Santa Anita: Dicey Mo Chara is back for San Luis Rey Stakes

Hard knocking Dicey Mo Chara returns to Santa Anita and heads a field of eight older horses going 1 1/2 miles on the turf in Saturday’s Grade 3, $100,000 San Luis Rey Stakes, a race in which the 5-year-old England-bred gelding finished a close second a year ago.

Owned by Santa Anita winter-spring meet leaders Red Baron’s Barn and Rancho Temescal, Dicey Mo Chara was most recently a troubled fourth, beaten by 1 1/2 lengths, in the San Francisco Mile (G3) on April 29 over the Golden Gate Fields turf.

Trained by Leonard Powell, Dicey Mo Chara will be reunited with jockey Juan Hernández, who was aboard two starts back in Charles Whittingham (G2). That was a race in which Dicey Mo Chara went to the front going 1 1/4 miles on the turf and was pressed and passed around the far turn by George Papaprodromou’s Opry before battling back gamely on the inside to gain the advantage turning for home. Although he shook off Opry, the early battle took its toll, and Dicey Mo Chara was thus unable to hold off the late charge of Michael McCarthy-trained Offlee Naughty, who rolled late to win by one length.

With the exception of Opry, it appears this Saturday’s San Luis Rey is a race devoid of additional early foot, making it likely Dicey Mo Chara could employ similar front-running tactics as the pair each stretch out another quarter-mile.

His most recent win came four starts back in the San Gabriel (G2) on Dec. 26, making Dicey Mo Chara 10: 2-3-1 over the Santa Anita lawn. He is 20: 4-5-3 overall with earnings of $485,777.

With his late run flattered by a front-end skirmish around the far turn, Michael McCarthy’s Offlee Naughty came flying under John Velázquez in the Whittingham, winning by one length and posting a career-high 97 Beyer Speed Figure, according to Daily Racing Form. With Velázquez back in New York full time, Umberto Rispoli will try to time it right Saturday.

A 5-year-old by the Tapit stallion Flashback, Offlee Naughty is on a roll, having crushed a second-level allowance field going 1 1/4 miles on synthetic Tapeta two starts back Dec. 11, winning by 5 3/4 lengths.  Fourth, beaten by five lengths in last year’s San Luis Rey, the full horse owned by James and Donna Daniell is 5: 2-0-1 on the Santa Anita turf. With an overall mark of 16: 4-1-1, Offlee Naughty has earnings of $310,645.

Ridden in the Whittingham Stakes by recently exiting Frankie Dettori, Opry has proven to be a tremendous claim for his owners David Bernsen, Rockingham Ranch, Mark Gorman and Andrew Schwindt. Haltered out of a third place effort by Papaprodromou for $25,000 four starts back Nov. 24, the 7-year-old gelding by Declaration of War stepped up to a second-condition allowance going 1 1/18 miles at Santa Anita on Jan. 8, winning by a neck at 18-1 with Joe Bravo up. 

Subsequently third, beaten by three-quarters of a length going 1 1/4 miles on the turf in the San Marco (G3) on Feb. 5 with Dettori, Opry challenged Dicey Mo Chara aggressively and made the lead a quarter-mile from home in the Whittingham but had to settle for third-place money when he was beaten by 1 3/4 lengths by Offlee Naughty.

A Kentucky-bred originally based in New York and Florida, Opry was a Grade 3 winner in his second career start at age 2 at Saratoga in August 2018.  With an overall mark of 21: 4-4-7 and earnings of $345,280, Opry seeks his second graded-stakes win Saturday.

Richard Mandella’s Brazil-bred Planetario has been idle since running an even fifth in his U.S. debut, a classified allowance at 1 1/8 miles on the Santa Anita turf June 18. He was a two-time Group 1 winner in Brazil at age 3 who could make his presence felt Saturday with Héctor Berrios aboard.

A 5-year-old full horse owned by his breeder Stud Red Rafa, Planetario came to Mandella with five wins from eight starts in Brazil.

The San Luis Rey at 8:11 p.m. EDT is the finale of a nine-race card that starts at 4 p.m. EDT.