"He is definitely full of himself," Benavidez said, referring to the colt's raucous behavior while being led onto the track by a pony. "And that's a good sign." Pelirrojo is still eligible for all of his conditions with a career line of 4-2-0-0 and earnings of $57,000.
Pelirrojo, who was considered an early Kentucky Derby (gr. I) contender last year before suffering a knee injury in his sixth-place finish in the San Rafael Stakes (gr. II) Mar. 2, made his first appearance on the Southern California work tab since then, posting a half-mile in :49, handily, at Santa Anita Friday. The nearly white son of Flying Continental, who is trained by John Sadler, had been training for the past few months on a nearby farm."He put in a couple of three-eighths (works) on the farm and has only been back in the barn a few days," Sadler's assistant, Larry Benavidez, said. "We have no plans for him, but it's sure nice to have him back in the barn.