Mullins Easy as 1-2-3?

- Jeff Mullins is amongst the training leaders at Santa Anita with 18 winners from 66 starters, good for win percentage of 27%. He’s been particularly sharp with horses first time off claims; he’s at 32% for the last five years, and an incredible 39% over the last 12 months. With seven such starters at the Santa Anita meeting, he has four wins and two seconds; with the last three in a row. In the sixth on Sunday, he sends out morning line favorite Run to the Border, who he claimed last time out for $25K, and runs back here for $40K. Mullins will be doing well to get this one to the winner’s circle – he hasn’t been there since Dec, 2004. Epic Power drops to a level at which he’s been competitive and may get a bit overlooked.

Mullins also has a high percentage of winners second time off the claim. He’s 29% over the last five years; and 27% over the past 12 months. But he’s also excelling in this category at Santa Anita – three winners and a second in six starters. In the second, Sprigzee, makes his second start for the barn; he won off the claim for 20K last November, and makes his first start since then, for 32K. Not much speed here; if the outside horse Pointe Birds can make the lead, he could be tough to catch at this level.

I don’t know what Mullins’ stats are third time off the claim; but in the 5th, Distorted Rumor stretches out to two turns (he’s one-for-one) after two improved sprint tries, the last with a career high 100 Beyer, off a Mullins claim and a 13 month layoff. Ender’s Shadow, a close second in a Grade 2 Mervyn LeRoy last spring, returns after a seven month layoff and runs for the optional tag of $62,500, the first time he’s been offered for sale.