Caracortado installed as odds-on choice in Sensational Star

Caracortado, an electrifying last-to-first winner of the Grade 3 Daytona

Stakes on January 8, will try to work magic over Santa Anita's downhill turf

once again in Saturday's $100,000 Sensational Star Stakes. The Mike Machowsky

trainee has been installed as the 4-5 morning-line favorite in the about 6

1/2-furlong dash, one of a trio of restricted stakes that serve as an ersatz

Sunshine Millions at Santa Anita.

With the demise of the old Sunshine Millions format of races pitting

Florida-breds versus California-breds, Gulfstream Park has filled the void with

six stakes for Florida-breds Saturday. Santa Anita has likewise revamped its

card, placing three stakes for California-bred or -sired runners on the Saturday

program anchored by the Grade 1 Santa Monica Stakes and the Grade 3 Santa Ysabel

Stakes. Santa Anita's two graded races will be drawn as usual Wednesday.

The restricted stakes -- the Sensational Star, the $100,000 Valentine Dancer

for distaffers at a mile on turf and the $100,000 Crystal Water over 1 1/16

miles on the main track -- were drawn Sunday, in concert with Gulfstream's

Florida Sunshine Millions races. The Santa Anita trio will be joined with three

of the Gulfstream races to form a special LUCK Pick 6, with a guaranteed pool of

$250,000, to celebrate the upcoming Sunday premier of the HBO series.

Caracortado had spent most of 2011 at a mile or nine furlongs on turf,

capturing the Sunshine Millions Turf and Grade 2 Del Mar Mile Handicap and

missing narrowly in the Grade 1 Frank E. Kilroe Mile and Grade 1 Shoemaker Mile.

The honest gelding shortened up to five furlongs for the Breeders' Cup Turf

Sprint, where he uncharacteristically chased the early pace out wide before

finishing fifth.

Machowsky decided to make a rider change to Rafael Bejarano for the Daytona.

Allowed to drop far back off the fast pace, Caracortado was 13 lengths behind at

one point, and still appeared to be out of the race altogether as late as the

eighth-pole. Then the late runner fired the afterburners and inhaled the short

field, leaving Turf Sprint winner Regally Ready back in a dead-heat third.

Caracortado will reunite with Bejarano from post 5 in the Sensational Star,

his tune-up for another crack at the Kilroe Mile on March 3. He will break just

to the outside of his leading opponent, Compari, the 5-2 second choice in post

4.

Compari won the 2010 Sensational Star in the midst of a six-race winning

streak, capped by that year's Grade 2 Arcadia Handicap. The Marty Jones charge

has been quick to round into form off a layoff. Runner-up to Mr Gruff in his

comeback in the November 18 Night Mover at Hollywood Park, Compari landed a

one-mile optional claimer at Santa Anita January 5. Bejarano had been his

partner of late, but Mike Smith picks up the mount here.

Other contenders include Ain't No Other, third in the Grade 3 Morvich down

the hill two starts ago; Mega Heat, who shortens up off a close fourth in the

Cal Cup Classic; and Luckarack, fourth in the Grade 1 Malibu on the dirt.

Classy mare Unzip Me is a past master of the downhill course herself, but on

Saturday, she will instead step up to a mile for the first time in the Valentine

Dancer. A stablemate of Compari's from the Jones barn, Unzip Me has been beaten

as the favorite in two of her last three in turf sprints, suggesting that she

might be ready for a slightly longer distance at this point in her career. She

exits a dead-heat third when trying to defend her title in the Grade 3 Monrovia

on January 2. Regular rider Bejarano will guide the 5-2 morning-line choice from

post 7 in a 10-horse field.

Antares World, runner-up in the Grade 1 American Oaks in 2010, most recently

landed the December 17 Pacific Heights at Golden Gate Fields. She will renew

rivalry Saturday with Pacific Heights runner-up Halo Dolly, who has since come

back to dominate a Golden Gate allowance for Jerry Hollendorfer.

Also worthy of respect are La Sombre, an Unusual Heat filly coming off a

smashing score down the hill; Machowsky's Hollywood allowance heroine Cayanna;

California Nectar, winner of last year's Grade 2 Santa Ynez who reverts to turf

off a seventh in the Grade 1 La Brea; and Secret Cove, successful in four of her

last six.

The Crystal Water used to be on turf, but has been moved to the main track.

Holladay Road employs the turf-to-dirt angle, having finished a close third in

the Cal Cup Classic and captured a grassy allowance in his last pair for Julio

Canani. Bejarano takes over the mount aboard the 5-2 chance from the sidelined

Garrett Gomez.

The Doug O'Neill-trained Thirtyfirststreet rates as the early 2-1 favorite in

the wake of an optional claiming romp at this same track and trip. The

stakes-winning four-year-old picks up the services of Joel Rosario. Rounding out

the competitive field of six are Legal Separation and Grade 3-placed Spud

Spivens, the respective second and third from the On Trust; Bluegrass Reward;

and Macho Dorado, who makes his first start off the claim for Bob Hess Jr.