Santa Anita's always popular day-after-Christmas opener does not disappoint this year, with the co-featured GI Malibu S. for sophomore sprinters as interesting a race as has been assembled all season. Bob Baffert boasts four of the 14 who made it into the main body of the field, with one more on the also-eligible list for good measure. Leading his group is Pegram, Watson and Weitman's McKinzie (Street Sense). Garnering the 'TDN Rising Star' distinction for a track-and-trip romp last October, the bay was (somewhat controversially) promoted to first over stablemate Solomini (Curlin) in the GI Los Alamitos Futurity that December. More recently, he bested Axelrod (Warrior's Reward) in the GI Pennsylvania Derby Sept. 22 before finishing a distant 12th when taking on his elders in the GI Breeders' Cup Classic Nov. 3. Solomini, meanwhile, has been off since finishing third in the GIII Affirmed S. around two turns here June 10.
Another Baffert runner who cuts back is Ax Man (Misremembered). A head-turning sprint winner himself here on New Year's Day, the Earnhardt homebred took the two-turn Sir Barton S. in the Pimlico slop in May but was a disappointing third at 1-2 in the GIII Matt Winn S. at Churchill June 16. He was last seen finishing third–again at odds-on–in the GIII Los Alamitos Derby over nine furlongs July 14. The quirky Nero (Pioneerof the Nile) was second behind Kanthaka (Jimmy Creed) in the GII San Vicente S. here in February, and returned off the long lay-off to take a Del Mar optional claimer Nov. 18. Kanthaka, by 2012 Malibu winner Jimmy Creed, is a three-time winner over track and trip–he most recently took the GIII Lazaro Barrera S. here back in May.
The Malibu often features a formidable East Coast contingent, and this year is no exception. The precocious 'TDN Rising Star' Copper Bullet (More Than Ready) aired in the GII Saratoga Special S. in August of his 2-year-old season, but went missing for more than a year. He picked up where he left off with a convincing allowance score going this distance at Churchill Nov. 23, and defeating older graded stakes winner Wild Shot (Trappe Shot) in the process.
Trainer Al Stall, Jr. ran a close second in this race in 2013 with Central Banker (Speightstown), and he'll look to go one better with another son of Speightstown in the form of Bobby's Wicked One, who was second beaten a nose in the Steel Valley Sprint S. at Mahoning Valley Nov. 19. Not to be left out of the action is conditioner Chad Brown, who will ship in Klaravich Stables's Identity Politics (Into Mischief) off a close second against older foes at Aqueduct Nov. 24. Seth Klarman's Klaravich co-owned Central Banker.
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