Leading Score due for breakthrough

ARCADIA, Calif. – Leading Score, a 5-year-old horse trained by Bob Baffert, is something of an oddity among the five starters in Sunday’s $75,000 Comma to the Top Stakes at Santa Anita. He is the only runner in the small field who lost his last start.

Leading Score finished a nose behind Two Thirty Five in the Harry Brubaker Stakes at a mile at Santa Anita on Aug. 21. Two Thirty Five starts in the Comma to the Top Stakes at a mile with an excellent chance to achieve the same result.

Of the others, Midcourt won an allowance race with a $40,000 claiming option at Del Mar on Aug. 18, Oliver won the E.B. Johnston Stakes for Californiabreds at a mile at Los Alamitos on Sept. 7, and Ground Attack won an optional claimer here on Sept. 27.

Leading Score has yet to win a stakes, but has earned Baffert’s confidence. In recent weeks, Leading Score has worked with Roadster, the winner of the Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby in April.

“He’s been working with good horses,” Baffert said.

In the Brubaker, Leading Score was always near the front. He took the lead on the turn and led by 2 1/2 lengths before being caught in the final strides.

“It looked like he had it won,” Baffert said.

Two Thirty Five was beaten a length by Leading Score in an allowance race with a $62,500 claiming option at Del Mar on July 24 in his first start in two months. The Brubaker Stakes was Two Thirty Five’s first stakes win and the first time he was ridden by Abel Cedillo.

“He had a good trip for Cedillo that day,” trainer Richard Baltas said.

Two Thirty Five ran without success in two graded stakes at Del Mar in the summer of 2018, including a fourth in the Grade 2 San Diego Handicap. Two Thirty Five was rested last winter after being diagnosed with a splint bone injury.

“We gave him plenty of time off,” Baltas said.

In the Comma to the Top Stakes, Two Thirty Five starts from an outside post. He could benefit if Oliver and Leading Score set a quick pace.

“I think he’s better sitting off the pace,” Baltas said. “There is plenty of speed in there.

“I thought this race came up a little tough.”

A successful race on Sunday by Two Thirty Five could lead to a start in the Grade 3 Native Diver Stakes at 1 1/8 miles at Del Mar on Nov. 23, Baltas said. The first objective is a win on Sunday against four rivals who are in excellent form.

The Comma to the Top marks the stakes debut for the lightly raced Midcourt, who won a maiden special weight race at a mile here on June 2 in his third start for trainer John Shirreffs after having been trained by Peter Eurton. Similar to Two Thirty Five, Midcourt is a threat from off the pace.