Arcadia, CA (SportsNetwork.com) – Odds-on favorite Calculator ran away down
the stretch to capture Saturday’s $100,000 Sham Stakes for 3-year-olds at
Santa Anita.
The mile stakes is the first this year leading up to the $1 million Santa
Anita Derby on April 4.
Trained by Peter Miller and ridden by Elvis Trujillo, Calculator went off as
the 3-5 favorite in the eight-horse field. The gray colt settled off the pace
but made progress going into the far turn.
Owned by Richard Pell, Calculator joined the leaders on the final turn going
five wide but easily moved to the front entering the stretch. Winless coming
into the Sham, Calculator drove down the stretch to break his maiden by 4 1/4
lengths over 21-1 longshot and stablemate Rock Shandy.
“It was a perfect trip. I went wide because I’d rather go wide than be in
between horses, or caught inside,” Trujillo said. “I wanted a clean trip. He
did it very easy today. Stretching out will be no problem for him; he’s very
good.”
Finishing third was Pioneerof the West with St. Joe Bay, also trained by
Miller, fourth and Papacoolpapacool fifth followed by Hero Ten All, Unblunted
and Rockinatten.
The time for the mile was 1:34.88 on a fast track.
Winning the Sham, part of the Kentucky Derby points system, was worth 10
points for Calculator to gain entry into the Run for the Roses. Second was
worth four points, third, two, and fourth, one point.
“We’ll see how the horse comes out,” Miller said, “but I wouldn’t rule out
coming back in a month in the Lewis ($150,000 Robert B. Lewis Stakes at 1 1/16
miles on Feb. 7). The timing of it is good and when my horses are good, I like
to run them. He’s good right now so I’m going to run him.”
The 3-year-old added $60,000 to his bankroll. Finally getting to the winner’s
circle in his fifth start brought Calculator’s earnings to $193,500.
Calculator finished third in his career debut at Del Mar on July 19 and fourth
three weeks later over the track’s synthetic main track. His two most recent
starts were versus Eclipse Award finalist American Pharoah. The gray colt
posted a pair of seconds to American Pharoah in the Del Mar Futurity on Sept.
3 and the FrontRunner Stakes at Santa Anita on Sept. 27.
Calculator paid $3.20, $2.40 and $2.20. Rock Shandy returned $10.60 and $5.40,
and Pioneerof The West paid $6.00 to show.
