Kanthaka, Emboldened look east

ARCADIA, Calif. – The two sprint stakes for 3-year-olds run last Saturday at Santa Anita may turn out to be preps for major stakes on June 9 at Belmont Park instead of stakes in Southern California later that month.

Kanthaka won the Grade 3 Laz Barrera Stakes at seven furlongs for his second stakes win this year, both around one turn. On Sunday, Terry Finley, the chief executive of owner West Point Thoroughbreds, said Kanthaka is being considered for the Grade 2 Woody Stephens Stakes for 3-year-olds at seven furlongs at Belmont Park on June 9, Belmont Stakes Day.

“That’s the target as of right now,” Finley said in a text message.

Kanthaka is unbeaten in three starts at seven furlongs, including a maiden race Dec. 26 and the Grade 2 San Vicente Stakes in February.

Kanthaka was tried in two Triple Crown distance prep races this year, finishing third to Bolt d’Oro in the Grade 2 San Felipe Stakes here March 10 and sixth behind Good Magic in the Grade 2 Blue Grass Stakes on April 7 at Keeneland.

Trained by Jerry Hollendorfer, Kanthaka won the $100,345 Barrera Stakes by three-quarters of a length over Beautiful Shot, a sprint-stakes winner last fall. Ridden by Flavien Prat, Kanthaka saved ground to early stretch before closing between horses.

“That was a good effort by the horse and a good effort by Prat,” Hollendorfer said in the winner’s circle.

Emboldened, a 14-1 outsider, won her stakes debut Saturday in the $83,225 Angels Flight Stakes at seven furlongs for fillies, closing from ninth in a field of 10 to win by 2 1/4 lengths over Moonshine Memories, the 3-2 favorite.

Trainer Bob Baffert said after the race that two options for Emboldened are the Grade 1 Acorn Stakes, a $700,000 race at a mile for 3-year-old fillies June 9 at Belmont Park, and the Grade 2 Summertime Oaks, a $200,000 race at 1 1/16 miles here June 16.

Baffert has won four of the last nine runnings of the Acorn, including last year with division champion Abel Tasman.

Moonshine Memories, who closed from sixth in the Angels Flight, is bound for the Acorn, trainer Simon Callaghan said Sunday.

“Although we didn’t win, we were happy with her run,” Callaghan said. “She’ll move forward.”

Eurton eyes Affirmed

The next graded stakes for 3-year-olds at Santa Anita is the Grade 3 Affirmed Stakes at 1 1/16 miles on June 10. Trainer Peter Eurton said he might run either Dark Vader or Core Beliefs in the $100,000 Affirmed. Dark Vader won an optional claimer here Friday, and Core Beliefs was second in the Grade 3 Peter Pan Stakes on Saturday at Belmont.

Eurton has the Grade 3 Los Alamitos Derby on July 14 as a summer goal for Dark Vader, who won a maiden race there last December.

The Eurton-trained filly Uppercut was pulled up in the stretch of the Angels Flight and was walked back to the barn area. Eurton said Sunday that jockey Mike Smith pulled up Uppercut as a precaution and that the filly showed no injury.