Brickyard Ride one to catch

Trainer Craig Lewis thinks that, with luck, the first six furlongs of Saturday’s Grade 2 San Carlos Stakes at Santa Anita should go in favor of the speedy Brickyard Ride. The stretch run of the seven-furlong San Carlos is what concerns him.

“It’s going to be a lot of fun until the eighth pole, and then I’m going to start sweating,” Lewis said Thursday. “I think the last eighth will be a test.”

A 4-year-old colt, Brickyard Ride won the California Cup Sprint for statebreds at six furlongs on Jan. 16. Brickyard Ride led throughout and won by 3 1/4 lengths over Tigre Di Slugo, who is part of the San Carlos field.

The $200,000 San Carlos is the eighth race on an 11-race program that begins at noon Pacific. The program includes a mandatory payout in the 20-cent Rainbow pick six, which covers the sixth through 11th races.

Brickyard Ride races for owner and breeder Sonny Pais and has won 6 of 12 starts, including three of his last four races. In five of the six wins, Brickyard Ride scorched through an opening quartermile in less than 22 seconds.

Lewis expects jockey Alexis Centeno to have Brickyard Ride rolling in the San Carlos.

“He lets him run out of there and that’s what we want,” Lewis said.

The San Carlos Stakes is the first graded stakes for Brickyard Ride.

“I think this is a different caliber of horses,” Lewis said. “It looks like he could get loose, to me. It’s a question of whether he can compete at that level.”

The San Carlos drew a field of nine. There are four other stakes winners in the field in Extra Hope, Loud Mouth, Storm the Court, and Strong constitution.

Storm the Court was the champion 2-year-old male of 2019 on the basis of an upset win in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, but is winless in nine subsequent starts. Storm the Court was sixth in the Kentucky Derby in September and second, beaten threequarters of a length by Smooth Like Strait, in the Mathis Brothers Mile on turf here Dec. 26.

In his lone start this year, Storm the Court set the pace in the Grade 1 Pegasus World Cup Turf on Jan. 23 at Gulfstream Park and faded to finish seventh.

Storm the Court drew the rail in the San Carlos, and trainer Peter Eurton said the colt will attempt to set the pace.

“The break is everything,” Eurton said. “We’re definitely going to send and hope we can get the lead.”

Such a duel could hamper Brickyard Ride, but would aid Tigre Di Slugo, who breaks from the outside post and could be well placed for the first halfmile as a stalker.

“I have to think he’s going to be one of the favorites, if not the favorite,” trainer Mike Puype said.

Though confident in Tigre Di Slugo, Puype is concerned Brickyard Ride will be difficult to catch.

“We’ll hope that someone keeps Brickyard Ride occupied and we can put our punch in,” Puype said. “That sort of speed is a weapon on this racetrack. It goes and it never stops.”