San Fernando Stakes Top Contenders

by Bodog Racebook | Jan 10 2011

Bodog's Race of the Week is the $150,000 Gr. 2 San Fernando Stakes held at Santa Anita Park on Saturday, Jan. 15. This 1 1/16 mile race for 4-year-olds and up will mark the 2011 debut of Sidney's Candy, along with Do It All and Make Music For Me.

After a disappointing 2010 Kentucky Derby, the John Sadler-trained Sidney's Candy was tried on turf where he flourished. His 5 ½ length victory in the grass-run $150,000 Gr. 2 La Jolla Handicap at Del Mar seemed to indicate his preference for that surface. But after a troubling performance in the $2M Gr. 1 Breeders' Cup Mile at Churchill Downs on Nov. 6 – finishing sixth after setting the pace up to the final sixteenth – Sadler tried a different tack, sending his charge onto the newly laid dirt surface at Santa Anita Park for the $150,000 Gr. 3 Sir Beaufort Stakes on Dec. 26. There, the son of Candy Ride claimed victory by a stunning 7 ¼ lengths to cap off his 3-year-old campaign with $893,560 in earnings from 11 starts and a record of 6-2-0. A 5-furlong drill at Santa Anita Park was timed in 58.00 on Jan. 9 shows Sidney Candy should be primed for another excellent performance; Joel Rosario should get the call for Saturday's race.

Patrick Valenzuela is expected to be aboard Do It All, a Kentucky-bred 4-year-old making his first graded-stakes appearance. This late-bloomer broke his maiden at second asking at Keeneland on Oct. 29 and then won an allowance race to end off his 3-year-old campaign at Golden Gate Fields via disqualification on Dec. 11. Eoin Harty trains this son of Distorted Humor, who turned in a 5 furlong breeze in 1.00 at Hollywood Park on Jan. 10 in preparation for the San Fernando Stakes; how he will take to the dirt track at Santa Anita Park is still to be seen. Do It All finished 2010 with a record of 3-2-0-0 and $45,767 in earnings.

Another contender returning to dirt after a brief stint on turf is Make Music For me, an Alexis Barba-trained 4-year-old owned by Ellen and Peter Johnson. This son of Bernstein turned heads with his surprising fourth-place showing in the Kentucky Derby but failed to hit the board in the Belmont Stakes a month later. After a disappointing eighth-place finish in the Gr. 2 Oak Tree Derby at Hollywood Park on Oct. 16, Make Music For Me returned from a two-month layoff to win an allowance race over the same turf track. He finished off 2010 with $386,260 in earnings from 12 starts, and a record of 2-2-1.

Recent allowance optional claimer winners Victory With Honor (a Tiznow colt also trained by Harty) and Tweebster (a Tapit colt trained by Bob Baffert) are also among the expected.

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