Johnny Eves upsets Malibu

Going into Wednesday's $250,000

Malibu S.

(G1) on opening day at Santa Anita, much of the attention was focused on

well-known graded stakes performers. None of them, however, could cope with the

California-bred gelding JOHNNY EVES (Skimming), whose lone previous stakes

attempt was a seventh in the California Cup Sprint. The Jay Robbins trainee

blazed seven furlongs on the revamped Cushion Track in 1:21 to steal the

spotlight from his more accomplished rivals, and turn a supposedly contentious

race into a clear-cut score.

Breaking sharply beneath David Flores, Johnny Eves led the way for the first

few strides, but he was content to let E Z Warrior (Exploit) put his head in

front through an initial quarter in :22. As Desert Code (E Dubai) ranged up

along the rail to vie with E Z Warrior, Johnny Eves bided his time as a

pace-pressing third. After the battling leaders reeled off a half-mile in :44,

the eventual winner took command on the far turn and spurted away en route to a

one-length tally. Dispatched as the 11-1 seventh choice in the 14-horse field,

Johnny Eves rewarded his backers with payouts of $24, $12 and $9.

"Down the backside, I was just trying to figure out what the speed was going

to do," Flores recapped. "At the five-sixteenths (pole), I just decided to go.

This horse is very sharp now. We don't know yet how good he is because he's

still learning."

The minor place-getters were likewise sent off at double-digit odds,

resulting in bonanza $1 exotics worth $451.20 (exacta), $8,831.50 (trifecta) and

$120,856.50 (5-8-10-7 superfecta). The 42-1 Carillero (Arg) (Royal Academy)

rallied from far back for runner-up honors by 1 1/2 lengths, returning $28 and

$14.40. Horse Greeley (Mr. Greeley) ran a fine race in his return from a

seven-month layoff, tracking the torrid pace throughout and keeping on well for

third. The 15-1 shot gave back $12.80 to show. Hurry Up Austin (Lake Austin),

the longest shot on the board at 54-1, rounded out the parade of longshots in

fourth, just a nose ahead of 3-1 favorite Les Grands Trois (Officer). Next came

Ididn'tdoanything (Trippi), Incriminate (Unbridled's Song), Silver Stetson Man

(Silver Charm), Divine Park (Chester House), Unusual Suspect (Unusual Heat),

Great Hunter (Aptitude), Cobalt Blue (Golden Missile), E Z Warrior and Desert

Code.

A homebred campaigned by Mooncoin LLC, Johnny Eves has compiled a record of

10-5-2-0 with $324,720 in earnings. The bay broke his maiden in his third career

start versus state-breds in June, and in September, he cleared his first

allowance condition in open company. He didn't break well in his unsuccessful

stakes debut in the Cal Cup, but he rebounded with a wire-to-wire victory in an

allowance/optional claimer at Hollywood Park last time out.

Johnny Eves is out of Capote's Halo (Capote) and has an unraced juvenile

half-sister named Sunday Ride (Sunday Break [Jpn]).