Later Than Planned Powers Past Tiger Track in John Shear Stakes

Later Than Planned turned the John Shear Stakes into a clean statement for Phil D’Amato’s 3-year-old turf sprinters, tracking 11-10 favorite Tiger Track early before edging clear in the stretch and winning by 1 1/2 lengths in 1:12.92 over Santa Anita’s downhill turf course.

The result did more than settle a five-horse stakes. It helped sort out the next tier in Santa Anita’s spring turf sprint division, where timing and balance matter as much as raw speed. Hector Berrios gave Later Than Planned a measured ride, applying pressure when the outside horse was expected to show the way and then asking for a finishing kick once the field swung into the stretch. The colt responded cleanly, and Tiger Track, who had the public support, could not match that final punch. Caro Buono, Iriseach and Won for Lou rounded out the field after both Caro Buono and Iriseach were supplemented for $2,000 apiece.

For D’Amato, the win fit into a big afternoon. Almendares took the American Stakes on the same card, giving the barn a stakes sweep that underscored how much depth sits in the stable right now. That matters in late spring, especially with the Santa Anita spring meeting running through June 14, because the conditioner appears to have multiple horses capable of moving through different turf lanes and distances. Later Than Planned, in particular, looked like a horse still learning how to carry his speed more efficiently while handling the hillside layout that can expose a lack of rhythm.

The John Shear Stakes itself had an unusual path back onto the calendar. It was originally scheduled for April 5, but was postponed when it failed to attract enough entries, then brought back for the spring meet opener. Jason Egan said it was reintroduced for the opening day of the spring meeting, a move that preserved a race named for John Shear, Santa Anita’s former paddock captain. Shear began working at the track in 1961, retired in 2021 and died in December 2023 at age 102.

Later Than Planned arrived with a résumé that already suggested real turf-sprint ability. The bay colt by Cotai Glory out of Asking Price had won the 2025 Speakeasy Stakes at Santa Anita, finished sixth in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint at Del Mar and had already shown downhill-turf form this year with a third in the Baffle Stakes on Jan. 25 and a troubled fifth in the Pasadena Stakes on Feb. 22. Owned by Little Red Feather Racing, Sterling Stables LLC and Marsha Naify, he is now 3-for-8 with earnings of $207,868, and his John Shear performance made him look like more than just a prospect. It made him look like a serious player in the division.