Tokyo City Cup, Kona Gold Draw Short Fields

The co-featured Tokyo City Cup Stakes (G3) and Kona Gold Stakes (G3) April 18 at Santa Anita Park are at near-opposite ends of the distance spectrum, with the former a 1 1/2-mile stamina test and the latter a 6 1/2-furlong sprint.

But the two dirt races share similarities in grade, value at $100,000 apiece, and having drawn limited entries. Five horses are in the Tokyo City Cup, four in the Kona Gold.

Led by Alfred Pais' San Carlos Stakes (G2) winner Brickyard Ride , the Kona Gold drew three stakes winners. Besides Brickyard Ride, the two others include Patti and Hal Earnhardt's Ax Man  and C T R Stables and Westside Racing Stables' Fight On . The remaining entry is the rail-drawn Cezanne , a $3.65 million 2-year-old purchase in 2019 who is 2-for-3 for owners St. Elias Stable, Mrs. John Magnier, Michael Tabor, and Derrick Smith.

Fresh off his most prestigious win in the San Carlos, frontrunning Brickyard Ride cuts back slightly in distance from seven furlongs. A 4-year-old California-bred colt by Clubhouse Ride , he is a Pais homebred.

Alexis Centeno is in the saddle on the high weight at 126 pounds, who spots the opposition two-four pounds apiece. 

"You never know what's going to develop in a race, even in a short field, but my horse has one way of going, so we're not trying to fool anybody: he's going," trainer Craig Lewis said.

Ax Man is also a last-out stakes winner, having captured the Santana Mile Stakes March 28 for trainer Bob Baffert. Cezanne and Fight On, conversely, return following layoffs going back to last summer for Baffert and trainer Doug O'Neill, respectively.

The Kona Gold is the eighth race at approximately 4:30 p.m. PT, while the Tokyo City Cup goes as the third race at 2 p.m.

Although MyRacehorse and Spendthrift Farm's Tizamagician  has not yet won a stakes race, he has been competitive in graded competition. He finished second in the San Pasqual Stakes (G2) Jan. 30 before running a close fifth in the Santa Anita Handicap (G1) March 6. Leading jockey Flavien Prat rides.

The Richard Mandella-trained 4-year-old son of Tiznow  was second in the Tokyo City Cup when Santa Anita staged it last fall. Officials moved it to the spring meet this year.

Zestful , a minor stakes winner at 1 1/4 miles and second in the 1 3/4-mile Marathon Stakes Presented by Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance (G2) in 2019, heads the opposition. Fourth in the San Pasqual this winter, he was a follow-up second in a starter allowance April 3 at Santa Anita for trainer Mark Glatt, who owns him in partnership with Shanderella Stables, Danny and Doreen Haramoto, and Sheldon Kawahara.

Tizamagician and Zestful both prefer to race on or near the lead.

Multiplier , Ronamo , and Lure Him In  complete the field. Multiplier is top weight at 124 pounds, followed by Zestful at 122. The rest carry 120.

Entries: Tokyo City Cup S. (G3)

Santa Anita Park, Sunday, April 18, 2021, Race 3

• Grade III
• 1 1/2m
• Dirt
• $100,000
• 4 yo's & up
• 2:12 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Multiplier (KY)	Ruben Fuentes	124	Andrew Lerner	8/1
2	2Ronamo (KY)	UMBERTO RISPOLI	120	Philip D'Amato	8/1
3	3Tizamagician (KY)	Flavien Prat	120	Richard E. Mandella	4/5
4	4Lure Him In (FL)	Juan J. Hernandez	120	Robert B. Hess, Jr.	4/1
5	5Zestful (KY)	Edwin A. Maldonado	122	Mark Glatt	5/2

Entries: Kona Gold S. (G3)

Santa Anita Park, Sunday, April 18, 2021, Race 8

• Grade III
• 6 1/2f
• Dirt
• $100,000
• 3 yo's & up
• 4:53 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Cezanne (KY)	Flavien Prat	122	Bob Baffert	3/1
2	2Fight On (KY)	UMBERTO RISPOLI	124	Doug F. O'Neill	20/1
3	3Ax Man (KY)	Edwin A. Maldonado	124	Bob Baffert	2/1
4	4Brickyard Ride (CA)	Alexis Centeno	126	Craig Anthony Lewis	3/5