MUTHHILA (5/1) and POINT HOPE (7/2) - 22.02 Santa Anita Park. Muthhila arrives in California after wintering in Dubai. There were high aspirations as she ran in the UAE 1000 Guineas, but basically disappointed in three tries at Meydan. She now appears in an entry level conditions race for a new trainer who has had some other imports run quite well. Muthhila showed flashes of ability at the Class 3 and Class 4 levels so she should fit nicely here. This is a short sprint over the 5f distance so a decent start will be necessary. Her fellow import Point Hope is a bit of a different story having been sold at public auction last autumn for about €32,000. She bounced back and forth between AW and flat turf with some success, but nothing eye-opening. Point Hope is currently lower in odds and the more respected horse, but I would personally reverse the odds on these two.
SIMPLY BREATHLESS (9/2) - 22.17 Golden Gate Fields - This appears to have been a private sale after Simply Breathless won a Class 2 handicap down the straight mile at Ascot this past autumn. She now finds herself in the care of world class trainer Neil Drysdale who gives a leg up to French star Flavien Prat. She has been working lights out in the morning, never missing her training. This listed stakes would appear to be a logical spot - likely equivalent to a Class 2 in the UK as we know the horses in America are clearly inferior, overall, to those in the UK. Five of the seven horses in the field have a European background and the current favorite is 3 for 16 lifetime indicating this is a very winnable race for Simply Breathless.
EMMAUS (7/2) - 22.51 Belmont Park - This horse has a very interesting back story. He sold at Goffs as a yearling to China Horse Club for nearly €600,000 and showed some talent at 2 and 3 years old, but spent too much time on the sidelines nursing injuries. Emmaus stepped into group level competition last year, but never really stamped himself a high quality horse and was placed into public auction where he was purchased by American connections for about €200,000. He now finds himself in the barn of young rising star Conor Murphy a one-time assistant to Nicky Henderson who also may be known for hitting a 5-horse acca worth $1.5 million. Anyway, Emmaus fits nicely into this listed 7f sprint and would be no surprise if he finds himself plenty of success in America.
WENTWOOD (12/1) - 1.10 Golden Gate Fields, G3 $250,000 San Francisco Mile - I was shocked when I saw this declaration. Dermot Weld has sent a horse 6,000 miles from Ireland to contest a G3 in California off a 1m 2f win in a minor handicap at Cork. What is going on here? Wentwood had nearly zero success as a 3 year old - what has gone so right that he's worth a costly flight to California? I have no idea. He arrived in San Francisco on Tuesday and has certainly had time to get acquainted with the turf course and his surroundings. This is an absolute each way play at the odds.
MANSON (12/1) - 1.30 Churchill Downs - Kentucky Derby weeks kicks off with a floodlit racecard as the countdown begins until the big day. Manson is a bit different than the other imports - he is 6 years old and has 26 races under his belt, but only two wins. He has bounced between AW and flat turf and has had a nondescript career. So, why might he have success here? Well, a change of scenery, medication, change of surface - really anything can wake up a horse. He sold for about €45,000 at public auction this past autumn and this is a gelding, so the price was purely based on his ability to perform on the track in America. Again, at the current price he is a must play in this second level conditions race.
As a reminder - State Side Six returns in one week on 4th May for the Kentucky Derby and five other group races.
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