Aggie Engineer, Gladding clash in San Antonio

San Pasqual H. (G2) and Native Diver H. (G3) scorer AGGIE ENGINEER (E Dubai)

will look to keep his winning ways intact when he lines up for Sunday's $150,000

San

Antonio H. (G2) at Santa Anita. Trained by Paddy Gallagher, the six-year-old

gelding will face at least a couple of familiar foes when he lines up for the 1

1/8-mile event, but his main opposition could come from new challenger GLADDING

(Sarava), who exits a sharp allowance/optional claiming victory over the track

on December 29. The promising four-year-old gelding will make his stakes debut

Sunday for John Sadler.

Seven horses were entered for the San Antonio on the main track, but Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile

(G1) winner Dakota Phone was cross-entered to Saturday's Thunder Road H. (G3) and

is expected to opt out in favor of the one-mile turf affair.

"The turf race is coming up with a lot of

speed and it looks like a better spot," Jerry Hollendorfer assistant Dan

Ward said of the late-running Dakota Phone.

Aggie Engineer appears to be the likely pacesetter. Unraced at two, the

late-blooming chestnut made only two starts as a three-year-old and proved more

effective at the allowance level until his last two starts. After returning from

a brief freshening with an easy allowance tally on Hollywood Park's Cushion

Track last October, he earned his first stakes win in the December 4 Native

Diver, leading wire to wire over nine furlongs for a 1 3/4-length decision.

Aggie Engineer changed tactics in the January 8 San Pasqual, rallying from off

the pace to triumph by 3 1/4 lengths in his first dirt start, but there isn't as

much early speed in the San Antonio. Joe Talamo retains the mount on the front

runner.

Gladding owns enough tactical speed to sit close to a soft pace, and the dark

bay Florida-bred has really come on his last two dirt starts. He broke his

maiden by 17 1/4 lengths at Calder three back and recorded a decent fourth when

making his first start against winners in a turf allowance next out. After being

transferred to Sadler, Gladding made a stylish Southern California debut

going a mile at Santa Anita, closely tracking the early leaders before pouncing

in the stretch, and registered a very encouraging 101 BRIS Speed rating for the

2 1/4-length victory. He will break from the rail with a returning Rafael

Bejarano.

SPURRIER (Dixieland Band) hails from the mighty Bob Baffert stable and merits

respect off his runner-up finishes in the Native Diver and San Pasqual. The

six-year-old drilled six furlongs in a bullet 1:11 Tuesday in advance of this

start, but he'll lose Bejarano to Gladding. Joel Rosario, who guided the gray

horse to an allowance/optional claiming win last time up, will regain the mount.

San Pasqual third-placer QUINDICI MAN (Came Home) will also return for the San

Antonio, and last-out allowance/optional claiming winners BIG SHOT SYD (Chapel

Royal) and PODE IR (Brz) (Crimson Tide) round out the field.