ARCADIA, Calif. – Beaten in a pair of two-turn races in their last appearances, the 4-year-old colts Reiquist and Matanzas Creek will have their first starts of 2024 for trainer Tim Yakteen in allowance races on turf and dirt for sprinters at Santa Anita on Thursday. The nine-race program, which begins at 12:30 p.m. Pacific, is the start of a five-day race week through Monday, the longest of the winter-spring meeting that began Dec. 26 and ends June 16. Racing was canceled on Feb. 4 and again last Friday because of rain-related issues, leading to Thursday’s makeup day and an extensive week of racing in coming days. Reiquist starts from the inside post, against a highly competitive field of eight in an allowance race at about 6 1/2 furlongs on the hillside turf course, carded for race 7. He faces a stern test from rivals such as Panic Alarm, who was second in the Grade 3 La Jolla Handicap at Del Mar last August, and two runners trained by Mark Glatt – First Peace, winner of the John Shear Stakes on the hillside turf course last April; and Beef Winslow, the sharp winner of an allowance race on the hillside turf course on Dec. 26. :: Access morning workout reports straight from the tracks and get an edge with DRF Clocker Reports Reiquist, a winner of 2 of 7 starts, will be ridden for the first time by Frankie Dettori. In the final months of 2023, Reiquist was fourth by a half-length in the Grade 2 Twilight Derby on Nov. 4 at Santa Anita and a troubled sixth in the Grade 1 Hollywood Derby on Dec. 2 at Del Mar. Those races were run at 1 1/8 miles on turf. Thursday’s allowance race is Reiquist’s first start in a turf sprint. He won a maiden race on dirt at 6 1/2 furlongs by 7 1/2 lengths last May. “I think he might be a horse that will take to the hill,” Yakteen said. “He was a very fast horse sprinting on the main track. “I think he moved up on the turf.” First Peace, 4, has not raced since he was second by a nose in the Desert Code Stakes on the hillside turf course last May. Glatt said the colt was in need of a rest following that narrow loss and being in training for more than a year. “He had had a long campaign,” Glatt said. “He’d gone through the 2-year-olds sale and I went on with him. I thought I’d give him some time.” Glatt said First Peace has worked forwardly for his return, displaying several quick workouts in late January and earlier this month. He envisions First Peace taking a prominent position early in the race under Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith. “He’s ready to run,” Glatt said. “I wouldn’t expect he would need a race.” Beef Winslow won his hillside course debut Dec. 26, closing from fourth of 10 to win by a convincing 3 1/4 lengths. Matanzas Creek was beaten a neck as the 8-5 favorite in a first-condition allowance race at a mile on Dec. 29 in his first start at the distance. Yakteen said Matanzas Creek may be better suited to sprints after leading in the stretch on Dec. 29 before tiring. He’ll face six opponents in race 8 and cuts back to 6 1/2 furlongs after a two-turn try last out. “My thinking was I thought he ran a genuine race going a mile,” Yakteen said. “He seems like he was floating a little bit in the last part. “I think six and a half is an ideal distance for us. He finished nice when he broke his maiden going six furlongs. “He was an effective sprinter, and I think this is a good opportunity.” Matanzas Creek will be ridden by Flavien Prat and figures to be prominent early. The field includes Will Be, who was second in a six-furlong allowance race on Dec. 10 at Los Alamitos in his most recent start. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.