Shakin It Up very game in San Vicente victory

Shakin It Up showed a great deal of courage in the $150,000 San Vicente Stakes (gr. II) at Santa Anita Park, splitting horses at the eighth pole and rallying clear to win the seven-furlong sprint by one length.

Making his first start since a third-place finish in the Hollywood Prevue Stakes (gr. II) last November, Shakin It Up settled back into fifth place during the early stages of the race, about three lengths behind the front-running trio of Belvin, Caballo Del Cielo, and Mudflats. War Academy was directly to Shakin It Up's outside in fourth place, while Treasury Bill was the trailer.

Through fractions of :22.88 and :45.62 Belvin continued to lead the way, but Caballo Del Cielo moved up to claim the advantage entering the homestretch and was in front by a half-length passing the eighth pole. But to his inside, Shakin It Up had found an opening, and the favorite surged through under jockey David Cohen to take command. Treasury Bill closed in late to secure second, but didn't have enough time to reel in the winner, who reached the wire in the excellent time of 1:22.48 seconds.

Caballo Del Cielo held third, three-quarters of a length behind Treasury Bill and a similar margin ahead of War Academy. The latter colt briefly lacked racing room approaching the eighth pole, but failed to mount a serious challenge once clear. Mudflats and Belvin completed the order of finish, with the latter beaten just 2 3/4 lengths.

The winner is trained by Bob Baffert and owned by Mike Pegram and Dennis Cardoza. A son of Midnight Lute out of the Vindication mare Silver Bullet Moon, Shakin It Up has now compiled a record of 2-1-1 from 4 starts, with earnings of $139,600.

-Keelerman

Triple Crown Countdown 2-17-13

As promised, here is part two of this week's Triple Crown Countdown, covering the San Vicente Stakes (gr. II) at Santa Anita and a couple of other noteworthy races at Santa Anita and Oaklawn.

Let's begin!

San Vicente Stakes (gr. II)

Seven furlongs at Santa Anita Park

Although this race does not offer any Kentucky Derby qualification points, it is nevertheless a starting point for a number of potential Derby candidates, including three -- Belvin, Shakin It Up, and War Academy -- from the barn of Bob Baffert.

Not surprisingly, Baffert's trio are the three morning line favorites, with Shakin It Up leading the way at 5-2. A son of Midnight Lute, the colt has not run since finishing a troubled third in the Hollywood Prevue Stakes (gr. III) at Betfair Hollywood Park last November. Note that he was beaten just a neck by Super Ninety Nine on that occasion; Super Ninety Nine being the favorite for the Southwest Stakes (gr. III) tomorrow afternoon. He's been training nicely for his return, having turned in a couple of sharp five-furlong works this month, and he appears to be the horse to beat.

Belvin flashed potential when second in his November debut to subsequent stakes winner Distinctiv Passion, and came right back one month later to romp in a 6-1/2 furlong maiden here at Santa Anita. Like Shakin It Up, he's been training very well, and will have leading rider Rafael Bejarano in the saddle. The interesting part is that he has shown so much talent sprinting, despite the fact that he is a son of Empire Maker out of a Storm Bird mare. With a pedigree like that, he should have no trouble stretching out further down the road.

War Academy has a similar profile, being by Giant's Causeway out of an A.P. Indy mare. There's little doubt that route races are in his future, but he still showed enough talent to break his maiden going 6-1/2 furlongs at Hollywood Park last November. He got sick shortly thereafter and didn't return to the work tab until late December, but he's trained well since then and should be in the mix today. I don't really expect him to win a race like this, as seven furlongs looks to be way short of his best distance, but a decent effort should set him up well for a two-turn graded stakes in the near future.

Moving past the Baffert trio, we find Caballo Del Cielo and Treasury Bill. Both colts are coming off of hugely impressive debut victories garnered through drastically different running styles. Caballo Del Cielo, who is trained by Steve Asmussen, broke his maiden sprinting 5-1/2 furlongs last month in gate-to-wire fashion. He ran the opening quarter mile that day in a blazing :21.86 seconds, which makes it clear that he could wind up the early leader in today's race. We know he's got class -- he was beaten just 3 1/4 lengths as a maiden in the Del Mar Futurity (gr. I) last fall -- but he was beaten 4 1/2 lengths by Shakin It Up two starts back, and it's hard to say if he's improved enough to turn the tables.

In contrast, Treasury Bill will be making his first start against winners after rallying from out of the clouds to break his maiden going 6-1/2 furlongs at Santa Anita on January 27th. Like Belvin and War Academy, seven furlongs is undoubtedly too short for him -- he's got a regal pedigree that screams Kentucky Derby -- but don't be surprised to see him finishing strongly late. My lone concern is that his maiden winner came over a wet, sealed track; a track that seemed to be playing in favor of closers. It's possible that his late kick could be somewhat compromised by today's fast track.

Rounding out the field is Mudflats, who looked good breaking his maiden by 3 1/4 lengths two starts back at Aqueduct over a sloppy sealed track. Purchased privately thereafter and transferred to the care of Doug O'Neill, Mudflats disappointing greatly in his only start since, finishing seventh in the Jerome Stakes (gr. II) on January 5th. He's got the speed to be in contention from the start, but it looks as though he'll have to step up a few notches to beat this field.

Selections: Shakin It Up, Belvin, War Academy

Other Races of Note

At Oaklawn Park . . .

Race 7: Bob Baffert's Title Contender, who finished last in both the Breeders' Cup Juvenile (gr. I) and CashCall Futurity (gr. I) after breaking his maiden sharply in September, has shipped out for this 1 1/16th miles allowance optional claiming race and should win without trouble if at his best. Midas Dancer ran second to Gulfport and Fear the Kitten in a pair of allowance races at Churchill last fall, and has never finished worse than third in six starts. He looms the most likely winner if Title Contender fails to bring his best race. Hornet finished next-to-last in a strong renewal of the Remington Springboard Mile Stakes last December, then returned to finish third behind Southwest Stakes (gr. III) entrant Channel Isle in an allowance race here at Oaklawn. Another good effort today would bode well for Channel Isle's chances tomorrow. Red Wings, from the barn of D. Wayne Lukas, lost his first six starts before claiming a narrow victory last time out. He's got a determined running style, but may not be quite as good as the favorites in this spot.

At Santa Anita . . .

Race 3: This is the first division of a one-mile maiden special weight that drew enough entries to be run as two races. The favorite is Wine List, who has finished second in a pair of one-mile maiden races on the turf. However, the colt I have my eye on is Misdeed, who finished second by nearly eight lengths to the promising Tiz the Truth in a race similar to this one two weeks ago. A victory by Misdeed today would, of course, further stamp Tiz the Truth as a colt of high quality. Aleander, a troubled seventh in his debut for Baffert on December 26th; and Handsome Dennis, third in his debut sprinting three weeks ago, are other prominent contenders.

Race 5: The second division of this maiden race has drawn arguably the stronger field, for it includes names like Footbridge and Syndicated (2nd and 3rd to Curly Top in a recent one-mile MSW), Pure Loyalty (2nd to Treasury Bill in that one's maiden victory), Govenor Charlie (2nd to Let Em Shine in a 6f MSW; finished ahead of subsequent winner Salutos Amigos), Major Affair (4th to the Demonic and Tiz the Truth in a 7f MSW), and Colburn (4th to Tiz the Truth in that one's maiden victory.) Don't be surprised if the winner of this race goes on to contest a major Derby prep race in the near future!

-Keelerman

San Vicente Stakes: Bob Baffert enters three

Trainer Bob Baffert will have an excellent chance at winning Sunday's  $150,000 San Vicente Stakes (gr. II) at Santa Anita, as he trains three of the six entrants.

His runners are Belvin, Shakin It Up, and War Academy. All three showed promise as two-year-olds, with Belvin breaking his maiden second time out; Shakin It Up finishing a close third in the Hollywood Prevue Stakes (gr. III); and War Academy romping to victory in the lone start of his career. All three have been training sharply for their returns, and it wouldn't be out of the question for them to sweep the trifecta.

Their main opposition is expected to come from Cabello Del Cielo, who was brilliant in breaking his maiden here at Santa Anita last month; and Treasury Bill, who turned in an eye-catching rally to break his maiden on January 27th. Mudflats, who broke his maiden sharply two starts back before finishing seventh in the Jerome Stakes (gr. II), completes the lineup.

Post Positions:
1 Belvin
2 Shakin It Up
3 War Academy
4 Cabello Del Cielo
5 Mudflats
6 Treasury Bill

-Keelerman

A Three-Year-Old to Watch: Caballo Del Cielo

After running very well in his first three starts without winning, Caballo Del Cielo made his fourth race a winning one when he romped to victory in a 5-1/2 furlong maiden special weight on Saturday at Santa Anita Park.

With Corey Nakatani aboard, the Steve Asmussen-trainee got off to a quick start from post position one and quickly assumed command of the lead while running the opening quarter mile in :21.86 seconds. I'll Run the Show, Spirited Touch, and Grand Humor comprised the group of pace-pressers, while Bench Press, Chasintheaces, Rosengold, Moreno, and Secretsatmidnight were the trailers.

Entering the homestretch, Nakatani asked his mount for more run, and Caballo Del Cielo responded by opening up a commanding advantage through a half-mile in :44.75. From there, the race was over, as Caballo Del Cielo continued to extend his lead all the way to the wire, which he reached in the excellent time of 1:03.05 seconds. His margin of victory was 4 1/4 lengths.

Moreno rallied well despite some traffic issues to finish second, a head in front of Bench Press. Secretsatmidnight rounded out the superfecta.

The winner, a son of Songandaprayer out of Queen Majesty, by Regal Classic, is owned by Jerry Durant.

-Keelerman

ROLLING FOG WINS THE DEL MAR FUTURITY!

Rolling Fog stamped himself as a two-year-old to watch with his impressive victory in the $300,000 Del Mar Futurity (gr. I) on Wednesday night at Del Mar, giving trainer Bob Baffert an incredible eleventh victory in the prestigious race.

Ridden to victory by Rafael Bejarano, Rolling Fog showed speed from the start and soon settled into the second position, just a half-length behind Caballo del Cielo as that colt set fractions of :22.91 and :45.89. Scherer Magic, Switch to the Lead, and Capo Bastone were also up close, with favored Know More racing in sixth. Pure Loyalty, Gabriel Charles, Heir of Storm, The Whole Deal, and Ive Struck a Nerve were the early trailers.

Turning for home, Bejarano asked Rolling Fog to run, and the son of Posse responded with a burst of speed that carried him past Caballo del Cielo and into the lead. Know More finished up strongly in the center of the racetrack, but Rolling Fog had enough left in the tank to hold off his late run by 1 1/4 lengths. The final time for seven furlongs was 1:22.96.

Scherer Magic raced evenly for third, finishing a nose in front of stablemate Capo Bastone. Caballo del Cielo, Gabriel Charles, Switch to the Lead, The Whole Deal, Ive Struck a Nerve, Pure Loyalty, and Heir of Storm completed the order of finish.

The winner is owned by Arnold Zetcher and is now undefeated in two starts.

-Keelerman

Del Mar Futurity Entries and Post Positions

Here are the entries and post positions for the $300,000 Del Mar Futurity (gr. I), to be run on September 5th at Del Mar. The prestigious seven-furlong race has drawn a large and evenly-matched field of twelve, including Best Pal Stakes (gr. II) winner Know More and promising debut winners Gabriel Charles and Capo Bastone.

1 Gabriel Charles
2 Capo Bastone
3 Switch to the Lead
4 Yankee Rebel
5 Know More
6 Heir of Storm
7 The Whole Deal
8 Pure Loyalty
9 Caballo del Cielo
10 Rolling Fog
11 Scherer Magic
12 Ive Struck a Nerve

-Keelerman