Derby Hopefuls Top Full Santa Anita Work Tab

A week ahead of Southern California's next Triple Crown prep race, the $400,000 San Felipe Stakes (gr. II), three of the top contenders were on the track at the same time March 5 at Santa Anita Park to put in their final workouts.



Danzing Candy, Mor Spirit, and Smokey Image all drilled in the final workout session of the morning Saturday at the Arcadia, Calif. racetrack and hit the wire about a minute apart.



The first to finish was Halo Farms and Jim and Diane Bashor's Danzing Candy, with Mike Smith aboard. The lightly raced Twirling Candy   colt covered five furlongs in 1:01 flat for trainer Cliff Sise.



"He galloped out (to six furlongs in 1:13 3/5)," Sise said. "We feel good. He went pretty even today—easy."



Smith said that the drill delivered what they were looking for.



"It was what we were looking for—1:01 or 1:00 and change—and he went right on the money," the jockey said. "He's getting smarter and when you get him out in the afternoon, he knows. He runs. You would never think he's a superstar in the mornings, but he'll show you little signs of it."



Next came Michael Lund Petersen's Mor Spirit, who worked in company on the outside with a stablemate and ran six furlongs in 1:12 1/5 with Martin Garcia in the irons, and Irvin Racing Stable's Smokey Image wasn't far behind with Victor Espinoza. The undefeated Southern Image   colt breezed four furlongs in :48 3/5.



"He went great," trainer Carla Gaines said of Smokey Image.

Trainer Bob Baffert was pleased with Mor Spirit's move.

"I liked the way he went," Baffert said. "He went really well. His company was trying to stay with him, but he did well. Martin did a great job keeping him focused. We beat the rain, we're all set. Now we've just got to wait."



Other expected San Felipe runners—Uncle Lino, who came in second to Mor Spirit last time out in the Robert B. Lewis Stakes (gr. III), and Exaggerator who was runner-up to Nyquist in the San Vicente (gr. II)—worked in earlier sessions Saturday. Uncle Lino ran five furlongs in :59 3/5 for trainer Gary Sherlock and Exaggerator covered the same distance in 1:00 2/5 for trainer Keith Desormeaux.



Other notable workouts Saturday, among 357 workers, were Beholder (three furlongs, :36 4/5, breezing), Imperative (five furlongs, :59 4/5), Taris (five furlongs, :59 1/5), Texas Red (six furlongs, 1:14 2/5), Bolo (five furlongs, 1:02), Forever Darling (five furlongs, 1:00), Ocho Ocho Ocho (five furlongs, 1:01), Pacific Heat (five furlongs, :59 4/5), Swipe (five furlongs, 1:02 1/5), Tara's Tango (five furlongs, :59 4/5), Midnight Storm (six furlongs, 1:12), Nashoba's Gold (four furlongs, :47 4/5), Big John B (six furlongs, 1:13 3/5), Living The Life(six furlongs, 1:11 3/5), Hard Aces (six furlongs, 1:12 1/5), Wild Dude (seven furlongs, 1:26), and Flamboyant (seven furlongs, 1:26 4/5).