O’Neill Doubles Pleasure

There’s a Grand Canyon gap between victories in January and the Kentucky Derby on May 1, but trainer Doug O’Neill is still enjoying an early ride with a couple of bargain-basement 3-year-olds.

On the heels of Skipaslew’s win Saturday in the Golden Gate Derby at Golden Gate Fields, O’Neill was celebrating again Sunday after the undefeated Hosco won the $108,100 San Miguel Stakes at Santa Anita. Usually, these aren’t the kind of races that lead to Kentucky Derby glory. Those stakes come later, including the Santa Anita Derby, a month before the Kentucky Derby.

Although Hosco, a $30,000 purchase at a yearling auction, has won three in a row, he has yet to be tested farther than six furlongs. His win in the San Miguel, under a solid ride from Tyler Baze, was a hard-earned one-length decision over Roi Charmant, who was unable to overhaul O’Neill’s colt in the stretch. Gethsemani finished third; O’Neill’s other horse, the filly Hot Weekend, was fifth, and favored The Herc finished sixth in the seven-horse field.

Hosco, who races for Lorraine and Rod Rodriquez of Cottonwood, Calif., paid $10 as the third choice, reaching the wire in the six-furlong race in 1:09 1/5.

“I would think [Hosco would keep sprinting],” O’Neill said, “but when you’ve got a 3-year-old this early in the year, you always dream about trying to get them to run two turns. That’ll be the dream. [Hosco] doesn’t act like a horse who will go two turns, but then he never acted like a horse who would win three in a row, either.”

Skipaslew, owned by Merv Griffin, is an $18,000 yearling who has won at a mile and 1 1/16 miles at Golden Gate. Originally trained by Bill Currin, the grandson of Seattle Slew was claimed by O’Neill, for $50,000, out of a Hollywood Park race in July. He has won four of six starts since moving to O’Neill’s barn at Hollywood.

O’Neill was considering the Sham Stakes at Santa Anita as Skipaslew’s next start, but that plan could change after trainer Richard Mandella said Sunday that Action This Day, the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile winner, would be making his 3-year-old debut in the Sham.

“We might keep the horse [in Northern California],” O’Neill said of Skipaslew. A possible spot for the colt is the $200,000 El Camino Real Derby at Golden Gate on March 6.

For Action This Day, Mandella is substituting Saturday’s Santa Catalina Stakes with the Sham. The colt had a five-furlong workout of 59 4/5 Sunday. Of 74 horses who had workouts at that distance, only eight ran faster.

“I don’t think I’ve got him quite as ready as I thought I did,” Mandella said.

Action This Day’s Breeders’ Cup win came in only his third race. Both of his wins have been at 1 1/16 miles. Left as probables for the Santa Catalina are Master David, Perfect Moon, Preachinatthebar, St Averil and Twice As Bad.

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Russell Baze, who broke his collarbone at Golden Gate on Nov. 30, might return to racing on Jan. 22. ... Favored Harmony Lodge, beating House Party by 1 3/4 lengths, won the First Lady Handicap at Gulfstream Park for the second time.