A group of 12 are set to line up in a wide-open renewal of the GI Frank E. Kilroe Mile S. Saturday at Santa Anita. Heerensperger and Nelson's Winning Prize (Arg) (Pure Prize) won this race a year ago after annexing the GII Arcadia S., but enters this running with significantly less momentum. Sixth in June's GI Shoemaker Mile S., he filled the same slot in Woodbine's Aug. 10 GII Play the King S. after being steadied as the favorite. The Neil Drysdale-trained Argentinian MG1SW has been off ever since, but has turned in some of the best performances of his career off the bench.
St. Elias Stable and West Point Thoroughbreds's Ring Weekend (Tapit) scratched from last month's GIII Canadian Turf S. after drawing the 14 hole, and will break from the 10 slot here. The Graham Motion pupil was running away with the GII Tampa Bay Derby at this time last year, but found a home on the turf later in the season. He annexed Saratoga's GIII Saranac S. Sept. 1 and Belmont's GIII Hill Prince S. Oct. 4, but settled for a close sixth in this venue's nine-panel GII Twilight Derby on Breeders' Cup Friday Oct. 31. The chestnut worked four panels over this lawn in :48.40 Feb. 28.
Live Oak homebred Za Approval (Ghostzapper) has finished second twice over this course and distance–in the 2013 Shoemaker Mile to Obviously (Ire) (Choisir {Aus}) and in that year's GI Breeders' Cup Mile to Wise Dan (Wiseman's Ferry). He returned to winning ways in September's Real Courage S. at Belmont Park, and was a close second in Del Mar's GII Seabiscuit H. Nov. 28. Transferred from Christophe Clement to Mark Casse thereafter, the veteran finished fourth in Gulfstream's GII Fort Lauderdale S. Jan. 10 and second in the course-and-distance GII Arcadia S. three weeks later.
Clement will be represented by Waterfront Stable's Summer Front (War Front), who won last year's Fort Lauderdale. Second in May's GIII Fort Marcy S. at Belmont, the Shoemaker Mile and Del Mar's GI Eddie Read S. July 20, the bay finished fourth–beaten two lengths–in the Breeders' Cup Mile Nov. 1.
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