Rain In Forecast Makes Tricky San Felipe An Even Tougher Race To Decipher
By: John Gaver III

(Mar. 15, 2003) - A 70 percent chance of rain and the likelihood of an off track throws a monkey wrench into an already difficult handicapping puzzle that is the 2003 renewal of $150,000 San Felipe Stakes (GII), which will be contested at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, Calif. on Sunday, Mar. 16. The mile and a sixteenth San Felipe is the final major stepping stone to the nine-furlong Santa Anita Derby (GI) on Apr. 5.

Santa Anita track superintendent Steve Wood said there is a 70 percent chance of rain on Saturday, Mar. 15 in Arcadia, which may serve notice to muddy conditions at Santa Anita on Sunday (Mar. 16). "I expect it [the rain] to start between five in the morning until seven," Wood said. "It should turn to showers on Sunday, but we'll seal the track and protect it as much as we can."

The 2-1 morning line favorite for the San Felipe is Gary Garber's Domestic Dispute, the racy, long-striding winner of the Grade II Santa Catalina Stakes (GII) on Jan. 18. The chestnut son of Unbridled's Song comes into the race off a two-month freshening, but has been very sharp in his morning workouts during his time away from the races, including a sharp six furlong move under trainer Bob Baffert's go-to exercise rider, Dana Barnes, in 1:11 1/5 on Mar. 10. The son of Unbridled's Son has never been off the board from three starts lifetime at Santa Anita.

B. Wayne Hughes and Biscuit Stables LLC's Atswhatimtalknbout, a highly regarded son of A.P. Indy, will makes his stakes debut for trainer Ron Ellis in the San Felipe. The lightly raced colt is 5-2 on the morning line despite his never having run against stakes company.

Atswhatimtalknbout is coming off a three-quarter-length win against entry-level allowance company at Santa Anita on Feb. 20, a race that was the colt's second start around two turns. He beat Bob Baffert-trained During that day, and that rival came back to win a recent allowance race at Santa Anita and is being pointed for Aqueduct's Wood Memorial (GII) in April.

Ellis has said that he wants his colt to keep progressing with the hopes of peaking in his next two starts, which are scheduled to be the Santa Anita Derby and Kentucky Derby (GI).

"He doesn't have to win," Ellis said. "And now we have to throw into the equation that we got mud, so we'll have to see how that goes, what kind of track it is and everything. But he doesn't have to win, just [run] a decent race. There's a lot of speed in the race, they tell me, so we'll see."

Buckland Manor, who has suffered a pair of losses at the hands of Atswhatimtalknbout; Arizona stakes winner Siberland and recent maiden graduate Brancusi are all free running San Felipe entrants who figure to ensure an honest pace.

Sham Stakes winner Man Among Men, who will be turning back a sixteenth of a mile in the San Felipe, drew the rail and is 3-1 on the morning line. The versatile son of Gentlemen blew out three furlongs on Hollywood Park's fast main track on Friday, Mar. 14 in :37 3/5, breezing, for trainer Gary Mandella.

"The weather won't effect his participation, because if he skips this, then where do you run?" Mandella said. "You set yourself back two weeks and you cost yourself a chance to run back again, and I actually don't think an off track would compromise his race. I think he'd run well over that kind of track, but I'm guessing the same way we all guess."

Ken and Sarah Ramsey's Ten Cents A Shine will make his first start for trainer D. Wayne Lukas in the San Felipe. The colt has reportedly put on weight and has adjusted well to his new environs, evidenced by his five-furlong work in :59 2/5 at Santa Anita on Mar. 10. Santa Anita's leading rider, Patrick Valenzuela, has the call.

The field for the 66th San Felipe Stakes, in post position order with riders and weights is Man Among Men, Alex Solis, 116; Flirt With Fortune, Corey Nakatani, 116; Buckland Manor, Mike Smith, 116; Siberland, Tyler Baze, 119; Buddy Gil, Gary Stevens, 119; Domestic Dispute, Jerry Bailey, 122; Atswhatimtalknbout, David Flores, 116; Brancusi, Tony Farina, 116; Ten Cents A Shine, Pat Valenzuela, 116; and Logician, Kent Desormeaux, 116.

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