By Brian DiDonato
The top five finishers from Santa Anita's Mar. 12 GII San Felipe S. are back Saturday for the GI Santa Anita Derby, where they will be joined by five additional GI Kentucky Derby aspirants. Danzing Candy (Twirling Candy) was a troubled eighth behind San Felipe fourth Uncle Lino (Uncle Mo) at Del Mar Nov. 29, but has been a different horse since then. Running away with a seven-panel heat here on the day after Christmas, the Cliff Sise, Jr. trainee earned the 'TDN Rising Star' distinction when thrashing a solid-looking group of optional claimers over a local mile Feb. 4. Dismissed at 5-1 in the San Felipe with some questions still left to answer, he doled out swift splits but never looked back en route to an emphatic two-length score. Wet weather is in the forecast, but Sise doesn't mind. “I hope it's sloppy,” the trainer told the Santa Anita press office. “I hope it's raining when the race is run, because you can get to the bottom [of the surface] better. I don't know. He might not even like the slop, but I think he would. He's got great action for it.”
Second that day was the ultra-consistent Mor Spirit (Eskendereya), a known commodity who has never been out of the exacta in six lifetime attempts. The $650,000 Fasig-Tipton Florida buy took the GI Los Alamitos Futurity late last year, and picked up right where he left off when besting the aforementioned Uncle Lino in this venue's GIII Robert B. Lewis S. Feb. 6. The Bob Baffert pupil found himself out wide in no-man's land for part of the San Felipe, but turned it on late to get up for second.
Millionaire Exaggerator (Curlin) will look to make a better-timed move than he did when getting out-kicked late by Mor Spirit last time. Last year's GII Saratoga Special S. and GIII Delta Jackpot S. winner and GI Claiborne Breeders' Futurity runner-up was second to none other than divisional leader Nyquist (Uncle Mo) on seasonal debut in the GII San Vicente S. going seven furlongs Feb. 15. He broke slowly and trailed the field early in the San Felipe, but made an eye-catching middle move before flattening out late.
Iron Rob (Twirling Candy), who bested Denman's Call (Northern Afleet) in the San Pedro S. sprinting here Mar. 20, could apply some early pressure to his paternal sibling Danzing Candy. Far back in his lone route attempt over grass when still a maiden, the bay has won three of his last four, including the rained-off Baffle S. here Feb. 21.
Dressed in Hermes (Hat Trick {Jpn}) has done his best running on the sod. He took two stakes including Del Mar's GIII Cecil B. DeMille S. on the lawn as a juvenile, and was a well-beaten fourth in the Bob Lewis. He returned to grass, and the winner's circle, in the Pasadena S. here Mar. 13.
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