Grade I Winners Square Off in Thunder Road

Although a forecast calling for rain may put a dent in the overflowing field, it can be argued that one of the deepest fields on a loaded stakes schedule April 9 is the $100,000 Thunder Road Stakes (gr. IIIT) at Santa Anita Park.



The mile race scheduled for the turf drew five graded winners and three grade I victors—Donegal Racing and Rockingham Ranch's Finnegans Wake, returning from a nearly nine-month layoff; last-out Frank E. Kilroe Mile (gr. IT) winner What a View, who upset a short field by 3 3/4 lengths March 12 at odds of 6-1; and 2014 Breeders' Cup Juvenile (gr. I) winner Texas Red, who could make his first grass start should the race remain on the turf.



For Texas Red, trainer Keith Desormeaux is clear that this isn't some experiment for a potential turf campaign. The son of Afleet Alex   is in the Thunder Road because he needs a race, regardless of the surface, and his trainer doesn't feel there is a race at Los Alamitos Race Course's upcoming three-week meet that fits.



"I'm not entering him for the purpose of trying turf," Desormeaux said. "We're just looking for a race and the meet is over. I don't mind running at Los Al, and I'd run in an allowance there if one fit, but there's not one race there for him.



"I can't express that sentiment enough. This is a means to an end."



Desormeaux said the plan is to get in two races before the ultimate target, the $500,000 Gold Cup at Santa Anita (gr. I) June 25. His second prep would likely be the $200,000 Californian (gr. II) May 22 at Santa Anita.



Finnegans Wake also is using the Thunder Road as a prep, according to trainer Peter Miller. The likely plan is to return to Churchill Downs on Kentucky Derby Day, to try to repeat his victorious performance in the Woodford Reserve Turf Classic (gr. IT).



LAMARRA: Finnegans Wake Flies Home, Takes Turf Classic



"He's doing good and training fine," Miller said of Finnegans Wake's last 90 days of training at his San Luis Rey Training Center home base. "He's just like his old self."



"His old self" was awfully good in late 2014 and early 2015, when he won the Hollywood Turf Cup (gr. IIT), San Gabriel (gr. IIT), and San Marcos (gr. IIT) in consecutive starts, before finishing second in the San Luis Rey (gr. IIT) and the Turf Classic score.



While Texas Red and Finnegans Wake provide the back class, What a View is the horse of the moment. The Kenny Black-trained Vronsky gelding has won three straight races, all by margins of more than three lengths, stepping up in class each time. He broke through in a Dec. 26 allowance, won his first stakes in the California Cup Turf Classic, and beat a proven group of graded winners in the Kilroe. He'll also have Kent Desormeaux in the irons, who opted for What a View over his other regular ride, Texas Red.

NOVAK: What a View Upsets Kilroe Mile



Another last-out graded winner is French-bred Si Sage, but that came nearly a year ago in the 2015 edition of the Last Tycoon (gr. IIIT) for trainer Darrell Vienna.



Berkeley Handicap (gr. III) winner Poshsky rounds out the graded stakes-winning entrants, but Twentytwentyvision wasn't far off two starts back for trainer Richard Mandella, when he finished second in the Eddie Read (gr. IT) at Del Mar. The son of Pollard's Vision   is also entered off an extended layoff. His last race was Aug. 22, when he won a Del Mar turf allowance race.



Multiple stakes winners Papacoolpapacool and Soul Driver, graded stakes-placed Decisive Edge, allowances winners McHeat and De Treville, and last-out maiden winner Cool Green complete the field, along with also eligibles Play Hard to Get and Ohio.