George Krikorian’s homebred Mucho Unusual went wire-to-wire to win the GI Rodeo Drive S. at Santa Anita Saturday and earn an automatic berth in the GI Breeders’ Cup F/M Turf. Tonahutu took the lead from her inside post in the early strides, but Mucho Unusual strode past her down the stretch for the first time. The bay filly loped along through pedestrian splits, scampered further clear rounding the final bend and resolutely held off Maxim Rate late, while late-closing favorite Lady Prancealot did her best to close into the slow fractions, finishing third.
“My filly ran very sharp and she was really comfortable in the race,” said winning rider Juan Hernandez, who was earning his first Grade I triumph and his second graded race of the weekend following Big Runnuer (Stormy Atlantic)’s tally in Friday’s GII Eddie D S. “They let me go to the lead easily, so I took it, and then the rest of the race the filly did by herself. She’s a really nice filly. When I asked her to run at the stretch, she responded really well.”
Winning trainer Tim Yaketeen added, “This mare is unbelievable, her mother, Not Unusual is a great producer. It was great to get a Grade I win on the page for her. It’s very gratifying. She’s been such a hard-knocking filly. She’s been knocking on the door with Grade Is, so to pull this out is amazing. She’s very easy to train and very straightforward. She makes my job easy.”
Mucho Unusual, winner of last year’s GII San Clemente S. and second in the GI American Oaks, opened 2020 with third-place efforts in the Feb. 22 GII Buena Vista S. and May 25 GI Gamely S. Shipped east, she was eighth in the July 11 GI Jenny Wiley S. at Keeneland and returned home to be third in the Aug. 15 Solana Beach S. going one mile over the Del Mar lawn last time out.
Pedigree Notes:
George Krikorian purchased Not Unusual for $67,000 as a yearling at the 2007 Barretts October sale. The mare, the dam of GIII Transylvania S. winner Big Score (Mr. Big), has a yearling filly by Mr. Big and a weanling colt by Kitten’s Joy. She was bred back to Uncle Mo.
Saturday, Santa Anita
RODEO DRIVE S.-GI, $300,500, Santa Anita, 9-26, 3yo/up, f/m,
1 1/4mT, 2:00.19, fm.
1–MUCHO UNUSUAL, 122, f, 4, by Mucho Macho Man
1st Dam: Not Unusual, by Unusual Heat
2nd Dam: Fly First Class, by General Meeting
3rd Dam: Laura’s Jet, by Wajima
1ST GRADE I WIN. ($170,000 RNA Ylg ’17 KEESEP). O-George
Krikorian; B-George Krikorian (CA); T-Tim Yakteen; J-Juan J.
Hernandez. $180,000. Lifetime Record: 16-5-3-4, $702,715.
*1/2 to Big Score (Mr. Big), GSW & GISP, $684,342. Werk Nick
Rating: A. Click for eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Maxim Rate, 122, f, 4, by Exchange Rate
1st Dam: Catch My Eye, by Unbridled’s Song
2nd Dam: Sharp Eyes, by Storm Cat
3rd Dam: Gaelic Bird (Fr), by Gay Mecene
($130,000 Wlg ’16 KEENOV; $235,000 Ylg ’17 KEESEP). O-Slam
Dunk Racing and Branham, James D.; B-Fred W. Hertrich III &
John D. Fielding (KY); T-Simon Callaghan. $60,000.
3–Lady Prancealot (Ire), 126, f, 4, by Sir Prancealot (Ire)
1st Dam: Naqrah (Ire), by Haatef
2nd Dam: Filfilah (GB), by Cadeaux Genereux (GB)
3rd Dam: El Rabab, by Roberto
(€9,500 Ylg ’17 TIRSEP). O-Medallion Racing, Parkland
Thoroughbreds, Craig & Josie Arntz, Donald Durando, Jules &
Michael Iavarone & Jerry McClanahan; B-Tallyho Stud (Ire);
T-Richard Baltas. $36,000.
Margins: 1 1/4, 1, 2 1/4. Odds: 3.40, 2.90, 1.40.
Also Ran: Tonahutu (Ire), Pretty Point, Catch the Eye. Scratched: Bodhicitta (GB). Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.
The post Mucho Unusual Coast To Coast in Rodeo Drive appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.
A mandatory payout of the 20-cent Rainbow 6 will be held Sunday at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Fla., where the pool for the popular multi-race wager may swell to $5 million or more on the last day of the Spring/Summer Meet.
Gulfstream's hosts and analysts Jason Blewitt and Ron Nicoletti handicap Sunday's Rainbow 6 and offer some interesting plays.
The Rainbow 6 carryover grew to $745,396.50 Saturday after going unsolved for the 15th consecutive racing day. Tickets with all six winners Saturday were each worth $276.22.
The Rainbow 6 carryover jackpot is usually only paid out when there is a single unique ticket sold with all six winners. On days when there is no unique ticket, 70 percent of that day's pool usually goes back to those bettors holding tickets with the most winners, while 30 percent is carried over to the jackpot pool. However, on mandatory payout days, the entire pool is paid out to the bettor or bettors with the most winners in the six-race sequence.
Sunday's Rainbow 6 sequence will span Races 7-12.
Race 7, a five-furlong turf dash for $12,500 claimers, drew a well-balanced full field of 12, plus an also-eligible. Race 8, a seven-furlong sprint for 3-year-old fillies, will be contested by eight fillies, including Panarea, the 8-5 morning-line favorite who was claimed out of a 5 ½-length victory against slightly weaker.
A trio of optional claiming allowance races will be contested in Races 9, 10 and 11. Race 9, scheduled at a mile on turf, drew 15 fillies and mares, including four main-track-only entrants. Dynatown, a Mark Casse-trained daughter of Speightstown who is rated as the 9-5 favorite, steps into open company after defeating Florida-breds by 4 ½ lengths last time out.
Royal Squeeze, a winner of more than $600,000, is slightly favored over six rivals in a well-matched Race 10, a six furlong sprint.
Bienville Street, who came within a neck of winning the Monroe Stakes last time out, tops a field of 11, including three main-track-only entrants, in Race 11, a mile turf race for fillies and mares.
The Rainbow 6 sequence will conclude in Race 12, a five-furlong turf sprint for $12,500 fillies and mares claimers that drew 16 entries, including four also-eligibles.
There will also be mandatory payouts Sunday of the Late Pick 5 and last-race Super Hi-5.
There will be a Super Hi-5 carryover of $2,712.43.
The post Gulfstream Park: Mandatory Rainbow 6 Payout On Sunday’s Closing Day appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.
Forwardly placed throughout, eastern-based filly Amanzi Yimpilo rallied under Luis Saez to take Saturday's $100,000 Speakeasy Stakes at Santa Anita in Arcadia, Calif., by a head, defeating seven males in the process while earning a ticket to the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint Nov. 6 at Keeneland. Trained by Wesley Ward, Amanzi Yimpilo took blinkers off in what was her third start and got 5 1/2 furlongs on turf in 1:02.77.
A first-out maiden turf sprint winner June 10 at Gulfstream Park, Amanzi Yimpoli, who fetched $300,000 as a Keeneland September yearling, was most recently third in an ungraded stakes going 5 1/2 furlongs on turf at Saratoga on Aug. 19.
“She was pretty nervous behind the gate, we had a little trouble, but I knew she was ready,” said Saez, who was aboard for the first time today. “I could feel the power. She just broke very well and sat in a great spot which was the spot I was (hoping) to be in. When we came down the stretch, she fought. She was a fighter and we got there. I had a feeling we would get it.”
Off as 5-2 second choice in a field of nine that included one other filly, Amanzi Yimpilo paid $7.20, $3.80 and $3.00.
“We worked her a half mile on the dirt and we went wide, we weren't really trying to set the track afire,” said Blake Heap, assistant to Ward regarding Amanzi Yimpilo's lone workout at Santa Anita on Sept. 19. “We wanted to do something to get a feel of the situation here and get a little air. It worked out well. It's onto the Breeders' Cup we hope!”
Wyfire, in his first try on turf, ran a huge second under Flavien Prat, finishing a half length in front of Windy City Red. Off at 7-2, Wyfire paid $4.20 and $3.40.
Ridden by Jose Valdivia, Jr., Windy City Red was off at 16-1 and paid $5.40 to show while outfinishing 2-1 favorite Commander Khai by a neck.
Fractions on the race were 21.89, 44.66 and 56.51.
The Speakeasy Stakes is a Breeders' Cup “Win & You're In” Challenge Race qualifier, with the winner earning a fees paid berth in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint Nov. 6 at Keeneland.
The post Speakeasy Score Gives Amanzi Yimpilo Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint Berth appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.
