Whatmakessammy Run Much The Best In Desert Code

ARCADIA, CA – Although he was bottled up around the far turn, heavily-favored Whatmakessammyrun found room when it counted as he charged home to win Sunday’s $75,000 Desert Code Stakes at Santa Anita by 3 3/4 lengths.

Trained by Mark Glatt and ridden by Flavien Prat, Whatmakessammyrun got 6 furlongs on turf in 1:08.08 and he now unbeaten in 2 starts with Glatt since shipping in from Florida.

Breaking from the rail in a field of six sophomores, Whatmakessammyrun was next to last, about 3 lengths off of Love My Jimmy, but with Prat biding his time, swung three-deep turning for home and unleashed an impressive turn of foot that had his normally stoic conditioner beaming with joy.

“He’s got an awesome turn of foot, he’s a racehorse,” said Glatt. “I don’t know what makes him run, but I’m glad he runs, especially like that. He doesn’t like to be on the inside of horses and at the rail… I was hoping Flavien would be able to negotiate a trip and he was. It looked like he was running into a little bit of trouble around the turn, but he didn’t make much of it.

“As soon as he got clear, he looked like an airplane almost, getting ready for lift-off. He’s an exciting horse. Horses that have that kind of turn of foot and finish like that, they are fun to watch. I do think at his best, he is a late-closing sprinter. I haven’t run him a mile myself, but if you watch the replays, he just seems more comfortable laying back there, coming with a run around one turn.”

Well-beaten in an ungraded 1-mile turf stakes at Tampa Bay Downs March 6, Whatmakessammyrun was a stylish 2 1/4-length 6 furlong turf allowance winner here in on May 2. Ridden for the second consecutive time today by Prat, Whatmakessammyrun was off as the 4/5 favorite and returned $3.60, $2.40 and $2.10.

A Kentucky-bred colt by the Artie Schiller stallion We Miss Artie, out of the Touch Gold mare Reggae Rose, Whatmakessammyrun is owned by Sterling Racing, LLC. In notching his first stakes win, he now has 3 wins from 8 starts and with the winner’s share of $47,880, he increased his earnings to $139,610.

“I guess it looked like (we ran into trouble) on TV, but no, I was fine,” said Prat when asked about his experience around the far turn.  “It was a little tight, but it was fine. He was a lot more professional when I got him outside and asked him to make a run. He was really going forward, it was nice.”

Second to the top of the stretch under Juan Hernandez, Irish-bred Mohawk King was no match for the winner 3/16 of a mile out but gradually overhauled Love My Jimmy for the place late. Off at 9/2, Mohawk King, who finished a 1/2-length in front of Love My Jimmy, paid $3.60 and $2.60.

Ridden by Jose Valdivia Jr., Love My Jimmy, who was in search of his third consecutive win in his first stakes assignment, finished 2 lengths better than Touchdown Brown and paid $2.80 to show while off at 7/1.

The field’s lone filly Missy P. and longshot Enough Nonsense completed the order of finish.