Speed Boat Beach had a nearly flawless performance at Del Mar in his debut in a maiden special weight race at 5 1/2 furlongs on Sept. 10. He broke sharply, set a rapid pace, and sustained the effort to the finish, setting a track record of 1:01.86. The impressive win is the foundation for a new assignment on Sunday for Speed Boat Beach – his debut on turf in the $100,000 Speakeasy Stakes at five furlongs at Santa Anita. Speed Boat Beach drew the outside in a field of nine. Aside from the change in surface, Speed Boat Beach could face an early challenge and is running against several rivals with turf experience. They could pose an early threat to Speed Boat Beach, or the colt could duplicate his debut and prove impossible to catch. Trained by Bob Baffert for the partnership of Mike Pegram, Karl Watson, and Paul Weitman, Speed Boat Beach will be a heavy favorite in the Speakeasy, a race with ramifications for later this fall. The winner receives a fees-paid berth to the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint at Keeneland on Nov. 4. Speed Boat Beach will have a new rider with Juan Hernandez replacing Flavien Prat, who is riding the Belmont meeting at Aqueduct on Sunday. :: Get ready for Santa Anita racing with DRF PPs, Clocker Reports, Picks, and more. Shop Now.  Of the other eight runners, six have stakes experience, with a wide variety of results. Straighten Up set the pace in two sprint stakes on dirt for California-breds at Del Mar, but was unable to sustain the advantage and finished second. The winner of a maiden special weight race at five furlongs at Los Alamitos in July in his debut, Straighten Up will start on turf for the first time in the Speakeasy, and was recently transferred from trainer Jerry Hollendorfer to Mike Puype. Straighten Up is a half-brother to the 2020 turf stakes winner Stealthediamonds, who was trained by Puype. “There’s no reason he can’t handle the turf,” Puype said. “We don’t know how good the Baffert is. It’s not an easy race.” Ah Jeez won a maiden special weight race at five furlongs on turf at Del Mar on Aug. 26 in his second start, and was a troubled fourth in the Del Mar Juvenile Turf at a mile on Sept. 11. Ah Jeez set the early pace in the Juvenile Turf, but was caught on the turn, finishing 5 3/4 lengths behind Packs a Wahlop. Ah Jeez finished fifth, but was promoted to fourth after runner-up Dontthinkjustdoit was disqualified for causing interference. The loss was a learning experience for Ah Jeez, according to trainer Doug O’Neill. “I think he’ll route, but he isn’t mentally there yet,” O’Neill said. “He’s wired as a one-turn horse right now.” With Speed Boat Beach likely to set a rapid pace, O’Neill thinks Ah Jeez’s best chance is to race from a tracking position. “I think Ah Jeez can back off and finish,” he said. “When these 2-year-olds develop, you learn along the way. “He’s a happy, thriving colt. It seems like there is a lot of speed in there.” :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.