CONTINGENCY PLAN IN EVENT OF SATURDAY RAIN OUT WOULD MOVE GR. III SHAM TO
SUNDAY IN ADDITION TO JOE HERNANDEZ STAKES
ARCADIA, Calif. (March 4, 2010) – As a contingency plan should weather on
Saturday lead to a second cancellation of the $150,000 Sham Stakes at 1 1/8
miles, the Grade III event for 3-year-olds would become an additional race, the
10th, on Sunday’s Santa Anita program.
The nine-race card is due to be highlighted by its seventh race, the $55,000 Joe
Hernandez Stakes at 6 ½ furlongs on turf. The Sham will be carded provisionally
on Sunday and will only be run in the event of a possible rain out Saturday. The
Sham, originally scheduled for Feb. 27, is a major prep for the Gr. I Santa
Anita Derby on
April 3.
The field of 10 Santa Anita Derby aspirants would remain the same as drawn for
Saturday should stormy weather intervene. Rain is in the forecast for Saturday
with a lesser chance expected on Sunday.
The third running of the Joe Hernandez attracted a contentious field of eight
with five of the entrants owning victories over Santa Anita’s downhill turf
course and another having scored in a stakes race at one mile on grass.
Mr Gruff, who will be ridden by Joel Rosario, has won 3 of 4 starts over the
layout including last year’s Grade III San Simeon Stakes, his last start on
April 18. Gary Broad’s lightly-raced 6-year-old Mr. Greeley gelding has been
training forwardly for Ron Ellis in preparation for his return.
Stonerside took the 2008 San Simeon for trainer Julio Canani. Victor’s Cry is
coming off a sharp victory in an allowance event down the hill for Eoin Harty.
Get Funky has posted two victories over the course and ran second to 2009
Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint champion California Flag in the last two runnings of
Oak Tree’s Grade III Morvich Handicap. Dance With Gable has won both his starts
down the hill including Oak Tree’s California Sky Stakes last October for Mike
Machowsky. Gallant Son, conditioned by Frank Lucarelli, captured the Pasadena
Stakes at one mile over the Santa Anita turf in March of last year.
One of two entrants trained by John Sadler along with Machismo, Keith Abrahams’
Get Funky is the most accomplished of the competitors. Bred by Larry Stewart in
Florida, the 7-year-old son of Straight Man has earned $677,165 from a 7-4-2
record in 27 starts. Tyler Baze has the mount.
The legendary Joe Hernandez was the original “Voice of Santa Anita,” who called
races from the track’s opening day on Christmas of 1934 until his death in 1972.
It is expected that his son, Father Frank Hernandez, will attend.
The complete field for the Joe Hernandez Stakes, with jockeys and weights in
post position order: Victor’s Cry, Garrett Gomez, 118; Mr Gruff, Joel Rosario,
116; Machismo, Joe Talamo, 120; Gallant Son, Mike Smith 116; Get Funky, Tyler
Baze, 116; Sangaree, Martin Garcia, 116; Dance With Gable, Rafael Bejarano, 120,
and Stoneside, Martin Pedroza, 116.
First post time on Sunday is 12:30 p.m.