Santa Anita Saturday

IT’s a big weekend of west coast action with a full card of graded races at Santa Anita tonight. The Grade 1 Awesome Again is the end of card highlight, the final big prep for the Breeders’ Cup Classic.

Bob Baffert holds the aces as the top-rated horse in the US, Maximum Security, bids to add to his two victories since he joined Baffert’s stable.

His win last time in the Grade 1 Pacific Classic was completed with the minimum of fuss and this nine furlongs should suit ideally. He has only been beaten once in his 11-race career.

Baffert’s second runner, Improbable, has come of age this season winning two Grade 1s, the Hollywood Gold Cup in Santa Anita and going east coast to take the Whitney by two lengths.

Midcourt gave Maxiumum Security a scare in the Grade 2 San Diego Handicap in June, missing by a nose, but was well held in the Pacific Classic last month.

Take The One O One, and Charles Town Classic winner Sleepy Eyes Todd complete the field and have running styles which should allow Maximum Security a good tow into the race.

The Grade 1 Rodeo Drive Stakes over a turf mile and two for fillies has two Irish-breds in Tonahutu and Lady Prancealot as well as the Showcasing filly Bodhicetta who began her career with Michael O’Callaghan and won the Grade 2 Yellow Ribbon Stakes last time out in Del Mar.

One of Bodhicitta’s main rivals is her Richard Baltas-trained stablemate Lady Prancealot, a four-year-old daughter of Sir Prancealot who won last year’s Grade 1 American Oaks here and was a close second in a Del Mar Grade 2 last time. Another daughter of Sir Prancealot, Tonahutu, was just beaten in the Yellow Ribbon and has since won an allowance race.

United tops

Richard Mandella’s United heads the Grade 2 John Henry Turf Championship Stakes over 10 furlongs, a race he finished second in last year, and the son of Giant’s Causeway has three graded wins to his name this season since he was runner-up to Bricks And Mortar in the 2019 Longines Breeders’ Cup Turf. He was just beaten by a head in the Grade 2 Del Mar Handicap last time out.

Grade 1 winner Next Shares has a pair of Grade 1 placings in the Frank E. Kilroe Mile Stakes and second in the Shoemaker Mile Stakes.

Two Irish-bred sons of Zoffany are also in opposition with Jeff Mullins’ Originaire holding better claims than Oscar Dominguez, but both were behind United in the Del Mar Handicap.

There are two two-year-old graded races on the card with the fillies contesting the Grade 2 Chandelier Stakes. The six-and-a-half-length Grade 1 Del Mar Debutante winner Princess Noor (Baffert) heads the field of five as the juveniles step up to two turns. The Mark Casse-trained Make Mischief has been runner-up on her last three starts in graded races in Saratoga after winning her maiden. Baffert also runs Illumination, who was third in the Debutante, and the maiden winner Varda.

Weston is the only graded stakes winner in the field of eight entered in the Grade 1 American Pharoah Stakes.

A maiden and six-furlong Grade 2 winner, the longer distance is the worry for the son of Hit It A Bomb; he was third in the seven-furlong Del Mar Futurity last time.

Bob Baffert’s Spielberg has been second in both his starts to Dr. Schivel, a length-and-three-quarter second in the Grade 1 Del Mar Futurity.

Tomorrow’s card features the Grade 2 Santa Anita Sprint Championship Stakes where Peter Miller’s C Z Rocket takes on four rivals, and the Grade 2 Zenyatta Stakes has Baffert’s Grade 1 Clement L. Hirsch Stakes winner Fighting Mad against the one-eyed Hard Not To Love.

Belmont Park Saturday

The Grade 2 Vosburgh Stakes over six furlongs has a competitive field of six but weakened by the retirement this week of the leading sprinter Volatile.

The Grade 1-winning Firenze Fire was last on a sloppy racetrack at Saratoga in the seven-furlong Forego Stakes but has won four of his seven starts at Belmont, and he was beaten by a nose in last year’s Vosburgh.

Funny Guy was well fancied for the Forego and finished fourth behind True Timber in third in a torrential downpour in Saratoga. At four he is the youngest of these and might have a bit of improvement. He has won his two previous starts this season.