December, 2022 | Horse Racing Free Tips

Larger-Than-Life Flightline Mural To Be Unveiled At Santa Anita On Opening Day Monday

A larger-than-life mural for a horse of a lifetime. That's what awaits fans on Santa Anita's Classic Meet opening day, Monday, Dec. 26, as presumptive 2022 Horse of the Year Flightline will be honored with the unveiling of a spectacular mural at the Arcadia, Calif. track.

The mural depicts the undefeated son of Tapit winning last year's Malibu Stakes (G1) by 11 ½ lengths, which served as a precursor to an unforgettable 4-year-old campaign that culminated with an 8 1/4-length triumph in the Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) at Keeneland Nov. 5.

Unbeaten in six starts, Flightline was retired following his Classic win to stand stud in 2023 at Lane's End in Versailles, Kentucky, but he will be honored for the tremendous racehorse that he was with a Flightline Retirement Celebration on opening day that will include the unveiling of the mural, located directly below Santa Anita's signature façade in the track's Grandstand breezeway.

Last year's Malibu winner will also be feted with a Flightline Print giveaway, as his jockey and trainer, Flavien Prat and John Sadler, will be on-hand to sign a number of prints in front of Santa Anita's Kingsbury Fountain on opening day from 9:45 to 10:15 a.m. (PT). (A total of 2,000 prints will be available on a first come, first served basis).

The Flightline mural has been created by renowned muralist Jonas Never, who has also produced a number of other sports-themed murals across metro Los Angeles.

In addition to the Flightline Mural, fans will also be treated to a dynamic color mural celebrating the launch of Santa Anita's newest food venue, Los Caballeros, which now occupies center stage in the Grandstand breezeway and will offer fans fresh tacos and a wide variety of beers at the upcoming Classic Meet.

A dynamic rendering with amazing depth and color, the Los Caballeros mural was conceived and drawn by Ever Galvez, 40, who grew up in nearby Fullerton and graduated with a degree in Traditional Animation from Cal State Fullerton.

“I've been doing murals for the past 15 years and I started doing street painting festivals, all over,” said Galvez on Friday afternoon. “This has been a fun project here at Santa Anita I'm hoping everyone really likes it.”

Galvez also noted that he's created murals not only in the Los Angeles area, but in other states such as Indiana, Oregon and in western Canada as well.

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Dec. 18 Insights: Glen Hill Farm Homebred by Curlin Unveiled

Sponsored by Alex Nichols Agency

6th-AQU, $85k, Msw, 2yo, f, 1m, 2:14p.m. ET
Manzanita Stables LLC went to $300,000 at KEESEP in 2021 to acquire LUCKY COMBINATION (Ghostzapper), a price tag likely aided by her dam being out of a half-sister to GISW & MGISP Girolamo (A.P. Indy) and his full-siblings MGISP & MGSW Daydreaming and GISP Accelerator. Dam Lucky Number herself claims GISW Got Lucky (A.P. Indy)–responsible for MGSP Overtook (Curlin)–as a half-relation and has produced two other winning fillies. This is the female family of GISW Chocolate Gelato (Practical Joke); GISW Imagining (Giant's Causeway); GI Kentucky Derby winner Super Saver (Maria's Mon) and his graded-stakes winning brothers Cyrus Alexander (Medaglia d'Oro) and Brethren (Distorted Humor); GISW Callback (Street Sense); GISW Bluegrass Cat (Storm Cat) as well as no less than 25 other graded and listed black-type earners. She brings in a steady string of work outs from the barn of Christophe Clement. TJCIS PPs

6th-GP, $70k, Msw, 2yo, f, 6f, 2:38p.m. ET
Glen Hill Farm will unveil their homebred OCEAN CLUB (Curlin) in this six furlong baby dash. Out of MGSP Theatre Star (War Front), herself a half-sister to GISW, track record-setter Taris (Flatter)–dam of GSW King Fury (Curlin)–and that one's full-sister, SW Stoweshoe, Ocean Club has a two-time winning full-sister Gather as You Go. This is the extended female family of Panamanian champion 3-year-old filly Chef Michelle (Pine Bluff). Tom Proctor will send her to post. To her outside and one over is Famosa (Speightstown), the half-sister to MGSP Into Mystic (Into Mischief). Also campaigned by her breeder Tami Bobo, the chestnut is out of Loveofalifetime, who counts GSW, track record-setter Savorthetime (Gilded Time); GISP Rogue Romance (Smarty Jones); and MGSP Tizbig (Tiznow) as half-siblings. She's also a half-sister to Indy Mood for Luv (A.P. Indy), dam of GSW Island Bound (Speightstown), who herself credits GI Breeders' Cup Sprint winner Aloha West (Hard Spun) to her tally. Famosa will go to post from the barn of Antonio Sano on the back of a bullet work Dec. 7 over the surface, the four furlong work in :48 flat the fastest of 23 that morning. TJCIS PPs

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APB: Spendarella Targeting Keeneland’s Jenny Wiley

In this continuing series, TDN's Senior Editor Steve Sherack tracks down top horses on the sidelines.

Gainesway homebred Spendarella (f, 3, Karakontie {Jpn}–Spanish Bunny, by Unusual Heat)–sidelined since posting a dominating 4 1/2-length victory for trainer Graham Motion in the GI Del Mar Oaks in August–will return for a 4-year-old campaign with an early-season target of the GI Jenny Wiley S. at Keeneland.

“She came out of that last race with a couple of little issues and we gave her some time,” said Alex Solis II, Gainesway's Director of Bloodstock and Racing.

“She actually just got back to Graham about two weeks ago at Fair Hill. He'll get her back going and the goal I'm sure is going to be to try to run her in that Grade I at Keeneland during the spring meet. It will be up to Graham if he wants to prep her or if she'll just go straight into that.”

After beginning her career with two wins over the Gulfstream lawn, including a front-running tally in the GIII Herecomesthebride S. Mar. 5, Spendarella made it a perfect three-for-three in Keeneland's GII Appalachian S. Apr. 9. She lost very little if anything while suffering the lone defeat of her brilliant career thus far, finishing a respectable second behind three-time Group 1 heroine Inspiral (GB) (Frankel {GB}) in the G1 Coronation S. at Royal Ascot June 17. Spendarella returned two months later and posted a career-best 91 Beyer Speed Figure in her aforementioned win at Del Mar.

“From the beginning, we had high hopes,” Solis said. “She's such an important filly for [Gainesway CEO] Antony [Beck]–she's a homebred and she's by his sire. He's enjoyed it the whole way through.”

Already responsible for GI American Oaks heroine Spanish Queen (Tribal Rule), the winning California-bred mare Spanish Bunny brought $130,000 from Gainesway at the 2015 Keeneland November Sale.

Currently in foal and carrying a full-brother to Spendarella, Spanish Bunny has also produced the MSW & MGSP 4-year-old filly Spanish Loveaffair (Karakontie {Jpn}), who brought $600,000 from Shadai Farm at last month's KEENOV sale. Spanish Bunny had a colt by Uncle Mo in 2022.

As for Spendarella, Solis concluded, “The Breeders' Cup is in California [at Santa Anita] next year and we know she'll handle firm ground. She proved it in the Del Mar Oaks that she really likes it. There's a lot of options out there on the table for next year and the whole team is really looking forward to it.”

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White Abarrio To Train Up to Pegasus

C2 Racing Stable LLC and La Milagrosa Stable LLC's White Abarrio (Race Day) will not have a prep race for the $3-million GI Pegasus World Cup Invitational S. at Gulfstream Park, trainer Saffie Joseph, Jr. confirmed Saturday.

“He runs well fresh. He's proven he runs well fresh,” Joseph said. “He's 4-for-4 at Gulfstream, so that's a good thing. It's his home track.”

The $40,000 OBS March juvenile won a pair of starts in Hallandale late last season before adding the GIII Holy Bull S. in February and the GI Curlin Florida Derby Apr. 2. He was last seen finishing third, beaten under a length, in the GI Cigar Mile H. at Aqueduct Dec. 3.

Joseph has two other candidates for the Pegasus. Skippylongstocking (Exaggerator), third behind Mo Donegal (Uncle Mo) and in the GI Belmont S. and winner of the GIII West Virginia Derby, and O'Connor (Chi) (Boboman) worked five furlongs Saturday morning at Palm Meadows in advance of the GIII Harlan's Holiday S. Skippylongstocking was timed in 1:00.35 (4/18), while G1 Latinoamericano victor O'Connor went the same distance in 1:03.20.

“Skippy, he had a good work this morning. He worked well for the Harlan's Holiday,” Joseph said. Of O'Connor, Joseph added, “He had a quick breeze last week. He's plenty fit so we're just keeping him ready for the race.”

O'Connor has one stateside appearance to his credit, a six-length romp in an Oct. 16 optional claimer over 8 1/2 furlongs.

Also on the South Florida worktab Saturday was GII Fasig-Tipton Fountain of Youth S. hero Simplification (Not This Time), who prepped for the Harlan's Holiday with a five-furlong drill over the Gulfstream main track that was clocked in 1:00.23 with jockey Junior Alvarado up. It was his fourth breeze since finishing a troubled seventh in the GI Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile Nov. 5.

“He went very well, he galloped out [six furlongs] in 1:13,” said trainer Antonio Sano, who celebrated his 900th victory in the U.S. when Major Pryce (Bucchero) aired in Saturday's second race. “This is important for me and my family. I work hard every day for my owners and my family. I have nothing but gratitude for the people of the United States for opening their arms for me,” he said.

All things equal, Simplification will also use the Harlan's Holiday as a springboard to the Pegasus.

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