Fury Kapcori will look to repeat his success in the $100,000 Precisionist Stakes (gr. III) April 30 at Santa Anita Park.
The 5-year-old son of Tiznow owned by Rick Awtrey, George Todaro, and trainer Jerry Hollendorfer is the lone graded-stakes winner in the field of nine for the 1 1/16-mile test, with his 5 3/4-length victory in last year's edition of the Precisionist.
He took the field gate-to-wire last year, but could be tested for the lead by speedy opponents Appealing Tale, Mystery Train, and Motown Men. Fury Kapcori will break from post 2 with first-time rider Drayden Van Dyke.
Motown Men and Mystery Train appear to be the most formidable front-end challengers.
By Decarchy, Motown Men is making his first graded-stakes appearance since 2011, but the 6-year-old gelding is coming off a 7 1/2-length allowance/optional claiming romp at Santa Anita April 10. He'll break from the outside post with return jockey Tyler Baze.
Mystery Train, by Not for Sale and bred in Argentina, is only making his fourth start since relocating from South America in mid-2014, but put in his best U.S. effort in the April 21 Mineshaft Handicap (gr. III) at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots, in which he finished second. Fury Kapcori and Mystery Train will be the co-highweights, carrying 121 pounds, while the rest of the field will load with 119. The ridgling will pick up jockey Santiago Gonzalez and leave post 6.
With competition for the lead, the race could set up best for another Argentina-bred, Catch a Flight. A stalking runner, the son of Giant's Causeway was third—behind Shared Belief and Moreno —in the Santa Anita Handicap (gr. I) last time out March 7. With regular rider Gary Stevens in Kentucky, Flavien Prat will be in the irons for trainer Richard Mandella.
Sammy Mandeville, Rousing Sermon, Blue Tone, and Magic Mark, round out the field.
Santa Anita Park, Saturday, May 02, 2015, Race 10Entries: Precisionist S. (G3)
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 1Sammy Mandeville (KY) Alex O. Solis 119 Doug F. O'Neill - 2 2Fury Kapcori (KY) Drayden Van Dyke 121 Jerry Hollendorfer - 3 3Rousing Sermon (CA) Mario Gutierrez 119 Jerry Hollendorfer - 4 4Appealing Tale (KY) Edwin A. Maldonado 119 Peter Miller - 5 5Catch a Flight (ARG) Flavien Prat 119 Richard E. Mandella - 6 6Mystery Train (ARG) Santiago Gonzalez 121 Darrell Vienna - 7 7Blue Tone (KY) Abel Cedillo 119 Robert B. Hess, Jr. - 8 8Magic Mark (CA) Fernando Hernandez Perez 119 Ronald W. Ellis - 9 9Motown Men (CA) Tyler Baze 119 Ted H. West -
