Blitzkrieg Returns to Sprinting in Joe Hernandez Stakes

After earning a grade 3 win at one mile on the turf in 2019 ahead of a failed try on dirt at the top level, Blitzkrieg will return to turf sprinting when he makes his 5-year-old debut in the $200,000 Joe Hernandez Stakes (G2T) Jan. 1 at Santa Anita Park.

In 2019, R3 Racing and Calara Farms' Blitzkrieg put together a three-race win streak in turf sprints at Santa Anita. In April trainer Doug O'Neill shipped the son of War Front  north to Golden Gate Fields for his graded stakes debut and he responded with a clear victory in the San Francisco Mile Stakes (G3T).

O'Neill then took a shot with Blitzkrieg in the May 27 Gold Cup at Santa Anita Stakes (G1) but either the surface switch or class level didn't fit. Blitzkrieg weakened after an early inside duel with grade 1 winner Gift Box and finished seventh, beaten more than 22 lengths by eventual Longines Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) winner Vino Rosso .

Blitzkrieg won't face any horses as accomplished as Gift Box or Vino Rosso when he returns Wednesday in the Hernandez, but the familiar Santa Anita ground will present a new challenge. Blitzkrieg's three-race win streak sprinting on the Santa Anita turf in 2019 came at about 6 1/2 furlongs on the hillside course, while the 2020 running of the Hernandez has been moved from that distance to 5 1/2 furlongs on the main turf.

O'Neill will also send out Legends of War, who like Blitzkrieg enters off an off-the-board finish in grade 1 competition. The son of Scat Daddy finished last of 12 in the Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint (G1T) at five furlongs on the Santa Anita turf, but appears to fit here. Two starts ago, he won the Nevada State Bank Franklin-Simpson Stakes (G3T) at Kentucky Downs and placed in the 2019 Desert Code Stakes at five furlongs on the Santa Anita lawn.

While the two O'Neill-trained horses have enjoyed success in turf sprints, miler True Valour shortens up a bit after a 2019 season that saw the son of Kodiac claim hard-fought victories in the Thunder Road Stakes (G3T) and City of Hope Mile Stakes (G2T), both on the grass at Santa Anita. Owned and trained by Simon Callaghan, True Valour closed out 2019 with a 10th-place finish in the TVG Breeders' Cup Mile (G1T).

Always dangerous in turf sprints, trainer Peter Miller has entered Texas Wedge, who has finished first or second in three straight allowance-level races in Kentucky; and Captain Scotty, who led into the stretch before fading to third in an allowance-level race on the Churchill main track Nov. 29. Captain Scotty has never raced on turf.

After running at Golden Gate in his past four races, longshot Oiseau de Guerre returns to Santa Anita for the Joe Hernandez. Trainer Michael McCarthy believes drawing post 5 will help the late-running son of War Front.

"He gets off the rail (from his last two races) and it looks like there's a lot of pace," McCarthy said. "He should be rolling late."

Entries: Joe Hernandez S. (G2T)

Santa Anita Park, Wednesday, January 01, 2020, Race 8

• Grade IIT
• 5 1/2f
• Turf
• $200,000
• 4 yo's & up
• 3:00 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Tribalist (CA)	Ruben Fuentes	120	Blake R. Heap	10/1
2	2Double Touch (GB)	Victor Espinoza	120	John W. Sadler	8/1
3	3Grinning Tiger (OR)	Jose Valdivia, Jr.	120	Anthony K. Saavedra	15/1
4	4Texas Wedge (KY)	Flavien Prat	120	Peter Miller	6/1
5	5Oiseau de Guerre (KY)	Geovanni Franco	120	Michael W. McCarthy	12/1
6	6True Valour (IRE)	Drayden Van Dyke	124	Simon Callaghan	7/2
7	7Captain Scotty (KY)	Joel Rosario	120	Peter Miller	5/1
8	8Legends of War (KY)	Abel Cedillo	122	Doug F. O'Neill	6/1
9	9Blitzkrieg (KY)	Rafael Bejarano	122	Doug F. O'Neill	3/1
10	10Carnivorous (CA)	Mario Gutierrez	120	Steve Knapp	20/1
11	11Bay Muzik (WV)	Tyler Baze	120	Ari Herbertson	12/1