Shared Belief-
Positive:
- Unbeaten in seven starts
- Has raced at Santa Anita (Awesome Again)
- Has posted a six furlong work
- Raced at the 1 1/4 mile distance (Pacific Classic)
Negative:
- Had a rough trip in the Awesome Again
- Gave it his all in prior start
- Has never worked over the Santa Anita track
Shared Belief (Candy Ride-Common Hope) is undefeated in seven races, including the Pacific Classic and the Awesome Again. He has started at grade one, two and three with an allowance race and, of course, his maiden race. His first graded win was the Hollywood Prevue (7 furlongs) with his next being the Cashcall Futurity (1 1/16 mile), where he beat Candy Boy and Tamarando. After a six month break due to an injury he came back and won an allowance race (6 furlongs) over older horses. Perhaps his latest win was his best win. In the Los Alamitos Derby Shared Belief stretched out to 1 1/8 mile and took the reins of his dirt debut, churning plenty of it into his competitors faces. Candy Ride raced in Argentina for half of his races and then won the American Handicap (1 1/8 mile) and the Pacific Classic (1 1/4 mile). Common Hope won her maiden before retiring with five starts. As you know, Shared Belief will always be a contender in my eyes.
Tonalist-
Positive:
- Has won three races at 1 1/4 mile or greater
Negative:
- Never started at SA
- Has never worked over SA track
As of now I believe Tonalist (Tapit-Settling Mist) can only win a grade one event a Belmont Park. He won the Peter Pan (1 1/8 mile), Belmont (1 1/2 mile) before managing a 2nd in the Jim Dandy (1 1/8 mile), a third in the Travers (1 1/4 mile) and then winning the Jockey Club Gold Cup (1 1/4 mile). He is by Tapit, out of Settling Mist. Tapit won the Laurel Futurity (1 1/16 mile) and the Wood Memorial (1 1/8 mile). He came ninth in the Kentucky Derby and the Pennsylvania Derby (1 1/8 mile). The grandson of Seattle Slew, Pulpit is the grandsire of Tonalist. He, like Tapit, won the Fountain of Youth, came second in the Florida Derby, won the Toyota Blue Grass (1 1/8 mile) and 4th came in the Kentucky Derby. Settling Mist won one out of nineteen races. Tonalist for sure has the pedigree but can he only win grade one events at Belmont?
Bayern-
Positive:
- Beat the Derby and Preakness winner (Pennsylvania Derby)
- Has won at Santa Anita
- Trained over the SA track
Negative:
- Came tenth at 1 1/4 mile
- Has early speed and usually fades
- Inconsistent runner
Bayern (Offlee Wild-Alittlebitearly) showed he wasn't just a sprinter with his wire to wire Haskell win and his domination over Chrome in the Pennsylvania Derby. Offlee Wild won the Holy Bull Stakes (1 1/16 mile). But didn't have much luck in grade one races, not winning for another year. His first grade one victory came in 2004 when he beat Funny Cide in the Massachusettes Handicap. He was challenged by four other horses in the Breeders' Cup Handicap. During his final win Offlee Wild, once again, beat Funny Cide in the Suburban Handicap. Offlee Wild is by the Icecapade stallion, Wild Again. He won the Breeders' Cup Classic (1 1/4th mile). Alittlebitearly was unraced. Yes, Bayern has proved himself. Yes, he is an amazing racer. But will he get stuck in a speed dual?
Moreno-
Positive:
- Worked over Santa Anita track
- Raced at SA
Negative:
- No work at 6 furlongs or longer
- Came 10th in '13 BCC
Moreno (Ghostzapper-Danceinthesunlight) is by one of my favorite sires, Ghostzapper, but I'm not too excited about this colt's races this year, other than his Whitney win over Palace Malice. He came 2nd in the Suburban Handicap (1 1/4 mile), 3rd in the Charles Town Classic Stakes (1 1/8 mile). Ghostzapper won the Vosburgh Stakes (6 1/2 furlongs), Tom Fool Handicap (7 furlongs), Breeders' Cup Handicap (1 1/8 mile), Woodward Stakes (1 1/8 mile), Breeders' Cup Classic (1 1/4 mile) and, his final race, the Met Mile. Sire of Ghostzapper, Awesome Again is the winner of the 1988 Stephen Foster (1 1/8 mile), '98 Whitney Handicap (1 1/8 mile), '98 Breeders' Cup Handicap, '98 Hawthorne Gold Cup, both 1 1/4 mile, and the '98 BC Classic (1 1/4 mile). Danceinthesunlight was unraced. She was by the '92 BC Classic victor, A.P. Indy. I really like Moreno's pedigree in the Classic.
Majestic Harbor-
Positive:
- Has won at SA
- Worked over the SA dirt
- Has had a six furlong work
Negative:
- Hasn’t won since June
- Came fourth the last time out at SA
I have found nothing interesting about Majestic Harbor (Rockport Harbor-Champagne Royal). His racing didn’t get serious until earlier this year, when he won the Tokyo City Cup (gr. III). He finished third in the Californian Stakes (1 ⅛ mile) and then won the Gold Cup at Santa Anita (1 ¼ mile). After that he came sixth in the TVG Pacific Classic (1 ¼ mile) and fourth in the Awesome Again Stakes (1 ⅛ mile). Rockport Harbor won the Nashua Stakes (1 mile), Remsen Stakes (1 ⅛ mile) and the Essex Stakes (1 1/16 mile). He came second in the Rebel Stakes (1 1/16 mile). Champagne Royal did nothing spectacular. Majestic Harbor could be a longshot (10/1-15/1) worthy of a good price.
Prayer for Relief-
Positive:
- Worked over Santa Anita’s track
- Raced at SA
Negative:
- Hasn’t trained at 6 furlongs or farther
- Never won in 2014
- Hasn’t won a race this year
Prayer for Relief (Jump Start-Sparklin Lil) won the Iowa Derby (1 1/16 mile), West Virginia Derby (1 ⅛ mile), Super Derby (1 ⅛ mile) and the Prairie Meadows Cornhusker (1 ⅛ mile). Jump Start won the Saratoga Special Stakes (6 ½ furlongs) and came second in the Champagne Stakes (1 1/16 mile). Sparklin Lil won nothing spectacular. Prayer for Relief should sit out this race and prepare for next year.
California Chrome-
Positive:
- Won at this distance
- Has beat two horses in this field
- Won at Santa Anita
- Worked at six furlongs
Negative:
- Came 6th in last start
- Came 4th against Tonalist
- Hasn’t worked over Santa Anita
California Chrome (Lucky Pulpit-Love the Chase) is the horse everyone wants to win. A dual classic winner, Kentucky Derby (1 ¼ mile) and the Preakness Stakes (1 3/16 mile), Chrome had three month break before coming back and finishing sixth in the Pennsylvania Derby (1 ⅛ mile). He won the Graduation Stakes (5 ½ furlongs), King Glorious Stakes (7 furlongs), California Cup Derby (1 1/16 mile), San Felipe Stakes (1 1/16 mile), Santa Anita Derby (1 ⅛ mile) and, of course, the Kentucky Derby and Preakness. Lucky Pulpit won three of his twenty-two starts. Love the Chase only broke her maiden. California Chrome hasn’t shown much improvement in his previous training but it looks like he’ll be a horse to beat.
V.E. Day-
Positive:
- Won the Travers Stakes in a fast closing pace
- BCC should have a lot of speed
- 7 furlong work
Negative:
- Hasn’t trained over the SA dirt
- Never started at Santa Anita
- Fifth his last time out
V.E. Day (English Channel-California Sunset) won the Travers Stakes. He started seven times; his worst placing was a fifth the Jockey Club Gold Cup. He won his maiden (1 mile) five months into the year. In July V.E. Day won an allowance (1 1/8 mile) before winning the Curlin Stakes (1 1/8 mile), beating Charge Now and Viva Majorca. English Channel won the Virginia Derby (1 1/4 mile), Canadian Turf Handicap (1 1/16 mile), Woodford Turf Classic (1 1/8 mile), United Nations Stakes (1 3/8 mile), and the Breeder's Cup Turf (1 1/2 mile). California Sunset is unstarted. She is by Deputy Minister, the 2-Year Old Eclipse Award winner. V.E. Day has the pedigree but I'm a little worried about his fifth in the Jockey Club Gold Cup.
Zivo-
Positive:
- 2nd in the JCGC
- Won the Suburban Handicap
Negative:
- No stamina works
- No works at Santa Anita
- Hasn’t started at SA
Zivo (True Direction-American Skipper) is an obvious threat to this race. The only time he finished worse than third was in the Woodward Stakes, which also happened to be his first attempt at the grade one level. His sire wasn't the best of racers and neither was his dam but I can't wait to see what Zivo does in this grade one.
Imperative-
Positive:
- Raced at Santa Anita
- Training at SA
- Has a 6 furlong work
Negative:
- Never won at Santa Anita
- Came fifth the last time out
- Never won a grade one race
Imperative (Bernardini-Call Her) got his big break with a second in the San Antonio Stakes (1 1/8 mile), a 3rd in the Gold Cup at Santa Anita (1 1/4 mile) and a win in the Charles Town Classic (1 1/8), all of which he beat fellow runner Game On Dude. Bernardini was a rather accomplished runner with a win in the Withers (1 mile), Preakness Stakes (1 3/16 mile), Jim Dandy (1 1/8 mile), Travers (1 1/4 mile) and the Jockey Gold Cup (1 1/4 mile). He came 2nd in the Breeders' Cup Classic. Call Her was a black-type winner but only had one win of the type. Imperative has the pedigree and has beat some of these horses at least once but he isn't a very consistent runner.
Candy Boy-
Positive:
- Won at Santa Anita
- 6 furlong work
- Training at Santa Anita
Negative:
- Hasn’t won since the Robert B. Lewis (Santa Anita)
- Lost last three races
Candy Boy (Candy Ride-She's an Eleven) came second in both of his last races and third in the Pennsylvania Derby. Other than his maiden, his only win was the Robert B. Lewis Stakes (1 1/16 mile). Candy Ride raced in Argentina for half of his races and then won the American Handicap (1 1/8 mile) and the Pacific Classic (1 1/4 mile). Candy Ride raced in Argentina for half of his races and then won the American Handicap (1 1/8 mile) and the Pacific Classic (1 1/4 mile). He went six-for-six and concluded his racing career in 2003. She's An Eleven broke her maiden before winning the Melair Stakes (1 1/16 mile). She came fifth in the Black-Eyed Susan Stakes (1 1/8 mile), fourth in the Hollywood Breeders' Cup Oaks (1 1/16 mile) and sixth in the Lady's Secret Stakes (1 1/16). Candy Boy may not win but it'd be something special if he did but he can be a threat in the the top four.
Big Cazanova-
Positive:
- Raced at Santa Anita
- 6 furlong work
- 1 mile work
Negative:
- Seventh in last start
- Didn’t break his maiden until May
For Big Cazanova (Giant's Causeway-Gem Bob) all I have to say is bye, bye! He came seventh in his last start and has done nothing spectaular.
Toast of New York-
Positive:
- Finished second to Shared Belief (Pacific Classic)
Negative:
- No recorded workouts
- Hasn’t tried the Santa Anita dirt
Toast of New York (Thewayyouare-Claire Soleil) is going to be dropped. He started twice in America which resulted in a second and a sixth. He is a very inconsistent runner and has no recorded trainings.
Footbridge-
Positive:
- Six furlong work
- Raced at Santa Antia
- Training at Santa Anita
Negative:
- Never won a graded stakes
Footbridge (Street Cry (IRE)-Thousand Islands (GB) may be ignored in this race for lack of experience but I think he may be a true contender. Street Cry came second in the Del Mar Futurity (7 furlongs) and Norfolk Stakes (1 mile). He came third in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (1 1/16 mile). He won the UAE Two Thousand Guineas, Dubai World Cup and the Stephen Foster Handicap (1 ⅛ mile). Thousand Islands did nothing special.
Cigar Street-
Positive:
- N/A
Negative:
- No works 6 furlongs or above
- One graded stakes win (Skipaway Stakes- 3/30/13)
- Won last race
