Santa Anita: Stay Hot tries to do just that in Twilight Derby
Multiple stakes winner Stay Hot, who just missed in last month’s Grade 2 Del Mar Derby, will look to get back on the beam for trainer Peter Eurton when he takes on six rivals in Saturday’s Grade 2, $200,000 Twilight Derby going one mile on turf at Santa Anita.
Stay Hot’s rally in the 1 1/8 mile Del Mar Derby came up a half-length short of winner Formidable Man, who was not entered in the Twilight Derby. It was Stay Hot’s first loss in California since last November’s Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf at Santa Anita. In the interim, the Summer Front ridgling won the Cecil B. DeMille (G3) at Del Mar, both the Baffle and Pasadena Stakes at Santa Anita and the La Jolla Handicap at Del Mar in August.
Stay Hot will be ridden by Antonio Fresu, who has been aboard in all of his previous starts. He has a record of 10: 5-1-1 with earnings of $362,160.
Atitlan, trained by John Shirreffs, was third beaten 1 3/4 lengths in the Del Mar Derby. He also finished third behind winner Stay Hot in the La Jolla. Prior to the La Jolla, the son of The Factor broke his maiden going a mile on turf at Del Mar. Atitlan is 4: 1-0-2 with $93,500 in earnings. He will be ridden by Hector Berrios.
The new face in the lineup is Twirling Point, who comes west for trainer Jonathan Thomas. By Twirling Candy, Twirling Point won the Jersey Derby at Monmouth Park in June prior to a fourth-place finish in the Caesars Handicap going a mile on turf at Indiana Grand on July 13. Twirling Point is 8: 3-1-2 with $192,403 in earnings. He will be ridden by Umberto Rispoli.
Cathal makes his stakes debut for trainer John Sadler. Bred in Ireland, where he made his first two starts, Cathal exits a sharp allowance win going 1 1/16 miles on turf Sept. 1 at Del Mar. The effort earned a very competitive 84 Beyer Speed Figure from Daily Racing Form. By No Nay Never, Cathal worked a bullet last Friday at Santa Anita when going five furlongs on the synthetic training track in 59.0 seconds.
Cathal, who is 6: 2-1-1 with $89,041 in earnings, will have the services of Santa Anita leading rider Juan Hernandez for the first time.