Sharp Samurai opens campaign with eye on Eddie Read Stakes

ARCADIA, Calif. – Sharp Samurai was a length from ending 2017 with five consecutive stakes wins on turf.

The winning streak stretched from June to late October and included two Grade 2 races – the Del Mar Derby and Twilight Derby – before ending with a fourth-place finish behind Mo Town in the Grade 1 Hollywood Derby last November.

By any measure, the campaign was a success, leading to high hopes for 2018.

Sharp Samurai will have his first start of the year Sunday at Santa Anita in an allowance race with a $75,000 claiming option at a mile on turf. The race is a prep the Grade 2 Eddie Read Stakes at 1 1/8 miles on turf at Del Mar on July 22, trainer Mark Glatt said.

“I think we’ve got him ready to go,” Mark Glatt said. “When you’re coming off a layoff, you hope you have him ready.

“Without getting too far ahead, we think it would be a good prep for the Eddie Read.”

Owned by Red Barons Barn, Rancho Temescal, and Glatt, Sharp Samurai has won 6 of 10 starts and earned $483,870.

“He had a good campaign as a 3-year-old,” Glatt said. “He’s keeping better weight on and looks stronger. He’s facing older horses for the first time and there is that element.”

Sharp Samurai is part of a strong field of six that includes stakes winners Arms Runner, Ashleyluvssugar, Catapult, and Isotherm.

Catapult, a 5-year-old horse owned by Woodford Racing, will have his first start at Santa Anita and first race for trainer John Sadler on Sunday. Previously trained by Chad Brown, Catapult won the Gio Ponti Stakes on turf at Aqueduct in November 2016 and was second in the Grade 2 Baltimore-Washington International Turf Cup Stakes at Laurel last September. The Eddie Read also could be next for the four-time winner.

Ashleyluvssugar, who has won six stakes, was a fast-closing fourth in the Crystal Water Stakes for California-bred turf milers on May 20 in his first start of the year.

“I don’t believe he had his best trip last time,” trainer Peter Eurton said. “He was way back and went a little wide. We were hoping to save some ground on the first turn.”

A 7-year-old gelding, Ashleyluvssugar could run in the California Dreamin’ Handicap for statebreds on turf at Del Mar on July 28 with a good performance on Sunday, Eurton said.

Hansen rebuilding stable

More than six months after losing half of his stable in the devastating wildfire that struck San Luis Rey Downs, trainer Scott Hansen won for the first time since September in Thursday’s fifth race at Santa Anita.

Frankie Machine ($37.60) won a $30,000 claiming race for maidens at a mile. For Hansen, Frankie Machine was his seventh starter of the year. The stable has slowly been rebuilt in recent months after losing 15 of its 30 horses in the fire last December.

“It’s been a struggle,” Hansen said after leaving the winner’s circle.

Hansen and his wife, Laura, own Frankie Machine, a 3-yearold gelding. Most of the horses in the stable are owned by Gary Broad, who Hansen said is planning to relocate to Kentucky in the next 12 months to focus on breeding.

“I think it will be this time next year,” Hansen said. “We’ve been struggling to make a deal on a farm.”

Hansen said his stable may be better suited to Kentucky, with greater opportunities for a wide range of claiming horses.

“There are more options of places to ship in the Midwest,” he said.

Hansen had a small stable for Broad at Keeneland earlier this year.

Three trainers new to Del Mar

Todd Fincher, a leading trainer in New Mexico, and James DiVito and Ian Wilkes, who are based in Kentucky, will have stables at Del Mar for the first time this summer, Del Mar track officials said earlier this week.

Fincher said Thursday that he plans to send approximately 10 horses to Del Mar, the first time he will race in California.

“I’ve always trained mostly New Mexico-breds, but we’ve started to branch out in the open market,” Fincher said.

Earlier this year, Fincher won the Sunland Derby with Runaway Ghost, who is recovering from injury and is expected to return to training late this summer, Fincher said.

DiVito, who has horses at Arlington Park and Churchill Downs, said he plans to send eight to 10 horses to Del Mar and plans to emphasize turf racing. Wilkes is expected to have approximately eight horses at Del Mar, track officials said.

Trainers Tom Proctor, Phil Oliver, and Wesley Ward are expected to participate at the summer meeting, which begins July 18. All have raced at Del Mar with success. Proctor won two graded stakes on turf at Del Mar last year with Cambodia. He is expected to have 12 horses at Del Mar this summer.