ARCADIA, Calif. – A graded winner once considered a Kentucky Derby candidate returns from a layoff in a stacked allowance Friday at Santa Anita. The 4-year-old might need one. “He’s a horse who kind of needs a race until he runs into form,” trainer Phil D’Amato said, referring to Newgrange. “But physically he looks great. He looks healthy, he’s a coming back good. It’s a good starting point.” The mile dirt allowance attracted seven entrants, Newgrange is one of five stakes winners. Tripoli won the Grade 1 Pacific Classic in 2021; Mr Fisk and Tahoe Sunrise dead-heated last month in the $125,000 Shared Belief Stakes at Los Alamitos. But the most intriguing entrant is another colt once considered a Kentucky Derby candidate. Practical Move faces a challenge similar to Newgrange – six months of down time. Practical Move runs Friday for the first time since he won the Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby on April 8. :: Get ready for Santa Anita racing with DRF PPs, Clocker Reports, Picks, and more. Shop Now.  Based on sharp workouts, ability to fire fresh, and natural maturation, Practical Move does not need a prep race. The indications are he is ready to fire. “I think he’s a more serious horse now,” jockey Ramon Vazquez said. “He’s more focused on what he has to do. He knows, now, what he has to do.” Vazquez frequently works Practical Move, rode him to three successive graded wins, and would have ridden him this spring in the Kentucky Derby. Practical Move got sick after he arrived at Churchill Downs, and scratched from the Derby two days out. Vazquez believes the colt is becoming more professional this fall. “He’s getting older, and their mentality changes,” the rider said. “Before, he played a little bit. Now, no. I’m very happy with how he has worked. Hopefully he comes back like he’s feeling.” Practical Move has looked strong in XBTV workout videos, including team drills Sept. 17 and 24. A four-time winner of $884,220 from seven starts, Practical Move runs well fresh. Early this year, making his first start in nearly three months, he won the Grade 2 San Felipe Stakes by 2 1/2 lengths over Geaux Rocket Ride. Practical Move is a Breeders’ Cup candidate, likely the Dirt Mile, pending his comeback for owners Leslie and Pierre Amestoy, and Roger Beasley. His trainer is Tim Yakteen. Practical Move will be treated with Lasix for the first time Friday, according to the overnight. Newgrange won his first three starts for trainer Bob Baffert, including a pair of Grade 3s in early 2022 that established him as a candidate for the spring classics. He subsequently was sidelined with a hock issue and sold at auction. Four starts for trainer Phil D’Amato include a win in the Grade 2 San Pasqual in January at Santa Anita. Newgrange has not raced since March, when he finished seventh in the Santa Anita Handicap. Newgrange employs an up-front running style, though the pace of the Friday allowance may be set by Tahoe Sunrise. Divine Armor will rally late. American Admiral would be an upset candidate returning to the Santa Anita track on which he has run his best races. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.