The San Felipe Stakes entices Mastery this Saturday at Santa Anita and although this is not the most potent renewal of this race, Mastery can move forward. With a win he will earn 50 points and guarantee himself a chance to race in the Kentucky Derby.
The Grade 2 $400,000 mile and a sixteenth San Felipe Stakes has lured six stakes winners and a maiden. The winner of the San Felipe Stakes has some big shoes to fill. Triple Crown winner Affirmed won this race in 1978. Sunday Silence won the San Felipe Stakes and went on to win the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes. Most recently California Chrome won this race in 2014 and also earned glory at Churchill Downs on the first Saturday in May.
Let’s start with the non-winner from the extreme outside. Bluegrass Envy has not made anybody jealous so far. He has raced five times in his career and the best he has done is a second. In his lone route attempt, he was in a good position early but faded to fifth. The Gulfstream Park interloper has basically one thing going for him and that is his sibling Casiguapo could run some. That racer was Grade 1 placed in the Hopeful and earned $375,000. Bluegrass Envy will likely be the longest shot on the tote board.
Term of Art drew the rail for the San Felipe Stakes and although he broke his maiden at Santa Anita, he has some things to prove. In his most recent race Term of Art was dead last early and made little impact against one of his rivals today, Gormley.
Gormley could very well be the second choice in the San Felipe Stakes. He took the Grade 1 FrontRunner last year and bobbled in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile losing his best chance. Trained by John Shirreffs, who conditioned the great Zenyatta, Gormley was extra game winning the Sham Stakes last time by a head.
Iliad will also get his share of support. This runner was dull in his debut but he has won twice since, the last in the Grade 2 San Vicente. He has to prove he can carry his speed a route of ground.
Vending Machine is a nice horse and his connections have options. This runner has won on the grass and on dirt at Santa Anita. He really has been an overachiever since he broke his maiden in Arcadia in a $50,000 claiming race. He was fried in a duel last time in the Golden Gate Derby and the pace projects even faster today. For those that like Vending Machine, one positive is that he has a nice pedigree. His sibling Comma to the Top was a Grade 1 winner that earned over $1.3 million.
Ann Arbor Eddie carried the Michigan fans hopes into the El Camino Stakes last time but he tired, was lugging out and was disqualified to fourth.
That leaves us with the favorite Mastery. He is trained by Bob Baffert, who won the San Felipe Stakes five times. Bet like a good thing to start his career, Mastery took his rivals all the way home sprinting as the prohibitive chalk at Santa Anita. He returned about a month later and would have made the USO troops giddy with a win in the Grade 3 Bob Hope. Rested for nearly two months, Mastery proved his grit at a route of ground. He was on the pace from the get go in the Los Alamitos Futurity, made the lead at the top of the stretch, and drew off to win by over seven lengths with a 91 Beyer Speed Figure.
The biggest challenged to Mastery early on with by Iliad. The Doug O’Neill student recorded an 1:08 and change six-furlong split on his way to his San Vicente win. Iliad has a right to love this route distance as sibling Melmich won eleven routes and earned almost $600,000.
The feeling is that Mastery can settle if need be. He has trained fast for this race. He posted a 1:12 bullet work at Santa Anita in February and he showed he is feeling pretty good about himself in his drill last Sunday. That day Mastery earned another best of the morning workout.
Hall of Fame jockey will ride Mastery, hopefully to victory, and this pair may very well have a sensational destiny ahead.
San Felipe Stakes Entices Mastery
