After making a detour for the Triple Crown trail this spring, Cecil Peacock's Indian Sun gets back on the grass May 17 at Hollywood Park, facing five sophomore rivals in the $100,000 Will Rogers Stakes (gr. IIIT) at one mile.
The Indian Charlie colt trained by Dan Hendricks has four starts on the turf with two wins and two seconds, including a runner-up showing in the Generous (gr. IIIT) last November at Hollywood.
Indian Sun put forth some good efforts against many of the best of his generation this spring. He is coming off three successive fourth-place finishes in grade II events -- the Arkansas Derby, the San Felipe and the Robert B. Lewis -- after beginning the season with a second in the San Rafael (gr. III) in January. Indian Sun sandwiched an allowance win on the turf at one mile at Santa Anita in the middle of those graded events. The bay also broke his maiden on Santa Anita's hillside turf course last fall.
Richard Migliore, who rode Indian Sun for the first time in the Arkansas Derby -- where they finished 6 1/2 lengths behind the victorious Gayego -- has the mount once more. Indian Sun has won two of nine starts and owns three second-place finishes while leading the Will Rogers field in total earnings with $222,600.
Diamond A Racing's homebred Tiz West brings back-to-back turf wins into the race for trainer Richard Mandella, including a three-quarter-length triumph in Santa Anita's La Puente at one mile last month. Victor Espinoza retains the mount on the Gone West colt who is undefeated on the lawn.
Two others, Ez Dreamer and Robscarvic, come into the Will Rogers off victories.
The irish-bred Robscarvic, conditioned by Paddy Gallagher, won an allowance heat at nine furlongs April 14 on the Santa Anita grass.
Triple AAA Ranch's Phoenix invader Ez Dreamer swamped his rivals by nine lengths in the Arizona Border Derby on the Turf Paradise main track April 26. The In Excess colt, trained by Dan McFarlane, has two starts on grass, both coming in Southern California, most recently finishing third behind Tiz West in the La Puente. He also ran second to Will Rogers rival Polonius in the Pasadena Stakes in March.
Polonius followed that front-running four-length score in the one-mile Pasadena with a try in the Santa Anita Derby (gr. I) April 5, weakening after pressing the pace to finish ninth for trainer Michael Pender.
Red Sky Dubai, most recently fourth in the six-furlong Harry Henson on the Hollywood turf for Molly Pearson, completes the field.
$100,000 Will Rogers Stakes (gr. IIIT, Race 2, 12:33 p.m.), 3-Year-Olds, 1 Mile (Turf)
PP. Horse, Weight, Jockey
1. Ez Dreamer (AZ), 119, Corey S. Nakatani
2. Tiz West (KY), 121, Victor Espinoza
3. Polonius (FL), 117, Jon K. Court
4. Indian Sun (KY), 117, Richard Migliore
5. Robscarvic (IRE), 117, Joel Rosario
6. Red Sky Dubai (FL), 115, Joseph Talamo
Trainer Dan Hendricks will send out Indian Sun in the Will Rogers.
