Bronzo Vying for First U.S. Win in Tokyo City

Bronzo's first four starts stateside were decidedly ambitious despite having left Chile on a hot streak.



Off a two-race winning streak in Chile, which included impressive group I and group II scores, the gelding first entered the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile (gr. I), where he was fourth, at 23-1, behind Goldencents  .



His 6-year-old debut in January likely presented his easiest competition to date, but he was sixth to Hoppertunity in the San Pasqual Stakes (gr. II).



Then came two high-profile runs against superhorse de jour Shared Belief in the San Antonio Invitational Stakes (gr. II) and the Santa Anita Handicap (gr. I). He finished fourth in the San Antonio, where he also faced California Chrome, and was fifth in the Big 'Cap.



In the 1 1/2-mile $100,000 Tokyo City Cup Stakes (gr. III) at Santa Anita Park March 28, he seems to have found the company of seven other horses with whiche he should be able to contend.



"This is a notch down," said Hall of Fame trainer Neil Drysdale, who also conditioned Bronzo's sire, 2000 Kentucky Derby (gr. I) winner Fusaichi Pegasus  . "That should suit him and help him."



Drysdale isn't all that concerned with the quick turnaround after the Big 'Cap run March 7 and said he feels the gelding owned by Don Alberto Stable will thrive at the distance. His group I victory in Chile came at 1 3/8 miles.



"Obviously we're bringing him back pretty quick, but we feel a mile and a half will also suit him," Drysdale said.



Hall of Fame jockey Gary Stevens who was aboard for his first two starts of the year returns to ride Bronzo in the Tokyo City Cup. Tyler Baze was aboard in the Big 'Cap. Bronzo will break from post 4 with the topweight of 123 pounds, while all other entrants will carry 118 pounds.



The main contender for Bronzo appears to be Westock Stables' 6-year-old Sky Kingdom, who won the Tokyo City Cup in 2013, but has not won since the American Flag Stakes at Los Alamitos Race Course in July of 2014. Last time out, the Bob Baffert trainee was 16 1/4 lengths back in fourth in the Las Vegas Marathon Stakes (gr. II) at Santa Anita Oct. 31. The Tokyo City Cup will be his first start of the year. Martin Garcia, who teamed up with the son of Empire Maker for the 2013 Tokyo City Cup win, will break from post 3.



The only other stakes winner in the group is 6-year-old Rousing Sermon, a Kentucky Derby entrant in 2012—he finished eighth the classic, 8 1/4 lengths behind I'll Have Another  —who was last victorious in an added-money stakes in the On Trust Handicap over Hollywood Park's synthetic surface in 2013. His two career stakes wins have come in restricted company for Cal-breds. In open graded stakes, the son of Lucky Pulpit   and trained by Jerry Hollendorfer is 0-for-9, although he did come within a neck of winning the CashCall Futurity (gr. I) in 2011 and tops the field with lifetime earnings of $816,042.



The rest is a group of four making their stakes debut—Helm, an allowance winner who last won seven races back at Presque Isle Downs; Decisive Edge, who has yet to defeat winners in four tries after breaking his maiden in October; Arlington House, who is on a two-race winning streak at maiden claiming and allowance levels; and Image of Joplin, a four-time winner who last crossed the wire first nine back in an allowance race at Del Mar Aug. 13—and Bailoutbobby, a five-time winner who last waded into stakes water in 2014's San Juan Capistrano Stakes (gr. IIT) and Cougar II Handicap (gr. III), both fourth-place finishes.



Bailoutbobby is also entered in a 1 1/8-mile allowance/optional claiming turf race at Santa Anita March 27, a day before the Tokyo City Cup.