Talco, Avanzare, Alert Bay Knock Heads in City of Hope Mile
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Photo:
Benoit Photo
Trainer John Sadler’s French-bred Talco, Tom Proctor’s streaking Avanzare and Blaine Wright’s well-traveled veteran Alert Bay head a solid field of nine three-year-olds and up in Sunday’s Grade II, $200,000 City of Hope Mile (turf) at Santa Anita.
Owned by Kosta and Pete Hronis of Hronis Racing LLC, Talco registered a solid win in the Grade I Shoemaker Mile at Santa Anita June 13 and followed that with a late-charging second in the Grade II Del Mar Handicap in his last outing on Aug. 23rd.
The 4-year-old chestnut colt by Pivotal’s last five races, three of them graded, have all been at a mile on the turf and he has yet to finish worse than second. Talco is 16-5-5-3 overall with $531,123 in earnings.
Avanzare will attempt to win his third Grade II in a row on Sunday. Winning the Grade II turf mile Arcadia at Santa Anita on Jan. 31 from just off pace and the Del Mar Handicap on Aug 23rd from way back—he’s proven he can run phenomenally well whether close to the lead or sitting off of it.
Owned by Donato Lanni and John F. Youngblood, Avanzare will again have Gary Stevens in the saddle for his fourth consecutive start. He is 13-7-3-2 overall with $505,180 in earnings.
Alert Bay returns once again to Santa Anita after running at three different tracks up and down the west coast since the last time he ran here on Jan. 24 in the Cal Cup Turf Classic, a race he won by a neck. A winner in his most recent outing, the Rolling Green Stakes at Golden Gate Fields going a 1 1/16 miles on the turf September 7, Avanzare will attempt to win his fourth graded stakes Sunday.
Owned by Peter Redekop B.C. Ltd, he is 18-9-4-2 overall with earnings of $834,495.
Trainer Richard Mandella’s Twentytwentyvision will be seeking his first graded stakes win in only his second graded attempt. A convincing second in the Grade I Eddie Read at Del Mar going 1 1/8 miles on the turf on July 18, Twentytwentyvision has never run worse than third in his eight lifetime starts and never worse than second in his last five consecutive tries on the grass.
Owned and bred in Kentucky by Ellen and Peter O. Johnson, the bay gelding is 8-4-2-2- lifetime with $257,480 in earnings.
The complete field for the Grade II City of Hope Mile, to be run as the eighth race on a nine race card Sunday with jockeys and weights in post position order: Poshsky, James Graham, 119; Hot Hot Heat, Tyler Baze, 124; Big Cazanova, Kent Desormeaux, 119; Silentio, Mike Smith, 119; Twentytwentyvision, Victor Espinoza, 119; Talco, Rafael Bejarano, 124; Avanzare, Gary Stevens, 124; Big Bane Theory, Joe Talamo, 121; Alert Bay, Martin Garcia, 121.
Source: Santa Anita Park
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