Santa Anita Handicap has wide-open field

[Shame About Ray]

Posted at Phillynews.com

Santa Anita Handicap has wide-open field

Santa Anita is among the nation's most beautiful racetracks, but attention has been focused on chronic problems with its synthetic surface this year. Heavy rains have finally subsided, and today's program at the famed course, to be shown on HRTV, features the $1 million Santa Anita Handicap for older runners and the $200,000 Sham Stakes, featuring the West Coast's top Kentucky Derby hopefuls.

A wide-open field of 14 is presented in the Big 'Cap, to begin at 7 p.m. Philadelphia time, with the favorite likely to be around 4-1 in the handicapping puzzler.

Entrants in the 11/4-mile Big 'Cap include Tiago, known to East Coasters after his involvement in last season's Triple Crown, and the powerful stretch-runner Awesome Gem.

Other threats are Student Council, Heatseeker, Monterey Jazz, and Go Between.

Ramon Dominguez, currently dominating the jockeys' standings at Aqueduct, will ride Champs Elysees for trainer Bobby Frankel, and Great Hunter, bred by Phil Fanning in Chester County, is also in the lineup.

Mount Laurel-based West Point Thoroughbreds will be represented by heavily favored and unbeaten El Gato Malo in the Sham, to begin at 6 p.m., and by Awesome Gem in the Big 'Cap.

Terry Finley, who manages the partnerships for West Point, stopped in Las Vegas yesterday while en route to Los Angeles.

"About 10 of my old buddies from West Point [the military academy] meet out here, but I'm not really a gambler," Finley said. "I'll be playing at the $2 blackjack table."

Finley was thrilled by the progress of El Gato Malo, who has captured his three starts by wide margins, all on synthetic surfaces in California.

The May 3 Kentucky Derby will be contested on a conventional dirt surface at Churchill Downs.

"I don't worry about that," Finley said. "I worry about the stuff we can control. I'm more comfortable going from synthetic to dirt than the other way around. Besides, this colt is so talented, so honest, with a certain brilliance to him. It looks like the perfect set-up [today]."

El Gato Malo, a son of El Corredor trained by Craig Dollase, was bought for $95,000 as a yearling in Kentucky before being offered at auction in March of last year in Ocala, Fla.

"No one even bid on him," Finley said. "He couldn't have brought $10,000 that day."

Fate was on West Point's side.

If all goes well today, El Gato Malo will race next in the $750,000 Santa Anita Derby on April 5.

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