Practical Move, sidelined since winning the Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby on April 8, is set to return to the races on Friday in a competitive one-mile classified allowance at Santa Anita Park.
Trained by Tim Yakteen, Practical Move is listed as the 8-5 morning-line favorite for his comeback. Regular rider Ramon Vazquez will be in the irons. Also entered in the field of seven is the comebacking Grade 2 winner Newgrange (3-1), who has been off since a seventh-place effort in the G1 Santa Anita Handicap March 4 for trainer Phil D'Amato. Yakteen will also start American Admiral, most recently second in the Sept. 17 Los Alamitos Special.
Practical Move won the Santa Anita Derby by a nose, making him a leading contender for the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs a month later. However, while in Louisville, Practical Move spiked a temperature the week of the race and had to be scratched.
Practical Move returned to the work tab Aug. 13 at Del Mar. He has had nine drills for his comeback. In September had two six-furlong works followed by a pair of quick five furlong moves with the most recent completed in 59.60 seconds on Saturday.
“Everything has been straightforward,” Yakteen said of Practical Move's preparation.
While it's going on six months since Practical Move's last start, Yakteen said he appears to be much the same colt physically as in the spring.
“I haven't really seen any change. He's a big horse as it is, 1,250 pounds, so I wouldn't want him to put any more weight on anyway,” Yakteen said. “I'm very happy with what I've seen and how he's coming in.”
Ideally, Yakteen is hoping a good effort Friday could propel Practical Move to the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile here on Nov. 4.
“We'll take it one race at a time. The main thing is we want him to come back how he left off,” Yakteen said. “If he does, we'll put our heads together and think about the Breeders' Cup. It would be nice if we could entertain that.”
By Practical Joke, Practical Move is owned by Leslie A. Amestoy, Pierre J. Amestoy and Roger Beasley. Prior to his win in the Santa Anita Derby, Practical Move won the G2 San Felipe on March 4 at Santa Anita and G2 Los Alamitos Futurity in December. His career mark is 4-1-2 in seven starts with earnings of $884,200.
Also in the field Friday is Grade 1 winner Tripoli (8-1) for trainer John Sadler and a pair of colts trained by Bob Baffert, Mr Fisk (4-1) and Tahoe Sunrise (4-1). Mr. Fisk and Tahoe Sunrise most recently dead-heated for the win in the restricted Shared Belief for 3-year-olds going 1 1/16 miles at Del Mar July 17.
Practical Move's comeback goes as the eighth race on a nine-race card set for Friday. It is a second-level allowance that's also open to horses who have not won a race since June 18. Post time is scheduled for 4:42 p.m. Pacific.
The field in post position order: Tahoe Sunrise, Victor Espinoza (4-1); American Admiral, J.G. Torrealba (6-1); Mr Fisk, Juan Hernandez (4-1); Newgrange, Edwin Maldonado (3-1); Practical Move, Ramon Vazquez (8-1); Tripoli, Tiago Pereira (8-1); Divine Armor, Antonio Fresu (9-1).
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