Here’s the best bet of the meet: Barring the unforeseen, Reneesgotzip
will be in front
as far as she goes in Saturday’s inaugural Grade I, Breeders’ Cup “Win
and You’re In” Santa Anita Sprint Championship at six furlongs.
The speedy daughter of City Zip has led in each of her six
career races save one, when she was out-footed by the ultra-fleet filly
Eden’s Moon in the Grade I Las Virgenes Stakes at Santa Anita last
March.
But when Reneesgotzip breaks from the outside number seven post
position against six male rivals in the $250,000 Santa Anita Sprint
Championship, formerly run as the Ancient Title Stakes, trainer Peter
Miller makes no bones about strategy as she takes on the opposite sex
for the first time.
“It’s a great draw but it shouldn’t matter,” said Miller, who
turned 46 on Tuesday. “We’re going to be up on the front. She’s got one
way to go and she looks like the speed of the race.
“She’s doing super; she’s doing great. She looks good, she’s feeling good, she’s fit and she should run her race.”
Reneesgotzip would become only the third female and the first
3-year-old filly to win the race in 27 previous runnings when it was the
Ancient Title. Kalookan Queen won it in 2002 as a 6-year-old, and Track
Gal won it in 1995 at age four.
If Reneesgotzip fares well Saturday, Miller, fresh from winning
the Del Mar training title with 21 victories, didn’t rule out facing
males again in the $1.5 million XpressBet Breeders’ Cup Sprint at Santa
Anita on Nov. 3. The $1 million Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint at
six furlongs will be run the same day.
“We’ll kind of play it by ear,” Miller said when asked if he
would tackle males again or return to facing her own sex. “But if she
runs her race against the boys on Saturday, we’ll definitely consider
running her back against the boys in the Breeders’ Cup.”
The field for the Santa Anita Sprint Championship, which goes as
race eight on a 10-race program: Castletown, Edwin Maldonado, 20-1;
Amazombie, Mike Smith, 9-5; Coil, Martin Garcia, 4-1; Camp Victory, Joe
Talamo, 9-2; Capital Account, David Flores, 3-1; Jimmy Creed, Garrett
Gomez, 6-1; and Reneesgotzip, Corey Nakatani, 6-1.