2020 Echo Eddie Stakes at Santa Anita Park

TRAINER GLATT SENDS TALENTED FILLY BIG SWEEP AGAINST BOYS IN ECHO EDDIE

Live Horse Racing at Santa Anita Park, on hiatus since March 22nd, returns to action this weekend with a 10-race Saturday program. Highlighting the card are a pair of California-bred stakes races including the Echo Eddie Stakes.

Borrowing a page from the D. Wayne Lukas trainer's playbook, Mark Glatt will take on the boys with his talented filly Big Sweep in Saturday's $150,000 Echo Eddie Stakes at six furlongs.

Sponsored by the CTBA, the Echo Eddie is for Golden State Series eligible California-bred or sired three-year olds and has attracted a field of nine.

"We nominated to both races (including the Evening Jewel) and to be honest, we looked at the noms for both of them and we just thought that maybe our best chance this time is against the boys," said Glatt. "She's obviously very talented and hopefully, we chose the right option."

Breaking from the rail in her debut going six furlongs here March 14, Big Sweep blasted off and enjoyed a 4 ½ length advantage turning for home en route to a 2 ¼ length win as the even money favorite.

Owned by Red Baron's Barn, LLC and Rancho Temescal, Big Sweep earned an Echo Eddie best last out Beyer Speed figure of 83 and will retain the services of Flavien Prat on Saturday. By Mr. Big our of the City Zip mare Misszippityslewda, Big Sweep sold for $40,000 at the Barretts Fall Yearling Sale in October, 2018.

The Craig Lewis-trained Club Aspen, a one mile stakes winner versus Cal Breds three starts back, rates a big chance as he bids for his third win from 10 overall starts. Owned by Larry Lewis, the 3-year-old gelding by Clubhouse Ride fetched $55,000 at the Fasig Tipton Santa Anita 2-year-olds in training sale last summer.

CLUBHOUSE RIDE PROGENY EYE GOLD AND GLORY

Warren's Showtime and Club Aspen, stakes-winning progeny of the budding California stallion Clubhouse Ride, could add to their impressive resumes on Saturday.

Warren's Showtime, a chestnut daughter of Clubhouse Ride bred by Benjamin Warren who is the owner along with his wife, Sally, seeks her third straight stakes victory in the $150,000 Evening Jewel Stakes at six furlongs for three-year-old fillies bred in California.

Club Aspen, a son of Clubhouse Ride who won the $100,000 King Glorious Stakes at Los Alamitos last Dec. 19, goes in the $150,000 Echo Eddie Stakes for three-year-old Cal-breds, also at six furlongs.

Trained by Craig Lewis, each horse is returning to the main track and shortening up in distance after coming off a turf race.

"It's not an ideal situation," said Lewis, who trained Clubhouse Ride to win The Californian Stakes twice, once at Hollywood Park and once at Santa Anita. "They're better around two turns but the money is there. They're both nice horses and we've got to get started somewhere."

Each horse will be piloted Jorge Velez, who has a monopoly on them, having ridden Cub Aspen in all nine of his starts, winning two, and Warren's Showtime in all seven of her races, winning four.

Club Aspen is owned by Craig's older brother, Larry, for whom the 1995 Santa Anita Derby winner Larry the Legend is named.

Clubhouse Ride stands for $3,500 at Legacy Ranch. "The biggest bargain in America," said Lewis, who proudly points out of the son of Candy Ride ran 43 times while campaigning for six seasons from 2010 to 2015.

Lewis, a native of Los Angeles who celebrated his 73rd birthday on May 1, has learned to roll with punches in a career that began in 1978. To him, the current pandemic is just another bump in the road.

"It's all about adapting," he said. `That's how you survive."