Creative Cause installed as 6-5 favorite in Santa Anita Derby

Creative Cause installed as 6-5 favorite in Santa Anita

Derby

Creative Cause, who confirmed his status as the leading Kentucky Derby contender

in California with a good-looking victory in the Grade 2 San Felipe Stakes, will look to keep his momentum rolling when he lines for Saturday's $750,000

Santa Anita Derby, a Grade 1 event that has produced 15 Kentucky Derby winners.

The Mike Harrington-trained colt tops a field of nine entered to the 75th

running of the 1 1/8-mile event.

A Grade 1 winner at two, Creative Cause recorded an excellent third in the

Breeders' Cup Juvenile and has never finished more than a length behind at the

wire in any of his seven career starts. The gray colt proved best by

three-quarters of a length when prevailing over the highly-regarded and

slightly-favored Bodemeister in in the March 10 San Felipe. That rival will

bypass the Santa Anita Derby and Creative Cause has been installed as the 6-5

favorite Saturday with jockey Joel Rosario, who is headed for his second

consecutive Santa Anita riding title.

Creative Cause drew the rail and will attempt to give his 27-year-old jockey

and 71-year-old trainer their first wins in Santa Anita's historic race for

three-year-olds.

Interestingly, Harrington removes blinkers from his stable star, who has

never raced without the headgear in place.

I'll Have Another, who posted a stunning 43-1 upset when returning from a

six-month layoff in the Grade 2 Robert B. Lewis Stakes, is the top challenger.

Listed as the 5-2 second choice, I'll Have Another registered an excellent 102

BRIS Speed rating for the 2 3/4-length victory and has been freshened 63 days

off the Lewis. Mario Gutierrez retains the mount for Doug O' Neill.

Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert, who has saddled six of the past 16 winners

of the Santa Anita Derby including 13-1 outsider Midnight Interlude last year,

entered three runners in Saturday's field: Liaison, Paynter and

Blueskiesnrainbow. Liaison, the 8-1 co-third choice in the Santa Anita Derby

field, is the most accomplished member of the trio, winning last December's

Grade 1 CashCall Futurity, but is winless in two starts this year. Paynter, who

will jump immediately to stakes company after capturing his career debut on

February 18, is listed at 12-1, and two-time winner Blueskiesnrainbows, who

could have been claimed for $30,000 last December, is 20-1 on the morning line.

Holy Candy needed four starts to break his maiden, but the well-regarded colt

exits a dazzling 3 1/2-length score in which he galloped out strongly after the

wire. He is also 8-1 with jockey Alonso Quinonez.

Midnight Transfer, third in the San Felipe after taking the six-furlong San

Pedro Stakes, is pegged at 10-1

"I'll be a longshot in the Santa Anita Derby, but it is what it is," said

Carla Gaines, who trains Midnight Transfer for Warren Williamson. "Mr.

Williamson (who is 83) is having some health issues. He wants to see his horse

run here and he wants to try the Derby, so the pressure is off. We're going to

do it and see what happens."

Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith replaces Victor Espinoza, who is sidelined

with a broken hand.

The last maiden to win the Kentucky Derby was Broker's Tip in 1933, and such

an occurrence has yet to transpire in the Santa Anita Derby. Brother Francis,

therefore, faces an enormous challenge. But he closed strongly to finish third

behind Liaison and Rousing Sermon in the CashCall Futurity at 1 1/16 miles, and

the extra sixteenth may suit the winless son of Lion Heart trained by James

Cassidy. Garrett Gomez takes over for Espinoza aboard Brother Francis, a 20-1

longshot.

Multiple stakes-placed Senor Rain, a recent allowance/optional claiming

winner, rounds out the field at 15-1.

The Santa Anita Derby will be contested as the 6TH race on a card that

includes the Grade 2 Potrero Grande Stakes, Grade 3 Providencia Stakes and

American Beauty Stakes.

The $150,000 Potrero Grande was the vehicle that launched Amazombie on his

ascent to Breeders' Cup stardom and a subsequent Eclipse Award last year, as it

provided the California-bred son of Northern Afleet with his first graded stakes

victory for trainer Bill Spawr, who co-owns the gelding with Thomas Sanford.

A repeat in the 6 1/2-furlong event will get Amazombie back on track after

finishing third behind The Factor in the Grade 2 San Carlos Stakes on February

25, his return to racing after scoring at 7-1 in the Breeders' Cup Sprint at

Churchill Downs.

Amazombie will face no easy task in his second start of 2012 in a field of

nine that includes trainer Jeff Bonde's Sway Away, who defeated Amazombie by 1

3/4 lengths when second in the San Carlos, and trainer Mike Mitchell's Camp

Victory, who has twice beaten Amazombie. The Potrero Grande will be contested as

the day's ninth race.

Mike Smith, who regularly rides Amazombie, welcomes a field larger than the

five that took part in the San Carlos.

"It would have been nicer if there were more horses and a little more pace,"

Smith commented after the San Carlos. "The first race back going seven-eighths

is always really tough, especially with those caliber or horses. I was happy

with his race, and I know he has a whole lot of room to improve."

In the afternoon's third graded stakes race, Killer Graces heads a lineup of

seven three-year-old fillies going 1 1/8 miles on turf in the 32nd running of

the $150,000 Providencia Stakes.

The Providencia will mark the first start on turf for the daughter of

Congaree who won the Grade 1 Hollywood Starlet last December at Hollywood Park

and who ran second to subsequent Grade 1 Santa Anita Oaks winner Willa B Awesome

in the Grade 3 Santa Ysabel Stakes at Santa Anita on January 28. Trained by

Jerry Hollendorfer, Killer Graces will be ridden for the first time by Rafael

Bejarano while carrying high weight of 123 pounds.

Following three successive stakes victories in England, Irish-bred Belle

Royale will make her U.S. debut for trainer Simon Callaghan in the $75,000

American Beauty Stakes for older fillies and mares at one mile on turf. Rosario

rides the four-year-old Val Royal filly, who earned $161,611 in Great Britain

from an 8-7-0 record in 24 starts. She carries high weight of 123 pounds in the

field of nine.