ARCADIA, Calif. – Dr. Schivel could win the Grade 2 Santa Anita Sprint Championship for the second time in three years Saturday, but he would still have a score to settle with a pair of graded winners who replaced him as the top sprinters in California. The Chosen Vron and Anarchist, one-two over Dr. Schivel in the Grade 1 Bing Crosby at Del Mar this summer, will train into the Breeders’ Cup Sprint. Their absence from the $200,000 Santa Anita Sprint leaves Dr. Schivel as a possible standout following a better-than-looked third in the Bing Crosby. Nine entered the six-furlong Santa Anita Sprint, in which Dr. Schivel faces Bob Baffert-trained 3-year-olds Arabian Lion, Speed Boat Beach, and Fort Bragg; recently troubled Grade 1 winner American Theorem, and lightly raced Sir Atticus. The 9-year-old C Z Rocket, who won this race in 2020, would be the oldest to win the Santa Anita Sprint. Spirit of Makena is not a confirmed starter. As for Dr. Schivel, he will try to regain the form that made him California’s top sprinter in 2021. He might be there already. Dr. Schivel finished third behind The Chosen Vron and Anarchist last out in the Bing Crosby, and trainer Mark Glatt believes he ran the best horse. :: Get ready for Santa Anita racing with DRF PPs, Clocker Reports, Picks, and more. Shop Now.  Dr. Schivel “was wide from the three-eighths to the wire,” Glatt said. “If he would’ve saved a little ground, I don’t think they would have beat him.” Considering ground loss, Dr. Schivel’s race was one of the best of his 6-for-13 career that includes Grade 1 wins in the 2021 Bing Crosby and 2020 Del Mar Futurity. Dr. Schivel, whose 105 Beyer Speed Figure in a Santa Anita allowance in May is highest figure this year in California, is primed for a repeat performance based on last week’s 58.60-second bullet work. “I didn’t care for him to really go quite that fast, but he needed a good work,” Glatt said, noting a historical similarity. “He went 58 and change the week before he got beat a nose in the [2021] Breeders’ Cup. It worked out that day.” Juan Hernandez rides Dr. Schivel, whose status for the 2023 BC Sprint hinges on his effort Saturday. Arabian Lion, a Grade 1 winner in June at Belmont Park and recently third in a Grade 1 on a wet track at Saratoga, is facing older for the first time in a race 3-year-olds have won five times the last 19 years. Edwin Maldonado rides Arabian Lion. An upset candidate is American Theorem, a Grade 1 winner in 2022 who needed a start when he finished fifth in his June comeback. He subsequently was compromised by trouble when sixth in the Bing Crosby. :: Bet the races with a $250 First Deposit Match + $10 Free Bet and FREE Formulator PPs! Join DRF Bets. “He’s doing good, he just got in trouble his last race,” trainer George Papaprodomou said. “My other horse [Spirit of Makena] clipped heels and kind of took him out, and he still ran an okay race. He came on after that, and he’s training great.” Umberto Rispoli rides American Theorem. Papaprodomou said Spirit of Makena’s status for Saturday is pending. He could target an upcoming route. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.