Storm the Court Returns in San Vicente

Storm the Court, the champion 2-year-old male of 2019, is scheduled to make his 3-year-old debut Feb. 9 in the $200,000 San Vicente Stakes (G2) at Santa Anita Park. He drew post 5 in a field of six for the seven-furlong event and will have regular rider Flavien Prat aboard.

"I'm looking for a good, solid race," trainer Peter Eurton said. "If he wins it, that's awesome. I just want a good race, and for him to come out of it well and set us up for a two-turn race, wherever that may be."

Storm the Court, owned by Exline-Border Racing, David Bernsen, Susanna Wilson, and Dan Hudock, won his Eclipse Award after surprising the field at 45-1 to capture the TVG Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1) at Santa Anita. He has not raced since that Nov. 1 performance.

"The time off gave him a chance to relax a little bit," Eurton said. "I think they need to relax and grow a little bit. He's a May foal, and he's done just that."

The San Vicente does not offer any points toward participation in the May 2 Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1). However, Storm the Court already has 22 points, tying him for first on the Kentucky Derby leaderboard with Tiz the Law, winner of the Feb. 1 Holy Bull Stakes (G3) and last year's Champagne Stakes (G1).

Jim Power's Stepping Stone Farm bred Storm the Court, a 3-year-old son of Court Vision —My Tejana Storm, by Tejano Run, in Kentucky. Exline-Border Racing, headed by Ryan Exline and Justin Border, bought the colt for $60,000 from the Woodside Ranch consignment to the 2019 Ocala Breeders' Sales Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training.

Storm the Court trained so well after that purchase, the partnership paid $12,000 to make him eligible for the Breeders' Cup before he even started. He repaid their faith by breaking his maiden Aug. 10 at Del Mar by 1 1/2 lengths.

But then came the Sept. 2 Runhappy Del Mar Futurity (G1) mishap—one that could have ended the careers of Storm the Court and Eight Rings, a promising runner from the Bob Baffert barn. Soon after the start, Eight Rings, drawn into post 2, ducked in and bumped Storm the Court. The two horses lost their riders and any chance at victory. 

Fortunately, both emerged from the incident unscathed. They met again in the Sept. 27 American Pharoah Stakes (G1) at Santa Anita. Eight Rings defeated American Theorem by six lengths, while Storm the Court had to race wide around the first turn and closed to finish third. 

"He was in a position where he could have been last early on—he really didn't get his kind of race," Eurton said. "He fought back, and his gallop out was good. He was green and skittish from what happened to him at Del Mar. We decided to put blinkers on via Flavien, and he trained well for the Breeders' Cup."

In the Breeders' Cup, Storm the Court gutted out a head victory over Anneau d'Or.

Storm the Court's San Vicente competition ranges from stakes winners and stakes-placed runners to promising maiden winners.

Ginobili is still eligible for a non-winners of two, but he has acquitted himself well against top competition. He also competed in the Del Mar Futurity and didn't get a smooth trip. He bumped with eventual winner Nucky in the stretch before finishing fourth. A claim of foul against Nucky was disallowed.

Since that race, Ginobili finished fourth at five furlongs on the turf in the Oct. 6 Speakeasy Stakes a month before the Breeders' Cup.

"I tried him on the grass for the Breeders' Cup, and that didn't work out," said trainer Richard Baltas. "So I basically put him away for, I don't know, 45 days, and then brought him back in and now he's ready to run again. The one-other-thans aren't going here, so we'll try the stake."

Abel Cedillo will ride Ginobili for Baltas, who co-owns the Munnings  colt with Slam Dunk Racing, Jerry McClanahan, and Michael Nentwig. Ginobili drew post 6.

Baffert has entered two in the San Vicente: the highly regarded Nadal, who debuted Jan. 19, winning by 3 3/4 lengths, and Ra'ad, who broke his maiden in his second start, Dec. 7 at Los Alamitos Race Course. Baffert named Joel Rosario on Nadal, who drew post 4. George Bolton, Arthur Hoyeau, Barry Lipman, and Mark Mathiesen own the Blame  colt, a $700,000 2-year-old purchase. RRR Racing owns Ra'ad, who drew post 2 and will be ridden by Drayden Van Dyke. A son of Twirling Candy , Ra'ad cost $500,000 as a 2-year-old.

Craig Martin's homebred Fast Enough tries graded competition for the first time after scoring by a neck in the Jan. 18 California Cup Derby at Santa Anita. A Kentucky-bred son of Eddington , Fast Enough was able to compete in a California Cup race because those events are open to California-breds and California-sired runners.

Rafael Becerra trains Fast Enough, who drew the rail and will be ridden by Tiago Pereira.

Party Town rounds out the San Vicente field. Second in the Nov. 27 Zia Park Juvenile Stakes, Party Town drew post 3. Jorge Velez will ride for trainer Val Brinkerhoff and owner Bob Grayson Jr.

Entries: San Vicente S. (G2)

Santa Anita Park, Sunday, February 09, 2020, Race 7

• Grade II
• 7f
• Dirt
• $200,000
• 3 yo
• 3:30 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Fast Enough (KY)	Tiago Josue Pereira	124	Rafael Becerra	12/1
2	2Ra'ad (KY)	Drayden Van Dyke	120	Bob Baffert	8/1
3	3Party Town (KY)	Jorge I. Velez	120	Val Brinkerhoff	20/1
4	4Nadal (KY)	Joel Rosario	120	Bob Baffert	4/5
5	5Storm the Court (KY)	Flavien Prat	124	Peter Eurton	9/5
6	6Ginobili (KY)	Abel Cedillo	120	Richard Baltas	5/1