3/2/24

  9  SA    SA Hcp (GI)   

$400.000   4yo&Up    1 1/4m  Dirt       Hcp Weights

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What do we call it now… The Medium ‘Cap?  It’s lost a lot of luster from the old days of $1,000.000 purses… but, that’s the current state of SoCal racing.  Despite all of that negativity, we get a nice field of ten set to go the classic mile and a quarter distance on the main SA oval, as we look at the field for the SA Handicap (GI).  I’m looking towards the outside posts for this one and took At The Gates as the top pick.  He closed out ’23 with a win at DMR in the Native Diver (GIII), then kicked of the season with a third in the San Pascal (GII) where he did all of the heavy lifting and tired a bit late.  He likes to see how far his speed will carry him, so look for similar here.  If you throw out that dull effort in the Peg World Cup (GI), Hangry Commander seems to be pretty tough… four wins and a second from five starts in ’23?  Yeah, that spells real, real good.  I went back and forth on my third pick but settled on Ginger Clean… he’s a a trio of bad race from his last four starts, but if he can find that late kick used when second a head back in the Native Diver, well, he could be in the mix. 

Here’s The Field –

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1		Wicked Awesome		Night Rider Stables		Wilson E J		118		10/1
2		East Of Creep		Fractious		Hernandez R M		118		6/1
3		Big E		Mb Stables		Murphy O		118		8/1
4		Uranus		Threshold		Beschizza A		119		9/2
5		Tehran		Mb Stables		Saez L		119		9/2
6		Everythings Fine		TwinTowersRacing		Garcia Mar		118		8/1
7		Hangry Commander		Night Rider Stables		Hernandez B J Jr		121		4/1
8		At The Gates		Mb Stables		Van Dyke D		120		7/2
9		Ginger Clean		The Sidley Stud		Smith M E		120		5/1
10		Face The Lunatic		Martyparty		Loveberry J		118		9/2

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COZMAN  8 / 7 / 9         Willie’s Green Card   3 / 8     

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