2017 Santa Anita Sprint Championship Stakes Preview, Entries & Odds
OffTrackBetting.com – Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California will play host to the G1 Santa Anita Sprint Championship Stakes on Saturday, October 7. Horses three years old and upward will line up on Santa Anita’s dirt track and dash six furlongs for the winner’s share of the $300,000 purse and the automatic berth into the 2017 $1.5 million Breeders’ Cup Sprint.
The Santa Anita Sprint Championship has attracted a strong field of six to go in race 6 on Santa Anita’s Saturday schedule. Post time is 3:15 PM. Let’s takes a peek into the past performances of all six entries for this Breeders’ Cup “Win and You’re In” G1 stakes.
2017 Santa Anita Sprint Championship Stakes Entries at Santa Anita Park
Ransom the Moon
Phil D’Amato trainee has five wins in 19 career starts with six seconds and a third-place finish. He made his stakes debut May 20 and produced a very nice 2 1/4 length win with a career-best 103 Beyer Speed Figure in the G2 Kona Gold Stakes at Santa Anita and followed that with an OK second in the G2 San Carlos Stakes on this track July 1 and another good win last time out in the G1 Bing Crosby Stakes at Del Mar July 29. Before that was a dominant 4 1/2 length Allowance Optional Claiming score with a 98 Beyer Speed Figure at Santa Anita April 30 and a pair of runner-up finishes in Allowance Optional Claiming this past winter at Woodbine. Ransom the Moon has been very good lately (three wins and three seconds in his last six starts) and will be after a fourth win in five starts Saturday. Flavien Prat will be in the saddle from the rail.
American Anthem
Bob Baffert trained colt has placed in five of seven career starts – three wins, a second and a third-place finish. Last time out was an OK third in the G1 H. Allen Jerkens Stakes at Saratoga August 26 which followed a nice two-race win streak – the G2 Woody Stephens Stakes by 3 1/4 lengths at Belmont Park June 10 and the G3 Lazaro Barrera Stakes on this track May 13. He didn’t look good before that in failing to place in a pair of graded stakes races – a twelfth in the G1 Santa Anita Derby April 8 and a tenth in the G2 Rebel Stakes in March. American Anthem has been competitive lately however, he worked four furlongs Sunday in a bullet 46.60, fastest of 99 drills at the distance and hopes for a third graded stakes score in four starts. Mike Smith has been tabbed to ride in American Anthem’s fist start against older competition from gate 4.
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Roy H
Peter Miller trained gelding has four wins, four seconds and a third-place finish in 15 career starts. He made his stakes debut two starts back and produced a terrific 2 1/2 length win with a field-best 111 Beyer Speed Figure in the G2 True North Stakes at Belmont Park June 9 and followed that with an OK second behind Ransom the Moon last time out in the G1 Bing Crosby Stakes at Del Mar July 29. Before that was a two-race win streak – both Allowance Optional Claiming on this track with the last coming May 6 and three straight off-the-board finishes in Allowance races in 2016. Roy H has looked good since returning from a nine-month layoff and will try to make it four wins in five starts. Kent Desormeaux gets the call from the outside gate 6.
Giant Expectations
Peter Eurton trained colt has placed in seven of 10 career starts – three wins, three seconds and a third-place finish. He made his stakes debut last time out and posted the impressive upset win in the G2 Pat O’Brien Stakes at Del Mar August 26 after a second in an Allowance Optional Claiming there July 19 and two straight wins – an Allowance Optional Claiming at Belmont Park June 8 and a MSW on that track May 29. Giant Expectations has been decent lately and tries to build on a career-best effort Saturday with Gary Stevens in the reins from gate 2.
Mr. Hinx
Steven Miyadi trained gelding has five wins in his nine career starts and raced in graded stakes company for the first time last time out finishing fourth in the G2 Pat O’Brien Stakes at Del Mar August 26. Before that was a two-race win streak – the minor Real Good Deal Stakes at Del Mar July 28 and an Allowance Optional Claiming here June 9. He also had a fifth in the minor Silky Sullivan Stakes at Golden Gate April 30 and a good win in the minor Echo Eddie Stakes at Santa Anita April 8. Mr. Hinx was good against lesser company but looked a tad out of place in his step up last time out. He tries to change his fortunes around Saturday with Drayden Van Dyke guiding him from post 5.
Edwards Going Left
John Sadler trained gelding has four wins and a third-place finish in six career starts. He steps into graded stakes company for the first time Saturday off an Allowance Optional Claiming score at Del Mar August 19 which followed a third in the minor Real Good Deal Stakes in that track July 28 and three straight wins on this track – an Allowance Optional Claiming June 1, a Starter Allowance May 7 and a Maiden Claiming March 26. Edwards Going Left steps up in good form and hopes for a breakthrough win from post 3. Tyler Baze rides.
