SANTA ANITA PARK - Bob Baffert's American Anthem and Phil D'Amato's Touching Rainbows, a pair of horses in top form, head a field of eight 3-year-olds and up going seven furlongs in Saturday's Grade II, $250,000 San Carlos Stakes at Santa Anita.

Fresh of a stirring gate to wire win in a high level allowance June 1 at Churchill Downs, American Anthem seeks his third graded stakes victory in the San Carlos Stakes, while Touching Rainbows, a California-bred gelding by Aragorn, has four consecutive allowance wins to his credit and he'll be making his first-ever stakes start.

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AMERICAN ANTHEM

Third to eventual Grade I Breeders' Cup Sprint winner Roy H in the Grade I Santa Anita Sprint Championship on Oct. 7, this 4-year-old Bodemeister colt came off the bench to register an impressive 1 ¾ length win going seven furlongs in a third condition allowance at Churchill Downs on June 1.

A winner of a pair of seven furlongs stakes at age three; the Grade III Lazaro Barrera Stakes here in May, 2017 and of the Grade II Woody Stephens at Belmont Park a year ago, American Anthem, who was bred in Kentucky by WinStar Farm, is three for four at seven furlongs and merits top billing.

Owner: WinStar Farm LLC and China Horse Club International Limited & SF Racing, LLC | Trainer: Bob Baffert

TOUCHING RAINBOWS

A maiden $30,000 claiming winner in his third start, July 3, 2016, he was claimed for $25,000 on Sept. 30, 2016 and at age five, tries stakes completion on the heels of an impressive four-game winning streak. Although he's a California-bred, Touching Rainbows has faced open company in his last three races, his most recent a gutty nose win over three-time graded stakes placed Moe Candy going six furlongs here on June 1.

Along with two wins and a second place finish from three starts at seven furlongs, Touching Rainbows has posted impressive Beyer Speed figures of 95 (June 10) and 99 (April 27) in both of his 2018 starts.

Owner: KM Racing Enterprise, Inc. | Trainer: Phil D'Amato

ST. JOE BAY

When Hronis Racing and John Sadler dive in for a claim, people notice-especially when the price is sizable enough to create some buzz. The claim of graded stakes winner St. Joe Bay for $62,500 by Hronis and Sadler out of a May 28 optional-claiming allowance definitely rang a compelling note. Although the 6-year-old Saint Anddan gelding is winless in his eight starts since back-to-back scores in the 2016 Midnight Lute Stakes (G3) and 2017 Palos Verdes Stakes (G2) for trainer Peter Miller, it figured his new connections were thinking bigger than keeping him a claimer.

"I'm not 100% sure he's running, but I'm leaning toward it," Sadler said of St. Joe Bay, who never seemed the same off a fourth-place run in the Dubai Golden Shaheen Sponsored by Gulf News (G1) in March 2017. "When you claim them, you have a fresh sheet. If I like what I see or don't like what I see, you go forward. If I don't like what I see, I might drop him (for a lower claiming price), but he breezed really well (June 17, five furlongs in 1:00 4/5 at Santa Anita), and with a month until Del Mar, this is a good time to take a shot."

Owner: Hronis Racing | Trainer: John Sadler