SANTA ANITA : Sondeed Will Return to the Scene of His Victory

Sondeed, winner of the Desert Wine Sales Stakes in October, returns to the scene of that victory for the $75,000-added San Miguel Stakes on Friday at Santa Anita Park.

Formal Dinner, which has run in tougher competition on both coasts, and unbeaten Apollo are among the five 2-year-olds entered for the seven-furlong event.

Sondeed was a 3 1/2-length victor in the Desert Wine over the same distance. It was his second win in four career starts for trainer Dick Mulhall, but Friday’s competition may be tougher.

Formal Dinner has been keeping impressive company. He won the Sanford Stakes at Saratoga in August and has cashed checks against some of the best runners on the grounds since then. Formal Dinner was fourth in the Del Mar Futurity and third in the Norfolk Stakes, both won by West Coast juvenile division leader Best Pal. Formal Dinner then was runner-up in the Cowdin Stakes at Belmont behind Scan, which now is at Santa Anita awaiting major preparation races for the Santa Anita Derby and Triple Crown Series. Formal Dinner tired in the stretch and finished eighth in a disappointing effort in the Hollywood Prevue last time out.

With five starters, the San Miguel’s purse will total $79,800 and the winner’s share will be $46,050.

In post position order, the field includes Formal Dinner, ridden by Gary Stevens at 122 pounds; Roman Envoy, Laffit Pincay Jr., 114; Apollo, Chris McCarron, 114; Intimate Kid, Eddie Delahoussaye, 114, and Sondeed, Julio Garcia, 122.

Apollo is two-for-two in his career. He broke his maiden at first asking in July at Hollywood Park, then went to the sidelines. In his return earlier this month, the Gary Jones trainee led wire-to-wire for a five-length allowance victory.

Hall of Fame jockey-turned-trainer Bill Shoemaker will saddle Intimate Kid, which gave him his first Santa Anita training victory in an allowance race in October. Intimate Kid faltered in his first stakes test, the Hollywood Prevue, last month.

Roman Envoy will try to give owner Fred W. Hooper, 93, his first Santa Anita stakes win since Precisionist in the mid-’80s.