Can’t Help Myself’s chances for a first stakes win in Sunday’s $100,000 King Glorious Stakes for 2-year-old statebred milers at Los Alamitos will be slightly easier than expected.
Trained by John Sadler for owner and breeder Pete Parrella’s Legacy Ranch, Can’t Help Myself was third in the $177,000 Golden State Juvenile at seven furlongs at Del Mar on Oct. 31, finishing behind Ocean Bear and Sammy Davis.
Those runners are not in the King Glorious Stakes, but are expected to start in the $175,000 California Cup Derby for statebred 3-year-olds at 1 1/16 miles at Santa Anita on Jan. 17.
Ocean Bear surprised trainer George Papaprodromou when he worked five furlongs in 59 seconds at Santa Anita last Sunday.
“He worked a little too fast, and I didn’t want to go that fast,” Papaprodromou said on Thursday. “I don’t want to rush it.”
Sammy Davis, trained by Sadler, had his fourth start in 15 weeks in the Golden State Juvenile.
“We wanted to freshen him up,” Sadler said.
Their absences leave Can’t Help Myself as the leading contender in a field of eight in the King Glorious, the 10th and final race on a program that begins at noon Pacific.
Sunday’s program is the final day of the two-week Los Alamitos December meeting. Santa Anita opens its winter-spring meeting on Dec. 26.
Can’t Help Myself won a six-furlong maiden race for California-breds at Del Mar on Aug. 16 and was third in an allowance race at 6 1/2 furlongs at Santa Anita on Oct. 4.
In the Golden State Juvenile, Can’t Help Myself closed from ninth in a field of 10 with a wide rally to finish 1 1/4 lengths behind Ocean Bear.
“He finished very well,” Sadler said. “We love him at a mile. We think he’s been waiting to stretch out.”
Can’t Help Myself, the mount of Hector Berrios, drew post 3. He is the only runner in the field to have placed in a stakes in California. Tommy Norris, a maiden after five races, was third in the minor Turf Paradise Open Spring Futurity at five furlongs in May.
Mo Holland Drive, who starts from the inside post, was sixth in the Golden State Juvenile.
Mo Holland Drive, winless in two starts on dirt, won a six-furlong maiden race on turf at Santa Anita in September. He was fourth of nine in a maiden race at a mile on turf at Del Mar on Aug. 3 in his only other start at the distance.
“He wants the mile,” trainer Peter Miller said. “He hasn’t run well on the dirt, but I think he can.”
Two entrants, Flashy Fritz and Smoothin Saturday, won one-mile races in their last starts. Flashy Fritz led throughout a $32,000 claimer at a mile at Del Mar on Nov. 7. Smoothin Saturday won his debut in a maiden race for statebreds at Del Mar on Nov. 16 in a 9-1 upset.
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