December, 2021 | Horse Racing Free Tips

Munnings’ Eda Shines in Starlet S.

Baoma Corporation's Eda became the latest Grade I winner for her red-hot sire Munnings with a gutsy score in the GI Starlet S. at Los Alamitos Saturday night. Speeding out of the outside stall in this six-horse affair, the even-money favorite was in front rounding the first turn, but was headed by 40-1 shot and fellow Bob Baffert pupil Benedict Canyon (Midnight Lute) through a :23.65 first quarter. Meanwhile, their Grade I-winning stablemate Grace Adler (Curlin) caboosed the field. Eda regained command as the half went in :48.96, but Benedict Canyon stuck with her best she could, weakening a bit at the three-eights pole, as did Grace Adler. Cairo Memories (Cairo Prince), who was making her first start on dirt, ranged up to challenge turning for home and Benedict Canyon determinedly tried to keep pace on Eda's outside. Tonito's (Blame) split the Baffert pair to throw her hat in the ring in early stretch, gaining a half-length advantage on Eda. However, Eda refused to be denied, forging her way clear late for a half-length success. Cairo Memories surged late for second with Tonito's holding third.

“She rated off well and you never known how they're going to do going long until you try,” Baffert said. “She relaxed well, but turning for home I wasn't sure. Juan [Hernandez] said she really dug in when she was challenged and didn't want to lose. Pretty exciting, but disappointed in Grace Adler [who finished last]. She got upset in the paddock and [jockey Flavien] Prat told Jimmy [Barnes] she just had no interest in running. [Eda] is getting better and better. Getting the Grade I for her is very important.”

“She relaxed nicely and we had a good position on the outside down the backside,” Hernandez said. “She responded when I asked her at the head of the stretch and when they came to her on the inside and outside she didn't want to let them by. She was very game.”

A $550,000 OBSMAR buy after breezing in :10 flat, Eda crossed the line a nose short in her Santa Anita unveiling June 19, but was promoted to first after the original winner was disqualified for interference. It was 13 1/2 lengths back to the third-place finisher that day. Missing by a head next out in the GII Sorrento S. at Del Mar Aug. 6, she was a well-beaten fifth to re-opposing stablemate Grace Adler in the Sept. 5 GI Del Mar Debutante S. Returning to winning ways in the Anoakia S. back in Arcadia Oct. 24, the bay defeated Tonito's by 4 1/4 lengths last time in Del Mar's Desi Arnaz S. Nov. 13.

Pedigree Notes:

Eda is the fifth Grade I winner for Munnings and third this year, along with Kimari and Jack Christopher. She is also the 23rd graded winner and one of 53 black-type scorers that Coolmore stallion. Eda is the 14th Grade I winner, 29th graded scorer and one of 80 black-type victors out of a daughter of Lemon Drop Kid. Nate McCauley purchased Eda's dam Show Me for $24,000 with the winner in utero at the 2018 Fasig-Tipton February Sale and resold her for $535,000 at the recent Fasig-Tipton November Sale back in foal to Munnings. A half to GSW Aegean (Northern Afleet) and SW Light Bringer (Northern Afleet), Show Me was bred to Bolt d'Oro for 2020, but did noot produce a foal and had a Karakontie (Jpn) filly Mar. 26 of this year.

Saturday, Los Alamitos
STARLET S.-GI, $300,500, Los Alamitos, 12-4, 2yo, f, 1 1/16m, 1:44.51, ft.
1–EDA, 120, f, 2, by Munnings
1st Dam: Show Me, by Lemon Drop Kid
2nd Dam: Apt to Star, by Aptitude
3rd Dam: Sweeping, by End Sweep
1ST GRADED STAKES WIN, 1ST GRADE I WIN. ($240,000 Ylg '20 KEESEP; $550,000 2yo '21 OBSMAR). O-Baoma Corporation; B-Nathan McCauley (KY); T-Bob Baffert; J-Juan J Hernandez. $180,000. Lifetime Record: 6-4-1-0, $370,000. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Werk Nick Rating: A+.
2–Cairo Memories, 120, f, 2, by Cairo Prince
1st Dam: Incarnate Memories, by Indian Charlie
2nd Dam: Witness Post, by Gone West
3rd Dam: Most Likely, by Fappiano
'TDN Rising Star' 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE, 1ST G1 BLACK TYPE. ($50,000 Ylg '20 KEESEP). O-David A Bernsen LLC & Schroeder Farms LLC; B-Brereton C Jones (KY); T-Robert B Hess Jr. $60,000.
3–Tonito's, 120, f, 2, by Blame
1st Dam: Cry Value, by Street Cry (Ire)
2nd Dam: Value Stream, by A.P. Indy
3rd Dam: Storm Beauty, by Storm Cat
1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE, 1ST G1 BLACK TYPE. ($17,000 Ylg '20 FTKFEB; $28,000 Ylg '20 KEESEP; $90,000 2yo '21 OBSMAR). O-Anderson Farms, ERJ Racing LLC, Reddam Racing LLC, John D Fielding & Ryan Lloyd; B-Ghost Hollow Farm LLC (KY); T-Doug F O'Neill. $36,000.
Margins: HF, NK, 3. Odds: 1.10, 3.70, 19.70.
Also Ran: Desert Dawn, Benedict Canyon, Grace Adler. Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

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Miles Ahead Best In Claiming Crown Rapid Transit At Gulfstream

David Melin, Leon Ellman, and Laurie Plesa's Miles Ahead, a graded-stakes winner in a race for horses that have raced for a claiming price of $35,000 or less in 2020-2021, flaunted his class Saturday at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Fla.

The Eddie Plesa Jr.-trained 4-year-old gelding, who captured the Grade 3 Smile Sprint on the July 3 Summit of Speed program at Gulfstream, closely stalked the pace set by Legal Deal before moving to the lead at the top of the stretch and prevailing by a comfortable 1 ½ lengths in the $85,000 Rapid Transit.

The seven-furlong Rapid Transit was one of nine starter stakes in the Saturday's Claiming Crown, an annual event that celebrates the blue-collar horses that support daily racing programs at racetracks throughout the country.

Miles Ahead ($4.60) broke his maiden for a $12,500 claiming price by 12 ¼ lengths in January 2020 after being eased in his debut over turf. The son of Competitive Edge has steadily improved with age while establishing himself as one of the top sprinters on dirt in South Florida.

Miles Ahead ran seven furlongs in 1:21.99 to give jockey Paco Lopez his fourth victory of the day, including three Claiming Crown wins.

Legal Deal, ridden by Edwin Gonzalez, finished second, two lengths ahead of Pudding and jockey Leonel Reyes.

Miles Ahead is likely to return to open stakes company for his next start.

“There's a $100,000 race in Maryland (Dec. 26 Dave's Friend), and there's a race here (G3 Harlan's Holiday, Dec. 19) that's coming up a little too quick,” Plesa said.

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Cattin Victorious In Inaugural Stakes At Tampa Bay Downs

In today's other stakes at Tampa Bay Downs in Tampa, Fla., the 36th edition of the $100,000-guaranteed Inaugural for males, Florida-bred 2-year colt Cattin moved smartly to the lead on the turn for home under jockey Samy Camacho and continued like he'd appreciate more distance, winning by 2 ½ lengths from another Florida-bred, Lightening Larry.

Cattin's time for the six furlongs was 1:10.90. The victory lifted the spirits of Gulfstream Park-based trainer Ralph Nicks, whose father, long-time trainer Morris Nicks, died on Nov. 25 at 74 after a prolonged fight against cancer.

In the Inaugural, Camacho had close to a dream trip after breaking from the No. 4 post on Cattin, who improved to 2-for-4. “I think I got the perfect trip, because two horses (Magical Mousse, the fourth-place finisher, and Full Disclosure) were fighting on the lead and I was able to sit fourth or fifth early,” said Camacho, who also won the third race on the Florida-bred gelding Morgan Point for breeder-owner Robert C. Roffey, Jr., and trainer Chad Stewart.

“I got a chance to go inside (Lightening Larry) and when I put my horse in the clear, I thought the race was over. I feel great because Ralph Nicks gave me this great opportunity, and I want to keep it going.”

Camacho also won last year's Inaugural with Poppy's Pride. Grand Valley finished a non-threatening third.

Cattin, who is owned by Corinne Heiligbrodt, William Heiligbrodt, and Spendthrift Farm, was bred by Curtis Mikkelsen and Patricia Horth. The son of Neolithic-Adios Dawn, by Adios Charlie, fulfilled all the eligibility requirements, thus collected $80,000 from the purse.

He paid $11.40 to win.

Ralph Nicks's assistant, Sonny Righter, said hopes were high entering the Inaugural after Cattin finished a solid third in his most recent start, the mile-and-a-sixteenth Florida Thoroughbred Breeders' and Owners' Association Florida Sire In Reality Stakes on Sept. 25 at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Fla.

“I thought he would run good today,” Righter said. “I was worried he might get shuffled back early, but Samy got him back in the race pretty quick and he caught a good trip after that. He was feeling good going into the race and he ran huge.”

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Strategic Bird Takes Sandpiper Stakes At Tampa Bay Downs

After Strategic Bird won her career debut on Nov. 13 at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Fla., by 12 ¾ lengths, it was fair to ask how she might handle a challenge in today's $100,000-guaranteed Sandpiper Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs in Tampa, Fla.

The Florida-bred juvenile filly answered the question in resounding fashion, turning back Devine Charger by a neck after a stretch-long duel to win the fourth-fastest Sandpiper in its 44 runnings.

“That was something incredible,” said winning jockey Antonio Gallardo after the daughter of Noble Bird-Strategize, by Afleet Alex, held firm to the wire, completing the six-furlong distance in 1:10.05. “At one point I was like, 'Oh, —-.' I was getting a little worried because she felt the pressure from that gray horse, but she's a feisty filly.”

The Sandpiper and the Inaugural were part of the Oldsmar oval's annual Cotillion Festival Day card, consisting entirely of races for 2-year-olds turning 3 on Jan. 1.

Owned by Gary Barber and trained by Hall of Famer Mark Casse, Strategic Bird paid $4.00 to win after many of her backers nearly lost control rooting for her to hang on. “I had a couple of people with me who said 'This race is over,' ” said Casse assistant Jimmy Miranda of Devine Charger's challenge, “but I said 'No, not yet.'

“She laid down some good fractions (:21.93 for the quarter-mile and :44.91 for the half) and won, so we're really happy with the result. When you get one who wins first time out like she did, you just want to see if they'll take the next step, and she handled everything well today. She's a good-minded filly.”

Chasing Happiness finished third in the 10-horse field, seven lengths behind Devine Charger.

Although Strategic Bird broke a step slow from the No. 1 post, Gallardo was unconcerned, and for good reason. She moved quickly to the lead on her own, giving the rider a chance to give her a breather on the far turn, which doubtless contributed to the victory.

“I tried not to rush her too much because I knew she has a lot of natural speed,” Gallardo said. “She broke a little slow and still set those fractions like it was nothing. Having the No. 1 post was perfect, and after I gave her a chance to relax, she dug in and never quit.”

Bred by the John Oxley Living Trust, Strategic Bird collected $30,000 from the total purse since she was not Florida Sire Stakes-eligible, a requirement to compete for the $50,000 winner's-only bonus.

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