ARCADIA, CA. (March 9, 2016) – With recency on his side, graded stakes winner Calculator will head a field of eight in Saturday’s Grade II, $300,000 San Carlos Stakes going seven furlongs on the main track.
CALCULATOR: After a 13-month layoff, trainer Peter Miller’s Calculator returned to the track and the Winner’s Circle in impressive fashion winning by a neck in a seven furlong allowance at Santa Anita Feb. 13 as the even money favorite. A Kentucky Derby hopeful just last year after running second to American Pharoah in both the Grade I Del Mar Futurity and the Grade I FrontRunner Stakes in 2014, he went on to win the Grade III Sham Stakes in January, 2015. Calculator was then sidelined due to a non-displaced fracture in his right front ankle before returning to training in November, 2015.
A 4-year-old Florida-bred by In Summation, Calculator is owned by Richard C. Pell and will again be ridden by Flavien Prat, who was up for the win Feb. 13. He is 6-2-2-1 overall and has amassed earnings of $228,300.
KOBE’S BACK: Trained by Peter Eurton, the 5-year-old horse by Flatter will look for his second win in-a-row Saturday following a half-length score with the addition of blinkers in the Grade II Palos Verdes on Feb. 7 in which he earned a 100 Beyer Speed figure. Notoriously slow out of the gate, Kobe’s Back won the Grade III, seven furlong Commonwealth Stakes at Keeneland by three quarters of a length in April, 2015 but was winless in five consecutive starts, including a third to San Carlos contender Wild Dude in the Bing Crosby Stakes in July and seventh to Eclipse Champion Runhappy in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint Oct. 31.
Owned by Lee Searing of CRK Stable, he will retain the services of Gary Stevens Saturday. Kobe’s Back has won four races in 17 lifetime starts and has earnings of $772,250.
SAN CARLOS STAKES FIELD, IN POST POSITION ORDER
RACE 9 Approximate post time, 4 p.m.
- Calculator Flavien Prat 119
- Coastline Tyler Baze 119
- Wild Dude Rafael Bejarano 124
- San Onofre Edwin Maldonado 119
- Cautious Giant Santiago Gonzalez 119
- Mystery Train Joe Talamo 119
- Outside Nashville Martin Garcia 119
- Kobe’s Back Gary Stevens 124
Source: Santa Anita Park
