Georgie Boy Favored in San Carlos Handicap

by Patricia Woo | Feb 16 2009

Kentucky Derby preps aren’t the only game in town for horse bettors these days – no, a lot of superb horse betting action is to be had in the races for 4-year-olds and up, such as the upcoming Gr. 2 San Carlos Handicap on Saturday, Feb. 21. This 7-furlong race will be hosted by Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, Calif., and will have a purse of $150,000 up for grabs. With Johnny Eves out with an injury, Georgie Boy looks to be the horse to beat; among the other notable contenders are Devoted Magic and Halo Najib, as well as Rail Trip.

Johnny Eves would have been one of the top contenders for the San Carlos Handicap after his commanding performance in the $150,000 Gr. 2 Palos Verdes Handicap at Santa Anita Park on Jan 25. However, a minor leg injury was discovered after a scheduled gallop which will sideline the graded stakes winner until the summer, possibly even longer, according to trainer Jay Robbins.

Bad news for Johnny Eves means good news for two Palos Verdes Handicap competitors: runner-up Devoted Magic and third-place finisher Halo Najib. Five-year-old Devoted Magic, who is trained and co-owned by Jerry Hollendorfer, managed to hold on for second place in the Palos Verdes Handicap; in his previous outing, he won a feature race at Santa Anita by a dominating 6 lengths on Jan. 7. Halo Najib, who now calls the barn of Mike Mitchell home, made his 2009 debut in the Palos Verdes Handicap after a dismal finish in the Majestic Light Stakes on Aug. 1 and will be looking to continue his improving trend.

However, the high weight of 120 lbs will go to Georgie Boy, who launched himself into the spotlight with a stunning victory in the $300,000 Sunshine Millions Sprint at Santa Anita Park on Jan. 24. Georgie Boy runs well at the Santa Anita track – he had two consecutive victories on the synthetic Pro-Ride surface in 2008 (in the San Vincente Stakes and the San Filipe Stakes) before suffering an injury;  on the comeback trail, the Kathy Walsh-trainee notched a show finish in the Malibu Stakes before his Sunshine Millions win . With every outing, Georgie Boy has shown continued improvement, demonstrating his ability to relax off the pace and rally for the win. Garrett Gomez, who had the mount aboard the 4-year-old gelding for the Sunshine Millions, will again take the reins.

And looking to spoil Georgie Boy’s second race of 2009 could be the relatively unknown Rail Trip, who is trained by Ron Ellis. The San Carlos Handicap would be Rail Trip’s stakes debut after three consecutive wins, including a 5 ½-length win in an optional claiming race at Santa Anita Park on Jan. 30; Ellis may choose the $1M Santa Anita Handicap on March 7 for his talented charge instead.

Last year’s winner, Surf Cat, broke a five-race losing streak with his sensational rally from fifth place.  Who will take the $150,000 San Carlos Handicap this year?

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