Guns Loaded Brings Win Streak into San Simeon

Claimed three times in 2015, Guns Loaded looks to continue his steady path of improvement on the Santa Anita Park hillside turf course April 2 in the $100,000 San Simeon Stakes (gr. IIIT).



The 5-year-old gelded son of D'wildcat—owned by Westside Rentals.com, Neil Haymes, Leo Rodriguez, and Steve Rothblum—has thrived since he moved to the grass for trainer Doug O'Neill late in 2015. He's won two of three starts down the hill since, including a standout score last time out in the Joe Hernandez Stakes Feb. 28, his first stakes victory. He also earned an off-the-turf allowance victory at the 6 1/2-furlong distance Feb. 20 and he's the only horse of the eight entered to carry in a win streak.



Guns Loaded may be the hottest horse entered, but others provide back class.



Double JH Stable's No Silent is the only graded winner in the field—he took the Oct. 3 Eddie D (gr. IIIT), also down the hill—but finished second to fellow San Simeon entrant Outside Nashville in the Feb. 15 Lost in the Fog Stakes at Golden Gate Fields. The Lost in the Fog, however, was a sprint over the Golden Gate synthetic main track and Outside Nashville's lone trip down the Santa Anita hillside was a fourth-place finish in last year's San Simeon.



Other intriguing runners are those who have done their best outside of the U.S.



Cape Wolfe has finished fourth in the Arcadia (gr. IIT) and third in the Clocker's Corner since relocating stateside, but came into the Phil D'Amato barn in 2015 on a three-race win streak in Irish contests.



Calumet Farm's 7-year-old Producer has been well-traveled since his debut in 2011. He was a two-time group III winner in England, a group II winner in Turkey, and also ran in Dubai. He hasn't raced since a sixth-place finish at Dundalk in Ireland in March 2015.



Edward Goldstone's Il Fornaio, an Argentinean group I winner in 2014, will also be making his U.S. debut in the San Simeon. It will be his first start for Hall of Fame trainer Ron McAnally.



Hay Dude was a three-time winner in England and recently broke through for his first U.S. victory in a Jan. 14 allowance race at Santa Anita, then finished sixth in the San Marcos (gr. IIT) last time out.



Graded stakes-placed Aotearoa and Mr. Sexy, who enters from the claiming ranks, complete the field.