Month: September 2023

Breeders’ Cup-Bound Tamara Back On Work Tab; Beholder’s Daughter To Make Two-Turn Debut In Juvenile Fillies

Royally bred Tamara, winner of the GI Del Mar Debutante on Sept. 9, returned to the work tab Wednesday at Santa Anita Park for trainer Richard Mandella. With Hall of Famer Mike Smith in the irons, the daughter of Bolt d'Oro out of four-time champion Beholder went three furlongs in 36.0 seconds.

“It was an easy three-eights,“ Smith said. “She went around there nice and happy.”

Tamara is expected to make her next start in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies at Santa Anita on Nov. 3, which would be her first try around two turns. This week Mandella said Tamara would likely skip the G2 Chandelier here a week from Saturday and head straight to the Breeders' Cup.

Tamara won her debut by 2 ¼ lengths when going 6 ½ furlongs at Del Mar on Aug. 19. Wheeled back three weeks later in the seven-furlong Debutante, Tamara crushed 11 rivals by 6 ¾ lengths when Smith in the irons.

Tamara is campaigned by breeder Spendthrift Farm.

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‘Serious Filly’ Clearly Unhinged Takes On Baffert Pair In Friday’s Chillingworth

Trainer Michael McCarthy made a bold move this summer when shipping 3-year-old filly Clearly Unhinged across the country for a shot at the G1 Test at Saratoga. She proved more than worthy of the decision when coming up just a head short of multiple Grade 1 winner Pretty Mischievous at 17-1.

On Friday, Clearly Unhinged will get a different test when she tackles older fillies and mares for the first time in the G3 Chillingworth going 6 ½ furlongs at Santa Anita Park. Among her rivals are 4-5 morning-line favorite Eda, California's top female sprinter, and stablemate Home Cooking. Both are trained by Bob Baffert.

When it comes to Clearly Unhinged, you can count Baffert among her many admirers.

“This is a tough race,” Baffert said Wednesday morning of the Chillingworth. “McCarthy's horse is fast. That's a serious filly.”

Clearly Unhinged is the 4-1 third choice on the morning line behind Eda and Elm Drive (3-1), who cuts back to a sprint for Phil D'Amato after finishing third in the G1 Clement L. Hirsch going 1 1/16 miles on Aug. 5 at Del Mar. Clearly Unhinged will break from the rail under Umberto Rispoli, who was also aboard for an allowance win at Santa Anita on June 16 prior to the Test.

In the seven-furlong Test, which was marred by the breakdown of leader Maple Leaf Mel approaching the wire, Clearly Unhinged nearly won despite trouble on the backstretch. Near the nine-sixteenths pole, the chart notes Clearly Unhinged clipped heels and bobbled slightly.

“I thought it was a gallant effort in the Test,” McCarthy said Wednesday morning. “She did kind of bobble a bit and didn't have the cleanest of trips.”

A homebred daughter of Into Mischief for Rock Brother Racing, Clearly Unhinged has had two five-furlong works at Santa Anita since her cross-country adventure.

“It seems like she came out of it well and the spacing is good for this race,” McCarthy said.

Eda has won all three starts this year including the G2 Great Lady M at Los Alamitos and G3 Rancho Bernardo at Del Mar Aug. 22. She will have regular rider Juan Hernandez in the irons Friday.

The Chillingworth could be a potential springboard to the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint at Santa Anita on Nov. 4. While a win in both the Chillingworth and Breeders' Cup would seemingly make Eda a candidate for an Eclipse Award as champion female sprinter, Baffert downplayed those potential ramifications.

“She hasn't run against those top horses from back east. We're just taking it one race at a time with her,” Baffert said.

Home Cooking breaks from post two and will have Edwin Maldonado in the irons for the first time. She was sixth in the Rancho Bernardo when running inside of horses for most of the race.

“She always draws poorly,” Baffert said of Home Cooking. “I wish she'd draw outside one time.”

Home Cooking, a 3-year-old Honor Code filly, has been working fast for the Chillingworth. She has fired three straight bullets, including a five-furlong move in 1:00.0 at Santa Anita last Friday.

The Chillingworth, which is named in honor of longtime California racing executive Sherwood Chillingworth, goes as the eighth race on Friday's nine-race program. Post time is approximately 4:30 Pacific.

The field in post position order:

  1. Clearly Unhinged, Umberto Rispoli (4-1);
  2. Home Cooking, Edwin Maldonado (12-1);
  3. Kirstenbosch, Hector Berrios (8-1);
  4. Elm Drive, Ricardo Gonzalez (3-1);
  5. Eda, Juan Hernandez (4-5);
  6. Violent Runner, Mario Gutierrez (30-1);
  7. Lady T, Mike Smith (12-1).

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Win And You’re In: Baffert-Trained Defunded Rates Top Billing In Nine-Strong Awesome Again

In what appears to be a wide-open affair, multiple Grade 1 winning Defunded rates top billing among a field of nine 3-year-olds and up going 1 1/8 miles as he defends his title in Saturday's Grade 1, $300,000 Awesome Again Stakes at Santa Anita.

Named for the 1998 Breeders' Cup Classic winner, the Awesome Again is a Breeders' Cup “Win & You're In” Challenge Race Qualifier, with the winner earning a fees-paid berth into the $6 million Breeders' Cup Classic at Santa Anita on Nov. 4.

A winner of this year's G2 Californian and G1 Hollywood Gold Cup three and four starts back on May 29 and April 22, Defunded has five wins from nine starts at Santa Anita. Despite the fact he was a well beaten sixth by stablemate Arabian Knight in the G1 Pacific Classic Sept. 2, Defunded rates a huge chance as he returns home to Santa Anita.

Trained by Bob Baffert and owned by Mike Pegram, Karl Watson and Paul Weitman, Defunded is best served when he's on the lead or pressing it early. Ridden by Juan Hernandez in his last five starts, he'll be handled on Saturday by Edwin Maldonado, who was aboard for last year's Awesome Again Win as well as his next start, a victory in the G3 Native Diver at Del Mar on Nov. 27, 2022.

A 5-year-old gelding by Dialed In from the Touch Gold mare Wind Caper, Defunded is 19-7-4-2 overall with earnings of $1,606,600.

Doug O'Neill's California-bred Slow Down Andy, a solid third, beaten 1 ½ lengths in the Pacific Classic, rates a huge chance in what will be his fourth start of the year. Owned and bred by Reddam Racing, LLC, Slow Down Andy is a 4-year-old colt by Nyquist who has kept top company throughout his career.

Out of the Square Eddie mare Edwina E, Slow Down Andy's biggest performance to date came four starts back when he finished third, beaten 1 ¾ lengths by eventual Eclipse Champion Cody's Wish in the G1 Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile on Nov. 5, 2022 at Keeneland—earning an Awesome Again best 103 Beyer Speed Figure.

Slow Down Andy, who will again be ridden by Mario Gutierrez, was third in last year's Awesome Again and is 13-4-4-3 overall with earnings of $1,096,600.

A winner of the G1 Preakness Stakes three starts back on May 20, Baffert's National Treasure has been well beaten by top sophomore Arcangelo in his last two starts, the G1 Travers on Aug. 26 and the G1 Belmont Stakes June 10 and will be facing older horses for the first time.

Ridden in all of his previous eight starts by John Velazquez, naturally quick National Treasure, a 3-year-old colt by Quality Road out of the Medaglia d'Oro mare Treasure will be ridden by for the first time by Juan Hernandez.

Owned by SF Racing, LLC, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables, LLC, et al, National Treasure is 8-2-1-2 overall with earnings of $1,415,000.

THE GRADE 1 AWESOME AGAIN WITH JOCKEYS & WEIGHTS IN POST POSITION ORDER

Race 8 of 10 Approximate post time 4:30 p.m. PT

  1. Senor Buscador – Geovanni Franco – 124
  2. Defunded – Edwin Maldonado – 126
  3. Slow Down Andy – Mario Gutierrez – 122
  4. Skinner – Mike Smith – 118
  5. Bye Bye Bobby – Drayden Van Dyke – 122
  6. Celestial Moon – Antonio Fresu – 122
  7. National Treasure – Juan Hernandez – 122
  8. Piroli – Umberto Rispoli – 122
  9. Stilleto Boy – Kent Desormeaux – 124

First post time for a 10-race card, that will include three other graded stakes on Saturday is at 1 p.m. Admission gates open at 11 a.m.

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