San Felipe ready to get underway after reeling 10 runners
Santa Anita’s Grade 2, $300,000 San Felipe Stakes was expected to draw a full field of 12 runners, but the injury incurred by Eoin Harty trained rampant colt, Out of Bounds, has left the field a little less competitive, with the colt requiring surgery and
90 days off, he is just not out of the San Felipe Stakes, but also taken off the Triple Crown trail.
The much anticipated stakes debut of, Fed Biz, is also put on hold, as the colt hasn’t been himself an reported to have tied up his muscles in recent encounters.
However, the San Felipe cut down to 10 runners, will still be a mouth watering encounter with the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile third place finisher Creative Cause still in the mix along with Bob Baffert trainer Grade 1 CashCall Futurity winner, Liaison
to head the field.
Trained by Mike Harrington for owner Heinz Steinmann made his 2012 debut in the Grade 2 San Vicente Stakes at Santa Anita over at seven furlongs and finished third to winner Drill.
"Creative Cause, he's a stalker, and I expect quite a bit of pace in the race, and so he'll be mid-pack," Harrington said March 6. "Empire Way, he doesn't need to be last, but he is going to be further back in the field. You know, they have completely different
styles, so they're not going to interfere with each other."
Mike Harrington will also send Empire Way in the San Felipe Stakes, and the trainer is confident of running stable mates in such a big race, and said that he is not concerned with either horse going longer distances.
“Really the only reason I'm running them both in the same race is because of the timing," the trainer said. "I had a plan for Creative Cause from the very beginning, which included this race, and Empire Way, I don't really want to ship him out of town at
this point in time, plus the timing is right on him also."
Midnight Transfer and Rousing Sermon will add more spice to the race, as the two are well accomplished and might cause a serious upset against a star studded lineup.
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