Recent Claim St. Joe Bay Steps Up in San Carlos

When Hronis Racing and John Sadler dive in for a claim, people notice—especially when the price is sizable enough to create some buzz.

The claim of graded stakes winner St. Joe Bay for $62,500 by Hronis and Sadler out of a May 28 optional-claiming allowance definitely rang a compelling note. Although the 6-year-old Saint Anddan gelding is winless in his eight starts since back-to-back scores in the 2016 Midnight Lute Stakes (G3) and 2017 Palos Verdes Stakes (G2) for trainer Peter Miller, it figured his new connections were thinking bigger than keeping him a claimer. When his name popped up in the entries for the $250,000 San Carlos Stakes (G2) to be run June 23 at Santa Anita Park, that thought was validated.

BALAN: St. Joe Bay Digs in to Win Palos Verdes

Although Sadler isn't committed to run in the seven-furlong dirt sprint just yet—he wants to evaluate the field closer and weigh potential options for St. Joe Bay, as well as fellow first-off-the-claim stablemate Horse Greedy (also a Hronis-owned horse)—the fact he was entered is enough to glean what his trainer's opinion is.

"I'm not 100% sure he's running, but I'm leaning toward it," Sadler said of St. Joe Bay, who never seemed the same off a fourth-place run in the Dubai Golden Shaheen Sponsored by Gulf News (G1) in March 2017. "When you claim them, you have a fresh sheet. If I like what I see or don't like what I see, you go forward. If I don't like what I see, I might drop him (for a lower claiming price), but he breezed really well (June 17, five furlongs in 1:00 4/5 at Santa Anita), and with a month until Del Mar, this is a good time to take a shot."

After the Golden Shaheen, St. Joe Bay finished eighth in the Bing Crosby Stakes (G1) at Del Mar, then 11th in the Green Flash Handicap on grass. Relocated to Oaklawn Park for the beginning of his 2018 campaign with a string Miller brought to Arkansas, St. Joe Bay finished fourth, third, and sixth in a trio of optional-claiming allowance races and came in fifth in the Feb. 3 King Cotton Stakes.

In his first start back in California, Sadler snatched him up. It was the first time St. Joe Bay had been offered for a claiming tag since he broke his maiden when offered for a $75,000 price at Santa Anita in October 2014.

"It was his back class (that led to the claim)," said Sadler, who has turned his share of claimers into stakes winners, most recently Edwards Going Left, whom the trainer said is pointing to the July 28 Bing Crosby Stakes (G1), along with Hronis/Sadler stablemate Moe Candy. "I have a good record claiming horses, and I want to see how they perform in a bigger race. St. Joe Bay was a top horse around here last year, and maybe he just didn't like Oaklawn, but it's all upside in a race like this."

St. Joe Bay will have to reverse his form significantly to compete with a pair from the barn of trainer Bob Baffert, each entering the San Carlos off optional-claiming allowance victories.

American Anthem, a multiple graded stakes winner himself (he scored the grade 3 Lazaro Barrera and grade 2 Woody Stephens impressively in 2017), sped to a 1 3/4-length score going seven furlongs at Churchill Downs June 1 in his season debut. Dabster returns off a layoff since his first start as a 4-year-old Feb. 16, when the Curlin  colt won a one-mile test at Santa Anita by the same margin.

The horse in the best current form, however, could be Touching Rainbows, who has won four straight races at allowance levels since August. The 5-year-old Aragorn gelding began his season with a 4 1/2-length victory in a six-furlong test at Santa Anita April 27, then stepped up a level in the allowance conditions to defeat Moe Candy by a nose at the same distance June 1 for trainer Phil D'Amato.

Another entrant on an allowance win streak is Stone Hands, who was victorious in Santa Anita sprints by 2 1/2 lengths (5 1/2 furlongs, May 4) and 2 1/4 lengths (6 1/2 furlongs, May 28) in his two starts leading up to the San Carlos.

Rounding out the field is another last-out claim in stakes winner Top of the Game and multiple stakes-placed El Huerfano.

Entries: San Carlos S. (G2)

Santa Anita Park, Saturday, June 23, 2018, Race 11

• Grade II
• 7f
• Dirt
• $250,000
• 3 yo's & up
• 5:28 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Top of the Game (KY)	Gary L. Stevens	121	Ryan Hanson	15/1
2	2St. Joe Bay (FL)	Tyler Baze	121	John W. Sadler	12/1
3	3El Huerfano (CA)	Geovanni Franco	121	Peter Miller	15/1
4	4American Anthem (KY)	Mike E. Smith	121	Bob Baffert	9/5
5	5Horse Greedy (KY)	Stewart Elliott	121	John W. Sadler	15/1
6	6Touching Rainbows (CA)	Flavien Prat	121	Philip D'Amato	5/2
7	7Stone Hands (KY)	Mario Gutierrez	121	Doug F. O'Neill	4/1
8	8Dabster (KY)	Martin Garcia	121	Bob Baffert	4/1