Strong Field Gathers For Daytona Stakes

A solid field of seven three-year-olds and up are expected to go to the gate on Saturday at Santa Anita for the $100,000 Grade III Daytona Stakes, going 6 1/2 furlongs on the turf. The field includes three 2013 Breeders’ Cup World Championships Turf Sprint entrants, including Chips All In, the 5-2 ML second choice, who rebounded from a ninth place finish there to run second in his most recent, finishing in a three-way place tie in the Hollywood Turf Express Handicap. Another in that tie was Unbridled’s Note, who is the ML favorite for this at 2-1.

Unbridled's Note has graded-stakes experience

The beaten favorite at Hollywood, Unbridled’s Note hasn’t quite been able to duplicate his results in 2012, where he ran second in the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint, after winning the Grade III Eddie D., and followed his BC performance with a third-place finish in the Grade I Malibu. After winning his 2013 debut in the Joe Hernandez Handicap, he has yet to notch another win on the year, although he was the better of Chips All In in the BC Turf Sprint this year, earning a well-deserved fourth.

Gallant Son needs to step up to be competitive

The only California-bred in the field, the five-year-old Ain’t No Other (5-1) has a pair of wins on the season and has been in the money in six of nine, primarily running in minor stakes on the Cal circuit. He was third in this race last year, and won the Sensational Star Stakes at Santa Anita back in February. Another whose success has come primarily in minor stakes and allowance races is Gallant Son (7-2), one of two seven-year-olds in the race. After opening the season at Santa Anita, he has made six straight starts at Golden Gate and won his last two, including the Oakland Stakes in his last start.