SA Notes

- If you're like me, you love a good last-to-first rally, and if so, check out the 7th from Santa Anita on Monday. Processor's Turf was way dead last down the backstretch, and nowhere, a million wide, as they crossed the dirt track on the downhill course. Trevor Denman, who, as you know, excels at picking up moves, didn't see this one coming until around the 16th pole, but the three-year old son of Sky Mesa got up by a nose, and it was another nose back to the third place finisher. Even though he was obviously aided by a fast pace (21.53, 43.80), he closed, according to Formulator, in 21.90 and 5.19 for the last quarter plus half furlong. Despite two excellent prior efforts at the 6 1/2 furlong distance (albeit on synthetic tracks), this one returned a healthy $23 for Pletcher, in his first try against winners. The Toddster is rolling along at Santa Anita at his usual 24% winning rate.

Processor's Turf, who sold for $425,000 as a juvenile, has shown quite the late kick at this distance, sandwiching a poor try around two turns. He's out of a Private Terms mare, and has the dosage index (1.86) of a stayer. His second dam, Duty Dance, won the Diana and ran second against the boys in the Man O'War; and the third dam, Discipline, won the Demoiselle, Test, and Molly Pitcher back in the 60's, before even my time. Processor's Turf hails from the distaff family of distance winners such as Living Vicariously (Brooklyn), Sightseeing (Peter Pan), Val's Prince (Turf Classic), and Goodbye Halo (CCA Oaks). So perhaps this colt will eventually get another shot at a route. In the meantime, he's worth following going short.

- Tiz West, the first race winner graduating on the grass, is by Gone West out of Tizso (Cees Tizzy), a full sister to the two-time Classic/Eclipse winner Tiznow.