Photo: Photo of Santa Anita/Benoit
With 21 horses in Santa Anita over the next three days, it will be a busy weekend when Fildamatbahn concludes the spring tournament.
D’Amato Brigade includes both stakes and comeback runners on both Saturday Thinking processThe winner of multiple stakes, not the first since the Breeders’ Cup boy Philly Turf in November. I’m belatedly going from the Oaks (G3) in the summer last Saturday to my fourth race on Saturday, and I have a thought process, a mile allowance for the 3-year-old Philly’s turf. The thought process is my favorite of the 3-5 morning line.
Later on Saturday’s card, D’Amato has another morning favourite, making his seasonal debut at Daytona (G3). carwho finished second in the neck in last year’s Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint, but has been his first start to be a 6-5 morning line favorite since winning Joe Hernandez (G2) at Santa Anita on December 28th. Like Joe Hernandez, Daytona is also contested on roughly 6 1/2 furlongs on hillside grass courses. A seven-year-old castrated Motorious rides an Antonio Fresu.
“Hopefully he’s ready for a good comeback, which should be a good place to start him,” said Damato, who concludes the weekend with a six-week lead in trainer standings at the Hollywood tournament.
If it’s best for a 1 1/4 mile mares and mares on Saturday’s Turf, D’Amato has three runners in the 5-2 second choice starry sky, Kentucky Gal (3-1) and Longshot Paris Secret (15-1). Starry Sky Heaven will make its third start in the US after a promising effort. She finished third in Santa Ana (G3) on the 1/4th mile in March and second in Mrs. Astor on May 4th at Santa Barbara. However, Mrs. Astoll entered the cross against the man on Sunday at San Juan Capistrano (G3) on Sunday, about 13/4 miles on the grass, where she is also preferred. On Friday morning, trainer Jonathan Thomas said he was probably leaning perfectly, but hadn’t made a final decision.
Regarding the Starry Sky, escape from outside posts with a potential bid to turn Mrs. Astor’s table.
“The starry sky is proven in the distance and well trained, but we still need to beat Mrs. Astor.
Kentucky Gal will earn his career-high performance, earning a first-level allowance at 1 1/4 mile on the grass on April 27th. The jockey probably chose to stick to the starry sky with perfection. Juan Hernandez is riding the Kentucky Gal.
“I thought (Fresu) had options and a little more accomplished starry heaven,” D’Amato said. “But that was tough. Kentucky Gals are up-and-coming.”
