Yakteen enters five in 11-horse San Felipe

Feb 28, 2023 James Scully/TwinSpires.com

Tim Yakteen is responsible for nearly half of the 11 runners
in Saturday’s $400,000 San Felipe (G2) at Santa Anita, a Road to
the Kentucky Derby series qualifier awarding points on a 50-20-15-10-5
basis to the top five finishers.

Here are three talking points for the 1
1/16-mile San Felipe.

1.
Practical Move joined by four new faces in Yakteen barn

After focusing this winter on preparations for Los Alamitos Futurity (G2) winner Practical Move, who will open his three-year-old season in the
San Felipe, Yakteen’s workload got much busier with the recent additions of National Treasure, Hejazi, Fort Bragg, and Mr Fisk. The four colts were
transferred from Bob Baffert’s stable to pursue a Kentucky Derby bid.

Practical Move is a serious contender in his own right,
earning a field-best 105 Brisnet Speed rating for a 3 1/4-length win in the Los
Alamitos Futurity in mid-December. Ramon Vazquez retains the assignment on the
Practical Joke colt.

Third behind Forte and Cave Rock in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1),
National Treasure entered 2023 as a top three-year-old prospect, but his
reputation took a hit with a third at odds-on in the Jan. 8 Sham (G3) at Santa
Anita. The Quality Road colt remains a serious win threat here from just off
the pace with John Velazquez. Hejazi, who finished third in the American
Pharoah (G1) last fall as a maiden, comfortably earned his first win in mid-January,
and he’ll be forwardly placed with Mike Smith. Los Alamitos Futurity
third-placer Fort Bragg and last-out maiden winner Mr Fisk complete the
quartet.

2. Chase
the Chaos switches to dirt off eye-catching win

After placing in a pair of juvenile stakes attempts, Chase
the Chaos rolled to a convincing allowance win at Golden Gate Fields in late
December. The Pennsylvania-bred gelding continued to move forward while
stretching out to 1 1/8 miles in the Feb. 11 El Camino Real Derby, utilizing
a dynamic late kick to roll past rivals in the stretch, and the improving son
of Austern will switch to dirt for the San Felipe.

Armando Ayuso will be in to ride for Ed Moger Jr., and it
will be interesting to see the late impact from Chase the Chaos.

3. Geaux
Rocket Ride adds speed, Skinner runs late

Keep an eye upon a pair of last-out maiden winners.

Geaux Rocket Ride
will be tested for class and distance following a blistering first-out maiden
win at Santa Anita in late January, extending his advantage at every call in a
5 3/4-length romp. Bred for longer distances, the Richard Mandella-trained colt
earned an encouraging 97 Brisnet Speed rating, and Geaux Rocket Ride promises
to show speed Saturday with Flavien Prat.

Skinner made a couple of stakes appearances as a maiden, but
the late runner put it all together in a Feb. 12 maiden at two turns, rallying
to win going away by more than three lengths. The Curlin colt is another fast
last-out maiden scorer (96 Speed rating) to consider, and three-time Kentucky
Derby-winning jockey Victor Espinoza will have the call for Kentucky
Derby-winning trainer John Shirreffs.