McAnally runs his best; Baffert his smallest

ARCADIA, Calif. – The best horse in a small stable and the smallest horse in the deepest stable seem complete opposites – one runs long on turf, the other runs short on dirt.

And yet She’s Our Charm and Microrithms actually share a number of similarities. Both are trained by Hall of Famers, both employ the same style of running, and Friday at Santa Anita, both will try to win second-level allowance races by leading gate to wire.

Ron McAnally trains, owns, and bred She’s O ur Charm, the likely pacesetter in the fifth race at a mile on turf.

“She’s the best horse we have in our barn,” McAnally said. The number has dwindled. “Right now, we have seven. It used to be 87.”

Bob Baffert trains Microrithms, the tiny gelding expected to show the way in the seventh race at six furlongs on dirt.

“He’s the smallest horse in my barn,” Baffert said. “I want to say he’s maybe 15 hands.”

No matter. Microrithms has won 5 of 8.

She’s Our Charm’s rivals in race 5 include late runner Quick, Gypsy Spirit, Tapwater, Out of Balance, and Heathers Grey. Microrithms, entered for the $62,500 optional claim tag in race 7, faces Grinning Tiger, Pyron, Kneedeepinsnow, Surfing Star, California Street, and Champagneonme.

McAnally, 88, spends most mornings at Santa Anita’s Clocker’s Corner while assistant Dan Landers conducts the hands-on training of She’s Our Charm, a Candy Ride filly bred by McAnally’s wife, Deborah.

“We had a couple shares in Candy Ride, and we owned the mare,” McAnally said. “That’s a good scenario. And my wife loves the babies. That’s why we got into the breeding business. It’s paid off for us.”

In fact, She’s Our Charm’s pedigree is pure McAnally. Those in her family include homebred third dam Olympic Charmer, sired by McAnallytrained Grade 1 winner Olympio. Second dam Charm the Giant, a homebred, won stakes and produced a Grade 2 winner; the McAnallys bred the stakes-winning dam of She’s Our Charm.

Another is on the way. “We’ve got a full brother [to She’s Our Charm] coming up next year,” McAnally said, without even attempting to hide enthusiasm for the 2-year-old colt Rock Your World. He worked three furlongs Oct. 11 in a sharp 36 seconds.

As for She’s Our Charm, she set the pace and finished second last out in a similar allowance; the winner, Tonahutu, was dropping from a Grade 2 runner-up finish. She’s Our Charm, a two-time winner from six starts, will be ridden by the meet’s co-leading jockey Juan Hernandez. Favorites this meet have won 11 of the 19 turf miles.

The senior trainer at Santa Anita, McAnally loves horses as much as he did in his heyday when he trained the likes of John Henry, Paseana, Bayakoa, and Candy Ride.

“It takes the horse to put us where we are. You gotta love them,” McAnally said this week at Santa Anita. “I told my wife, when I die, you gotta put my ashes over there on the hill at the three-eighths pole.”

As for Baffert, 67, his operation continues to hum full speed. He won his sixth Kentucky Derby this year with Authentic and will try to add to his 15-win Breeders’ Cup tally next month with at least three early favorites – Improbable (Classic), Gamine (Filly and Mare Sprint), and Princess Noor (Juvenile Fillies).

Not all Baffert’s runners are champions, but they generally are reliable. That includes lightly raced 6-yearold Microrithms.

“He’s spent more time at the spa than he has at the racetrack,” Baffert said.

Microrithms has made just eight starts. But he has won five, including a pacepressing victory last out at the same level, second-level allowance/optional claiming.

Microrithms will be ridden by Drayden Van Dyke, who rode him to both wins this year after Microrithms returned from an 18-month layoff. The horse Microrithms dueled into submission last time out, Little Juanito, returned Monday to win a second-level allowance turf sprint.

The speedy Microrithms figures to wire the field as the favorite, while Grinning Tiger merits an upset chance moving from California-bred route stakes into a first-level allowance dirt sprint. Grinning Tiger scratched from the California Flag Stakes on Sunday to run Friday in the allowance sprint.