Singletary, last year's upset winner of the NetJets Breeders' Cup Mile (gr. IT) who tired to finish seventh in his March 5 comeback race, is the 120-pound high weight in Saturday's $150,000 Arcadia Handicap (gr. IIT) at Santa Anita Park.
The 4-year-old
Sultry Song colt heads a small field of six older horses entered for the one mile Arcadia, which is on the grass.
Owned by the Little Red Feather Racing syndicate and trained by Don Chatlos, Singletary was purchased for $3,200 at the 2001 Keeneland October yearling sale. After earning $873,600 for his first grade I score, which came on a yielding turf at odds of 16-1 in the Breeders'Cup, his bankroll swelled to $1,439,732.
He picked an ambitious spot for his return in last month's Frank E. Kilroe Mile (gr. IT) at Santa Anita, where Singletary was part of a field of 10 that included nine graded or group winners. After stalking the leader Leroidesanimaux in third place into the stretch, he tired to be well beaten.
Singletary, who will be ridden again by Alex Solis, will not have Leroidesanimaux to deal with in the Arcadia. But the second and third-place finishers in the Kilroe will be lining up against him.
Buckland Manor, pinned down at the rail behind the front-running Leroidesanimaux for virtually the entire trip in the Kilroe, finally got free in the lane but too late to do anything but get second over a stubborn Sweet Return.
Sweet Return, like Singletary returning from a lengthy layoff in the Kilroe, pressed the winner on the outside before tiring in the late stages and settling for third.
Buckland Manor, to be ridden by Rene Douglas, and Sweet Return, with Corey Nakatani aboard, each receive three pounds from Singletary.
$150,000 Arcadia Handicap (gr. IIT), 4 & up, 1 mile (turf)PP. Horse, Weight, Jockey
1. Sweet Stepper (KY), 114, Mark Guidry
2. Runaway Dancer (KY), 113, Jose Valdivia, Jr.
3. Buckland Manor (KY), 117, Rene R. Douglas
4. Sweet Return (GB), 117, Corey S. Nakatani
5. Fail Me Not (ARG), 113, Lanfranco Dettori
6. Singletary (KY), 120, Alex O. Solis
