Masochistic looks sharp for return

ARCADIA, Calif. – Everything old is new again for sprinters entered Saturday in the Grade 3 Midnight Lute Stakes at Santa Anita.

Masochistic, age 7, has a new trainer. Silent Bird has new equipment and a foot that is freshly recovered from an abscess. Americanize has a new lease on life.

Those stakes winners are the top contenders in the 6 1/2-furlong Midnight Lute, a $100,000 sprint that drew last year’s one-three finishers, Solid Wager and Tough Sunday; stakes winners Smokey Image and Calculator; and outsiders Ike Walker and Ohio.

Masochistic is expected to start favored in his first race in nearly eight months, and first since being transferred to trainer Bob Baffert. Masochistic also returns with historical baggage that includes medication violations in 2014 (sedative) and 2016 (steroid), both of which occurred prior to the trainer switch.

The gelding’s recent works for Baffert suggest the threetime graded stakes winner is ready to fire. If Masochistic is as good as he was a year ago, he could lead gate to wire.

However, the lightly raced Silent Bird and sharp Americanize pose legitimate challenges. Silent Bird has won 4 of 5 at Santa Anita, and is making his first start since a foot abscess forced him to scratch from a scheduled Nov. 3 comeback at Del Mar.

Trainer Mark Glatt believes Silent Bird is ready for a top effort in his first start back. The addition of blinkers could allow him to be closer to the pace.

“He has trained real well,” Glatt said.

One thing the trainer could not control is post – Silent Bird drew the rail. Glatt’s colorful reaction to the draw?

“You can’t print what I want to say,” he said.

Americanize, whose two recent starts are the best of his career, won the stakes from which Silent Bird scratched, and followed with a solid fourth in the Grade 1 Cigar Mile at Aqueduct last out. Trainer Simon Callaghan was prepared to give him a freshening afterward. Americanize had other ideas.

“We were going to give him a bit of time, but he came out of that race so good,” Callaghan said. “He’s one of those older horses that never leaves the feed tub, even when he is traveling. He’s really happy right now.”

Americanize, who benefits from a cutback in distance, should get a pressing trip drawn directly outside Masochistic.

Americanize has finished first or second in all eight of his dirt starts in California. The only off-the-board finishes in his career were in the Cigar Mile and when he lost his rider at the break of a March turf sprint.

Americanize is the only starter entering the Midnight Lute with back-to-back tripledigit Beyer Figures.

The Midnight Lute is race 8 on a nine-race Saturday card.