Month: January 2023

Attentive to the early pace, Richard Mandella's consistent Lane Way took command at the top of the lane and marched to an impressive 2 ½ length win over heavily favored Motorious in Sunday's $100,000 Clockers' Corner Stakes at Santa Anita.

Contested at about 6 ½ furlongs down the hillside turf course, 6-year-old gelding Lane Way, with Mike Smith up, stopped the clock in 1:12.05.

Breaking from the far outside in a field of seven older horses, Lane Way was a close third, about 1 ½ lengths off of pacesetter Yeng Again leaving the half mile pole. Lane Way got on terms with the leader at the dirt crossing and was never threatened through the drive as Motorious rallied from off the pace for the place.

“From the time I got on him he was just oozing a lot of confidence today, a little more than normal,” said Smith, who was aboard for the fifth consecutive time today. “I could tell that he was going to run a big one today. A lot of times he will wait on horses, today he actually ran away from them.

“It was impressive. He settled nice and finished really strong. He is always consistent, but he was a little different today.”

Most recently second coming down the hill in the Grade II Joe Hernandez Stakes Dec. 31, Lane Way was off at 2-1 and paid $6.00, $2.40 and $2.10.

Owned by a large group from MyRacehorse, Lane Way, who is by Into Mischief out of the Aldebaran mare Corderosa, notched his first-ever stakes win and he now has two wins and as many seconds from four consecutive tries down the hillside turf.

With today's winner's purse of $60,000, he increased his earnings to $367,560 from an overall mark of 17-4-6-5.

For his part, Motorious put in his customary late run, but the early pace, :22.28 and :43.87, was quite a bit slower than the :21 flat and :42.40 opening quarter and half he was able to exploit in taking a second condition allowance down the hill on Jan. 2.

In search of his third consecutive win today with Flavien Prat up, English-bred Motorious finished a half length in front of longshot Respect the Code.

The post ‘He Was Just Oozing A Lot Of Confidence Today’: Lane Way Tallies Elusive First Stakes Win In Clocker’s Corner appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Air Force Red will try and become the first two-time stakes winner at the Classic Meet when he takes on 11 rivals in a contentious edition of the $100,000 Thunder Road (G3) going a mile on turf Saturday at Santa Anita.

Air Force Red is riding a two-race winning streak for trainer Leonard Powell following a front-running victory in the Joe Hernandez (G2) on the downhill turf course on Dec. 31. Prior to that, the 5-year-old ridgling by Air Force Blue won the restricted Lure Stakes going a mile at Santa Anita.

Santa Anita's leading rider Juan Hernandez was aboard for both of Air Force Red's stakes wins and will again be in the irons on Saturday. Owned by Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Holly Golightly, Air Force Red has won half of his 10 starts and banked $354,140.

Looking to get back on the beam on Saturday is Grade 1 winner Hit the Road, who returned from an 11-month layoff and finished last in the Joe Hernandez. Trained by Dan Blacker, the 6-year-old More Than Ready horse won last year's Thunder Road and could move forward as he stretches back out to his preferred distance. In 14 starts, all six of Hit the Road's wins have been at a mile, which includes his biggest score in last year's Frank E. Kilroe Mile (G1).

Hit the Road, who is owned by an extensive partnership group, will be ridden for the first time by Kazushi Kimura.

There Goes Harvard, last year's Hollywood Gold Cup (G1) winner, will make his return to the races after a six-month layoff for trainer Michael McCarthy. Off since a ninth-place finish in the  San Diego Handicap(G2)  last July, There Goes Harvard is a two-time winner on turf but never at the stakes level.

There Goes Harvard will be ridden for the first time by Hall of Famer John Velazquez for owner Cannon Thoroughbreds.

Returning off an even longer layoff on Saturday is Grade 2 turf winner Du Jour for trainer Bob Baffert. The 5-year-old gelding by Temple City has been off since a fifth-place finish in the Grade II Mathis Mile in December 2021.

Owned by Natalie J. Baffert and Debbie Lanni, Du Jour will have Umberto Rispoli in the irons on Saturday.

The field for the Thunder Road (G3) in post-position order with jockey and weight:

1. Earls Rock – Flavien Prat -120
2. Du Jour – Umberto Rispoli – 124
3. Anaconda – Edwin Maldonado – 120
4. Bob and Jackie – Jose Valdivia, Jr. – 124
5. Kiss Today Goodbye – Kyle Frey – 124
6. Irideo – Hector Berrios – 124
7. There Goes Harvard – John Velazquez – 124
8. Air Force Red – Juan Hernandez – 122
9. Hit the Road – Kazushi Kimura – 124
10. Dark Shift – Lanfranco Dettori – 120
11. Beaudacious – Kent Desormeaux – 120
12. Cabo Spirit – Joe Bravo – 124

 

 

The post Air Force Red Aims For Second Straight Graded Win In Thunder Road, To Meet Pair Of Top-Level Winners appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Trainer Jonathan Thomas makes a rare foray to Santa Anita when he sends out Bay Storm from south Florida in search of a first graded stakes win in Saturday's $100,000 Megahertz Stakes (G3)  going a mile on turf.

Owned by Bridlewood Farm, Bay Storm won a black-type stakes sprinting on turf at Monmouth Park in August and has since gone on to hit the board in a pair of Grade 3s: In the Ladies Sprint Stakes at Kentucky Downs in September, Bay Storm was prominent throughout before getting nipped by a nose at 13-1. Then after a brief freshening, Bay Storm was stretched out to a mile for her return Dec. 31 in the Suwanee River at Gulfstream Park. The 5-year-old Kantharos mare set the pace into the stretch but yielded in the final furlong to finish third.

Bay Storm will be ridden by John Velazquez in her Santa Anita debut.

Among the local hopes Bay Storm will have to contend in an eight-horse field is a trio for trainer Phil D'Amato: School Dance, Hamwood Flier, and Oakhurst.

School Dance made her first seven starts at Gulfstream Park for trainer Joe Orseno before being transferred to D'Amato last summer. She won her first two starts in Southern California, including an allowance at Del Mar last November, before stepping up to the American Oaks (G1) on Dec. 26 at Santa Anita. In the American Oaks going 1 ¼ miles, School Dance pressed the pace in second, seized a narrow lead at the eighth pole but was then rundown by stablemate Rhea Moon to lose by a head.

A 4-year-old filly by Animal Kingdom, School Dance is owned by Agave Racing Stable and Rockin Robin Racing Stable. She will be ridden by Ramon Vazquez, who has been aboard for all three of her previous starts in California.

Hamwood Flier won the restricted Swingtime Stakes at a mile at Santa Anita on Oct. 9. The 5-year-old Irish-bred returned in the Grade I Matriarch going a mile at Del Mar on Dec. 4. She set the pace in that effort and led into the midstretch but proved no match when Regal Glory uncorked a scintillating turn of foot to win going away.

Hamwood Flier is owned by Rockingham Ranch and Talla Racing. In the Megahertz, she will be ridden for the first time by Santa Anita's current leading rider, Juan Hernandez.

Little Red Feather Racing's Oakhurst is also exiting the American Oaks. In what was her first start for D'Amato, Oakhurst rallied to be fourth beaten only a length. The 4-year-old Mr Speaker filly gets top rider Flavien Prat in the irons for the Megahertz.

The field for the Megahertz (G3) in post-position order with jockey and weight:

1. Bay Storm – John Velazquez – 120
2. Hamwood Flier – Juan Hernandez – 122
3. Nadette – Umberto Rispoli – 122
4. Closing Remarks – Joe Bravo – 122
5. One Silk Stoking – Lanfranco Dettori – 120
6. School Dance – Ramon Vazquez – 120
7. Quattroelle – Hector Berrios – 122Oakhurst – Flavien Prat – 120

The post Bay Storm Ships In For Megahertz In Pursuit Of First Graded Win, To Take On D’Amato Trio appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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California-bred Fun to Dream, fresh off the biggest win of her life at Santa Anita on Dec. 26, heads a field of six older fillies and mares going seven furlongs in Saturday's $200,000 Santa Monica Stakes (G2) at the Arcadia, California track.

An impressive three-quarter length winner of the Grade I La Brea Stakes at the same distance on opening day, Fun to Dream, unbeaten in three starts at seven panels, seeks her fourth win in a row and her sixth from seven lifetime starts in the Santa Monica.

Trained by Bob Baffert, Fun to Dream, a 4-year-old filly by Arrogate out of the Maria's Mon mare Lutess, was bred by Baffert and Connie Pageler and is owned by Jill Baffert and Connie Pageler.

Ridden in all six of her starts by Juan Hernandez, Fun to Dream earned a career-top 94 Beyer Speed Figure in the La Brea and should be tough to deny on Saturday.

Second by three-quarters of a length to Fun to Dream in the La Brea, Doug O'Neill's Awake At Midnyte, second three starts back in the Zenyatta Stakes (G2) at 1 1/16 miles on Oct. 2, is five times graded stakes-placed and will try to turn the tables on the top selection in what will be her 11th career start.

A 4-year-old filly by O'Neill and owner Paul Reddam's 2016 Kentucky Derby (G1) winner Nyquist, Awake At Midnyte is out of the Union Rags mare Midnight Union.

The field for the Santa Monica, in post-position order, with jockey, and weight:

1. Anacapa – John Velazquez – 120

2. Fun to Dream – Juan Hernandez – 124

3. Samurai Charm – Flavien Prat – 120

4, Angel Nadeshiko – Mike Smith – 120

5. Awake At Midnyte – Mario Gutierrez – 120

6. Lady T – Victor Espinoza – 122

The post Grade 1 Winner Fun To Dream Among Six For Santa Monica appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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