Brought to you by Tropical Racing
Practical Move winning the Los Alamitos Futurity. (Ernie Belmonte/Past The Wire)
Trainer Yakteen’s Practical Move entered in San Felipe along with four horses transferred from the Baffert Barn.
Derby Dispatch/Edited
LOUISVILLE Ky.— Trainer Tim Yakteen will saddle five runners in Saturday’s $400,000 San Felipe Stakes (Grade II) including Los Alamitos Futurity (Grade II) winner Practical Move as the action on the Road to the Kentucky Derby kicks into high gear in Southern California.
The 1 1/16-mile San Felipe will go as Race 6 at 5:30 p.m. First post on Saturday’s Santa Anita Park program is 3 p.m.
Owned by Pierre and Leslie Amestoy Jr. and Roger Beasley, Practical Move defeated four rivals in the Dec. 17 Los Alamitos Futurity and earned a stout 105 Brisnet Speed Rating. The son of Practical Joke has been on a layoff since the Los Al Futurity, which was the first race he actually crossed the wire in front. In his maiden-breaking effort, Practical Move was placed first through disqualification when new stablemate Fort Bragg impeded his progress in the stretch. Jockey Ramon Vazquez will be back in the irons from post No. 3.
Four of Practical Move’s stablemates are entered in the San Felipe: SF Racing, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables, Robert Masterson, Stonestreet Stables, Jay Schoenfarber Waves Edge Capital and Catherine Donovan’s graded stakes placed colts Fort Bragg and National Treasure; Zedan Racing Stables’ recent maiden winner Hejazi and Sunny Brook Stables’ maiden special weight winner Mr Fisk.
The highest purchase price of this year’s early Triple Crown nominees was the $3.55 million Fasig-Tipton Midatlantic Two-Year-Olds in Training Sale purchase Hejazi.
If Hejazi would start in the Kentucky Derby, he’d become the third-highest purchase price since 1982. He’d only trail Fusaichi Pegasus ($4 million) and Dunkirk ($3.7 million).
Aside from the Yakteen quintet, the San Felipe also will feature the first stakes try from Pin Oak Stud’s 5 3⁄4-length debut winner Geaux Rocket Ride and C R K Stable’s 3 1⁄4-length maiden special weight winner Skinner.
Aside from Practical Move, the only other horse in the San Felipe that has points on the Road to the Kentucky Derby Leaderboard is Adam Ference and Bill Dory’s $100,000 El Camino Real Derby winner Chase the Chaos. Trained by Ed Moger Jr., Chase the Chaos will be making his first try on dirt since his debut runner-up effort on Aug. 28 at Canterbury in a maiden special weight contest.
Fans can watch and wager on the San Felipe at www.TwinSpires.com, the official wagering provider of Churchill Downs Incorporated and the Kentucky Derby.
