With a disappointing seventh-place finish in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Nov. 5 now firmly in the rearview mirror, Gormley (Malibu Moon) gets back to business against six rivals in Saturday's GIII Sham S. at Santa Anita.
A very promising debut winner going 6 1/2 furlongs at Del Mar in early September for the patient John Shirreffs barn, Gormley followed with a 10-1 wire-to-wire upset while taking on two turns for the first time in Santa Anita's GI FrontRunner S. Oct. 1. Gormely, 16 1/4 lengths adrift Classic Empire (Pioneerof the Nile) in the Juvenile after bobbling at the start and enduring a wide trip, worked a sharp five furlongs in :59 4/5 (3/104) in Arcadia Dec. 18. The Mr. and Mrs. Jerry Moss colorbearer has been installed as the 8-5 morning-line favorite in the one-mile Sham.
The highly regarded American Anthem (Bodemeister), just up by a neck as the 9-5 chalk first out at Del Mar Dec. 3, stretches to two turns for Hall of Famer Bob Baffert. That six-furlong affair has produced three subsequent maiden winners, including ninth-place finisher Iliad (Ghostzapper), who returned with a runaway tally at Los Alamitos good for a 92 Beyer Speed Figure. Campaigned in partnership by China Horse Club, S F Bloodstock LLC and WinStar Farm, American Anthem, produced by a half-sister to champion Banshee Breeze (Unbridled), brought $435,000 at last year's OBSMAR sale.
Term of Art (Tiznow), a narrow maiden breaker over course and distance Oct. 8, enters off a come-from-behind win in the off-the-turf GIII Cecil B. DeMille Nov. 27.
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