Regulus Makes Stakes Bow in San Fernando

Regulus runs in his first stakes race when the Darley Stud homebred runs in Saturday’s Grade II, $150,000 San Fernando Stakes exclusively for 4-year-olds at 1 1/16 miles. Trainer Eoin Harty thinks it’s a good starting point for the gelded son of Distorted Humor, who is coming off a sixth-place finish in an allowance race on Betfair Hollywood Park’s Cushion Track Dec. 1, in which he weakened after attending the pace to the half-mile marker.

“He was in against some very tough competition,” Harty reasoned.

“It’s his first stakes race, but you’ve got to start somewhere. He’s been working super, he’s a 4-year-old, he’s in against straight 4-year-olds and there are not many opportunities like this, so you have to take them when you can.”

Regulus has one win on Santa Anita’s conventional dirt main track, and shows a bullet 1:14 1/5 work for six furlongs at his Hollywood Park headquarters on Dec. 29. Aaron Gryder, who has ridden the bay Kentucky-bred in his last four races, winning two, retains the mount.

The San Fernando, which goes as the seventh of nine races: Battle Force, Garrett Gomez, 9-2; Fly Lexus Fly, Rafael Bejarano, 6-1; Regulus, Gryder, 8-1; Mile High Magic, Martin Garcia, 8-1; Guilt Trip, Joe Talamo, 6-1; Handsome Mike, Mario Gutierrez, 9-2; Sky Kingdom, Edwin Maldonado, 20-1; Fed Biz, Mike Smith, 7-2; Tribal Jewel, Julien Leparoux, 6-1; and Tritap, Corey Nakatani, 10-1.