner a fees-paid berth in the $5 million Breeders’ Cup Classic at Keeneland on Oct. 31; the $1 million Pacific Classic at Del Mar this summer; and the Breeders’ Cup Classic.

“The plan is to run in the Gold Cup if all goes well,” Guillot said. “Then we would look at the Pacific Classic at Del Mar and beyond that the Breeders’ Cup, but everything would have to go right, of course.

Moreno, a 5-year-old gelded son of 2004 Horse of the Year Ghostzapper, is approaching $3 million in career earnings, thanks mainly to his two-length win in the $1.5 million Charles Town Classic on April 18.

While Moreno is winless at Santa Anita in eight starts, twice well beaten in the Breeders’ Cup Classic, in 2013 and again last year, when he was “slammed and steadied” at the start, the speedy bay has four seconds at The Great Race Place.

He captured the Grade I Whitney at Saratoga last August.

The field for The Californian, race No. 8: Big Cazanova, Tyler Baze, 8-1; Bailoutbobby, Drayden Van Dyke, 30-1; Hard Aces, Victor Espinoza, 6-1; Lideris, Joe Talamo, 30-1; Blue Tone, Kent Desormeaux, 8-1; Moreno, Cornelio Velasquez, 8-5; Catch a Flight, Gary Stevens, 9-5; and Sammy Mandeville, Rafael Bejarano, 5-1.

You Know I Know was scratched.

FINISH LINES: Three-time Kentucky Derby-winning jockey Victor Espinoza, who goes for the Triple Crown a week from tomorrow aboard American Pharoah in the Belmont Stakes, will sign American Pharoah posters Saturday from 11:15 a.m. until 11:45 a.m. in the East Paddock Gardens across from Champions! Gift Shop. The first 2,000 fans will receive the posters, which will be available free but limited to one per person and the patron must be present. Only the special giveaway posters will be signed, no outside memorabilia . . . Santa Anita will celebrate Belmont Stakes day with live racing, an Infield beer festival, live music, a Chandelier Room party, and more. Visit santaanita.com/events for package tickets and full details. Gates open at Santa Anita next Saturday at 8 a.m., with first post time 11:30 a.m. . . . Beholder worked six furlongs Wednesday in a bullet 1:11.20 for the Grade III, $100,000 Adoration Stakes at 1 1/16 miles on June 13 and hopefully a belated meeting with Santa Margarita winner Warren’s Veneda, who was upset in the Grade I Vanity Stakes on May 9, a race Beholder missed due to a temperature. “She went real nice,” Richard Mandella said of Beholder . . . Laz Barrera winner Kentuckian, prepping for the Los Alamitos Derby on July 4, worked four furlongs Friday in a bullet 45.40 under Mike Smith for Jerry Hollendorfer. It was the fastest of 34 drills at the distance, the average time of which was 48.99. “He was doing it easy,” Hollendorfer said. Santa Anita clockers had a five furlong gallop out time of 57.80 . . . John Sadler has Santa Anita Oaks winner Stellar Wind ticketed for Santa Anita’s Grade II, $200,000 Summertime Oaks at 1 1/16 miles on June 20 . . . The races for leading jockey and trainer are thistight after 20 racing days. Tyler Baze leads Rafael Bejarano, 20-19, with Flavien Prat third at 15. Phil D’Amato tops the trainers with 12 victories, one more than runners-up Doug O’Neill and Richard Baltas, and two more than Peter Miller . . . Favorites at Santa Anita this meet are winning at 37.71 percent (66 of 175), above the national norm of about 33 percent. On dirt, favorites are winning at 38.84 percent (47 of 121) and on turf, 35.19 percent (19 of 54) . . . Trainer Edward Freeman and Tony Matos, agent for jockey Martin Garcia, will be Tom Quigley’s guests Saturday and Sunday, respectively, in the East Paddock Gardens at 11:20 a.m.

Source: Santa Anita Park