ARCADIA, Calif. (AP) -Alphie's Bet won the $150,000 Sham Stakes by 2 1/4 lengths on Saturday, helping the 3-year-old colt establish his credentials for the Kentucky Derby.
Ridden by Alex Solis, Alphie's Bet ran 1 1-8 miles in 1:48.72 on Santa Anita's synthetic Pro-Ride surface.
Setsuko was second as the 5-2 wagering favorite and The Program, trained by Hall of Famer Bob Baffert, was another head back in third in the field of 10 colts.
Alphie's Bet is nominated to the Triple Crown races, but he needs to increase his graded stakes earnings in the coming weeks to have a shot at making the Kentucky Derby field, capped at 20 starters. The Sham victory, worth $90,000, increased his career earnings to $141,320.
Trained by Alexis Barba, Alphie's Bet was coming off the turf in his last start, which he won in January at Santa Anita. He now has two wins and a second in five starts.
Alphie's Bet paid $19, $8.40 and $4.80 at 8-1 odds. Trained by Hall of Famer Richard Mandella, Setsuko returned $4.40 and $3.20, while The Program paid $4 to show.
A year ago, Solis won the Sham aboard The Pamplemousse, who was scratched the morning of the $750,000 Santa Anita Derby because of an ailing leg. That dashed the Derby hopes of Solis and his son, Alex II, who co-owned the horse.
The Sham was postponed a week because of continued drainage problems with the track's surface. The race finished minutes after it began raining, chasing infield fans under the nearest overhang.