El Conejo

TRACK BANDIT GRADED PREVIEWS

Grade 1 winners JOHNNY EVES (Skimming), IN SUMMATION (Put it Back) and BLACK

SEVENTEEN (Is It True) lead a compact group of five postward in the $100,000

El Conejo H. (G3) at Santa Anita on New Year's Day. We like the latter.

Black Seventeen has always possessed a good deal of ability, and he's as good

as nearly any sprinter in the United States when he's right for Brian Koriner. The

chestnut, who bagged the prestigious Vosburgh S. (G1) two back, tired in the

lane in the Breeders' Cup Sprint (G1) while chasing the speedy pacesetter. We

acknowledge that the five-year-old is a better performer on dirt than synthetic, but he's classy and should

enjoy a dream trip throughout.

Clinton Potts retains the mount.

Johnny Eves topped a deep cast in the Vernon O. Underwood S. (G3) last out

for Jay Robbins, and the California-bred is a Grade 1 winner on this oval,

scoring in the 2007 Malibu S. (G1). The gelded bay showed a nice rating tactic

in the Underwood and has been training forwardly in preparation of this, so we

consider the five-year-old a big player if he runs his best.

In Summation is, in our view, a step below where he was when taking this race

last campaign for Christophe Clement, but the dark bay could still win this with

the right trip. Fourth in the Breeders' Cup Sprint (G1) most recently, the

Florida-bred hasn't won since January of 2008 but has kept good company, running

in Grade 1 events in three of his last four. Rafael Bejarano has the call.

MACHISMO (Trippi) will make his West Coast debut in here for John Sadler,

shipping in from Calder following a 4 1/2-length score for Joseph Calascibetta.

The gelded five-year-old lacks the credentials of most of these and was unplaced

in his lone synthetic try to date, but the bay is coming off a career-best 101

BRIS Speed figure and he fired a bullet three panels to ready for this test. We

consider the Florida-bred an exotics player at nice odds.

ITS IN GOD'S HANDS (In Excess [Ire]) has excellent early speed and could lead

this field to the stretch for Peter Miller, but the gray needs a to step up even

more to challenge against this crew. Martin Garcia will be in the irons.