Sham Stakes Review

SHAM STAKES - Santa Anita 1m

TRIP NOTES: Only four horses made it to the gate in Saturday's Grade 3, Sham Stakes at Santa Anita with points on the line for derby qualification.  Prohibitive, odds-on favorite MIDNIGHT HAWK took all the buzz leading up to the race and did not disappoint.  Fleet of foot front runner, KRISTO, broke sharply from the rail and poured it on, taking the lead into the first quarter mile.  Only to relinquish the lead to the gray son of Midnight Lute at the quarter pole.  Unsatisfied with second, KRISTO, retook the lead just after the half mile mark.  Showing the heart of a champion, MIDNIGHT HAWK, retook the lead before the quarter pole and swung out in the three path.  Mike Smith shook the reigns and the Baffert trainee exploded into the stretch and cleared KRISTO, shifting in to the rail.  Smith urged the roan colt again at the eighth pole, this time with the whip, the Hawk didn't have much left in the tank after the early battle, but he did have enough to stay clear of his rival across the finish line and is now ten points closer to the 140th Run for the Roses!

GOING FORWARD:  MIDNIGHT HAWK showed us something today in his ding-dong battle on the front end in a short field, saving just enough for the stretch.  He doesn't quit.  A trait you cannot train into a horse.  One of those "intangibles" you always hear human athletes blabber on about.  However, I think we learned more about the limitations of this horse today than of his character.  Mike Smith had no choice but to send this horse early, as KRISTO may have wired the field without any one to challenge him, but being on the front end clearly drained this horse.  And this race was only one mile.  You could make a good case that if he doesn't switch to the inside path, clearly cutting off his rival, they are taking KRISTO's picture in the winner's circle.  I draw two things from this race going forward, KRISTO is a real contender, perhaps he could use more ground and Mike Smith should perhaps rate MIDNIGHT HAWK a bit more next time out.  He had no choice in this race, but he will face far deeper fields in the future so he may be able to grind down a pace-setter.  But setting the pace is just not his kind of race stretching out.

LAST YEAR'S WINNER: GOLDENCENTS didn't go on for an Eclipse nomination, as I had anticipated, but his return to the track is greatly anticipated after a disappointing last race in the Cigar Mile at Aqueduct.

NEXT: The LeComte Stakes!  Free pp's here