January, 2021 | Horse Racing Free Tips

Frontrunning Tizamagician ‘Doing Real Well’ Ahead Of San Pasqual

Richard Mandella was a relatively young pup of 33 when he won the 1983 San Pasqual Stakes for the first time, with a horse named Regal Falcon ridden by Eddie Delahoussaye.

In 2005, he captured his second San Pasqual, this time with Congrats under Tyler Baze. On Saturday the Hall of Fame trainer, now a sprightly 70, sends out committed front-runner Tizamagician in a bid for number three at Santa Anita Park.

A 4-year-old Tiznow colt, Tizamagician won an overnight race in game fashion last out on Jan. 2, leading throughout as is his wont. It was his first race in more than three months.

“He likes to be in front and came off a nice win,” Mandella said of the four-old Kentucky-bred colt owned by MyRacehorse.com and Spendthrift Farm, who will be ridden for the fourth straight time by Drayden Van Dyke.

Mandella was speaking of an overnight victory Jan. 2 at a mile and one-sixteenth, Tizamagician's first race in more than three months.

“He's doing real well,” said Mandella, who could use the San Pasqual as a steppingstone to the Grade 1 Santa Anita Handicap on March 6, a race the Hall of Fame trainer has won three times, with Siphon in 1997, Malek in 1998 and Rock Hard Ten in 2005.

“That makes sense,” Mandella said, alluding to the San Pasqual as a logical forerunner to the Big 'Cap, Santa Anita's marquee race for older horses, which will be presented for the 84th time this year.

The San Pasqual, race five: Tizamagician, Drayden Van Dyke, 9-2; Idol, Gabriel Saez, 9-5; King Guillermo, Abel Cedillo, 2-1; Express Train, Juan Hernandez, 2-1; and Zestful, Edwin Maldonado, 15-1.

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Baffert Pair Sandwich Lewis Field: ‘We’ll Learn More About Both Horses’

There are no “throw outs” in the Robert B. Lewis Stakes at Santa Anita on Saturday.

Everyone came to play.

In arguably one of the most competitive fields in its 83 editions, dating back to 1935 when it was presented as the Santa Catalina Handicap, Saturday's Grade 3 test for 3-year-olds at 1 1/16 miles looms a major steppingstone to the Grade 1 Runhappy Santa Anita Derby on April 3 and awards 10 Kentucky Derby qualifying points to the winner, four to the runner-up, two to the third horse and one point to the fourth.

Drawing an inside post with Medina Spirit and an outside post with Spielberg, Bob Baffert has the field of eight sandwiched, at least on paper. Whether the sandwich contains baloney or filet mignon remains to be seen.

Should Baffert win, it would mark the third straight victory in the Lewis for the two-time Triple Crown-winning trainer. He won last year with Thousand Words and in 2019 with Mucho Gusto. Overall, he has won the race a record eight times, dating back to 1999 with General Challenge.

Subsequent winners were Domestic Dispute (2003), Pioneerof the Nile (2009), Flashback (2013), Dortmund (2015), Mor Spirit (2016) and the aforementioned Mucho Gusto and Thousand Words.

“I don't like being stuck inside, and on the outside, you lose ground, but I think we'll learn more about both horses,” Baffert said. “Right now, we're just trying to figure out their styles and how good they are. They'll start separating themselves. Until they go a mile and an eighth, that's when you'll really know.”

Coincidentally, Medina Spirit had the number one post position last out when he was second to Baffert's individual Kentucky Derby Future Book favorite, unbeaten Life Is Good, in the Grade 3 Sham Stakes Jan. 2, while Spielberg had the outside number six post last out Dec. 19 when the $1 million son of Union Rags won the Grade 2 Los Alamitos Futurity by a nose over The Great One.

“I'll just let the riders ride their race and see what happens,” Baffert said of the Lewis, in which Abel Cedillo is aboard Medina Spirit for the third consecutive race and Flavien Prat returns on Spielberg for the second time.

Meanwhile, Charlatan worked “really well” Wednesday, going six furlongs in a bullet 1:12.60 as Baffert prepares him for the world's richest race, the $20 million Saudi Cup on Feb. 20

Responding to newly-crowned Horse of the Year Authentic's victory in the 146th Kentucky Derby being voted the 2020 FanDuel Racing-NTRA Moment of the Year based on results of 3,403 votes cast on Twitter and an online poll, Baffert concurred.

“Authentic deserves that honor,” Baffert said. “He was the most exciting horse to watch last year.”

The Lewis is named for the late owner and philanthropist whose Silver Charm (co-owned by his wife, Beverly) gave Baffert his first Kentucky Derby win in 1997 (he now has six). The Lewises also won the 1999 Derby with Charismatic, trained by D. Wayne Lukas.

The Lewis, race seven of eight with a 12:30 p.m. first post time: Medina Spirit, Abel Cedillo, 5-2; Rombauer, Mike Smith, 8-1; Parnelli, Umberto Rispoli, 12-1; Hot Rod Charlie, Joel Rosario, 3-1; Roman Centurian, Juan Hernandez, 8-1; Waspirant, Ricardo Gonzalez, 20-1; Wipe the Slate, Mario Gutierrez, 4-1; and Spielberg, Flavien Prat, 7-2.

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Ready for ‘Prime’ Time in the Holy Bull

'TDN Rising Star' Prime Factor (Quality Road), a blowout maiden winner sprinting on debut at Gulfstream Dec. 12, heads straight to the big leagues in Saturday's GIII Holy Bull S.

The WinStar Farm and CHC Inc. colorbearer, a $900,000 Keeneland September yearling, worked a bullet five furlongs in :59 4/5 (1/13) at Todd Pletcher's Palm Beach Downs base Jan. 23 in preparation of his two-turn debut.

Prime Factor is out of a half-sister to fellow 'Rising Stars' Speightster (Speightstown) and West Coast Swing (Gone West) as well as SW Paiota Falls (Kris S.). His second dam Dance Swiftly is a full-sister to Canadian Horse of the Year and U.S. Eclipse Award winner Dance Smartly.

“It's kind of that time of year where you have to see where you are,” Pletcher said. “He was brilliant in his debut and has trained sharply since then. We kind of considered going into an allowance race, but that never materialized. It's always a big step to go from maiden race against winners, giving up experience, but he can hopefully overcome it.”

The 16-time Gulfstream Championship Meet training champion will also tighten the girth on Repole Stable and St. Elias Stable's Amount (Curlin), a 5 3/4-length winner on debut after getting bumped at the start going seven furlongs at Gulfstream Dec. 26.

Greatest Honour (Tapit) was given the 5-2 nod on the morning-line after overcoming a good deal of early trouble in an impressive, come-from-behind maiden victory over track and trip at fourth asking Dec. 26. He was also a strong third in a key maiden special weight at Belmont last fall, featuring subsequent 'Rising Star' and jaw-dropping Smarty Jones S. winner Caddo River (Hard Spun).

“He's developed a lot,” trainer Shug McGaughey said. “I was just sitting there thinking if, through the winter and spring, he keeps going in that direction, he'll be good.”

The Holy Bull's lone graded winner Sittin On Go (Brody's Cause) (GIII Iroquois S.) looks to get back on track following disappointing efforts in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Nov. 6 and GII Kentucky Jockey Club S. last time Nov. 28.

The Holy Bull carries 10-4-2-1 qualifying points on the road to the GI Kentucky Derby.

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Whitmore to Make ’21 Debut in Hot Springs S.

The freshly-minted Eclipse Award winning sprinter Whitmore (Pleasantly Perfect) will try to add to his seven Oaklawn stakes wins this winter, according to part-owner–along with Bob LaPenta and Head of Plains Partners–and trainer Rron Moquett. Whitmore punctuated his 2020 campaign with a dominating victory in the Nov. 7 GI Breeders' Cup Sprint at Keeneland.

“I think the reaction that we get from the rest of the people kind of mimics how we feel all the time about him,” Moquett said Friday morning. “It's like everybody's giving him credit, loving him or whatever. But Arkansas people kind of already thought that he was a champion, regardless, and it's kind of like the rest of world got to see what we've been thinking for three years.”

Among the gelding's 2020 Oaklawn starts, he took the Hot Springs S. last March-winning for a record fourth consecutive year–and a record third GIII Count Fleet Sprint H. in April.

Moquett confirmed Friday that the 8-year-old, who is currently in training at Oaklawn, will target a similar path in 2021 as to his championship season, beginning with the Hot Springs S. Mar. 13. Whitmore's major spring objective, according to Moquett, is again the GIII Count Fleet Sprint H. April 10. Both races are at six furlongs.

“Still the plan,” Moquett said. “He's going to run a mile and a half at Oaklawn [this winter].”

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