The $400,000 Triple Bend Stakes (G1) might not have the star power that was expected—grade 1-winning rivals Roy H and Ransom the Moon were not entered—but a top-level performer still remains in the six-horse field March 10 at Santa Anita Park.
Suzanne and William K. Warren Jr.'s City of Light burst onto the scene with an impressive, front-running score in the Malibu Stakes (G1) Dec. 26, and trainer Michael McCarthy has the Quality Road colt set for his 4-year-old debut in the Triple Bend, at the same seven-furlong distance.
"It's a grade 1, and everyone in there's got a great shot at winning," McCarthy said. "We think, if we run our same race right back, we'll be awfully tough."
ANGST: City of Light Shines in Malibu Stakes
That statement would be hard to argue with, considering the Triple Bend's second choice on the morning line (5-2 to City of Light's 9-5) is the second-place finisher from the Malibu, Hronis Racing's Edwards Going Left.
The California-bred son of Midnight Lute built on his Malibu performance in his first start of 2018, a six-length romp in the Jan. 27 Donald Valpredo California Cup Sprint. Since he was claimed for $50,000 in February 2017, Edwards Going Left has racked up seven wins and $381,390 in earnings.
BALAN: Edwards Going Left Dominates California Cup Sprint
"I'm heartbroken (about champion Roy H not entering)," joked owner Kosta Hronis. "Edwards just keeps getting better, and when we claimed him, we were just looking for a Cal-bred."
Another Triple Bend entrant who is proven at seven furlongs is 2017 Pat O'Brien (G2) winner Giant Expectations, who is cross-entered in the Santa Anita Handicap (G1) Saturday. As of Thursday morning, the ownership group of Exline-Border Racing, Gatto Racing, and Garrett Zubok, and trainer Peter Eurton, had not decided on which race to run the two-time grade 2 winner.
"There's some youngsters in the (Triple Bend) that are very capable," Eurton said. "And the way the track comes up (storms are expected to hit the Arcadia, Calif., track Saturday), they may just be able to get out of there and roll."
Trainer Peter Miller passed on the Triple Bend for Roy H and will train the top sprinter of 2017 up to the March 31 Dubai Golden Shaheen (G1), but he still has a pair with plenty of upside entered Saturday. Rockingham Ranch, which owns Roy H, has Dec. 31 allowance winner Bobby Abu Dhabi entered, and Wachtel Stable and Gary Barber's Captain Scotty could not have been more impressive in his Southern California debut when he cruised to a 5 1/2-length allowance victory Jan. 26 at Santa Anita.
BALAN: Captain Scotty Impresses in California Debut
Rounding out the field is another recent allowance winner, E-Racing.com and Janet Lyons' Horse Greedy, who scored at 40-1 in another Santa Anita allowance Feb. 17.
Santa Anita Park, Saturday, March 10, 2018, Race 4Entries: Triple Bend S. (G1)
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 1Edwards Going Left (CA) Tyler Baze 120 John W. Sadler 9/5 2 2Horse Greedy (KY) Stewart Elliott 120 Brian J. Koriner 20/1 98 3Giant Expectations (NY) SCRATCHED 0 UNKNOWN - 3 4Bobby Abu Dhabi (KY) Victor Espinoza 120 Peter Miller 6/1 4 5City of Light (KY) Drayden Van Dyke 124 Michael W. McCarthy 6/5 5 6Captain Scotty (KY) Javier Castellano 120 Peter Miller 5/2
