Even without morning-line favorite Nysos in the field, Bob Baffert-trained horses still ran 1-2 in the March 3, $300,000 DK Horse San Felipe Stakes at Santa Anita Park.
Ruby Nell (Bolt d'Oro) returned from her trip to Florida like many do–refreshed and ready to get back to work. And back to work she went, wiring the field impressively as the 4-5 favorite in the GII Buena Vista S. at Santa Anita. Shipped East by Richard Mandella for Pegasus weekend, the daughter of Bolt d'Oro did well to race against her normal style in coming off the pace to finish third beaten just 1 3/4 lengths in the GII Pegasus World Cup Filly and Mare Turf Invitational Jan. 27.
Back on California soil Sunday, it was back to business as jockey Edwin Maldonado, reunited with this runner after Frankie Dettori was aboard in Florida, did all he could to restrain Ruby Nell on the front end, keeping her under a tight hold even as she opened up a sizeable gap on the run into the first turn. Left alone on the lead through fractions of :25.55 and :46.88, the favorite gradually let a trio of pursuers eat into the gap with a quarter left to run but had more than enough in the tank to keep Mouffy (Uncle Mo) at bay and pick up her second graded-stakes win.
“I just let her do her thing,” Maldonado said. “She wants it her way and even if you fight her, she's going to do it her way, so I just let her do her thing.”
“I never had a doubt that Ruby would win, but the training schedule on all these horses the last couple weeks has been difficult,” added Mandella. “Keeping their minds right is pretty tough. I'm very proud that she handled it as well as she did.”
Pedigree Note:
Owner Spendthrift Farm went to $1,200,000 to secure Ruby Nell as a 2-year-old after she brought just $85,000 as a yearling at Keeneland in 2021. One of 10 stakes winners for Bolt d'Oro, a Spendthrift stallion, Ruby Nell is out of the winning Not For Love mare Rich Love who herself last saw the auction ring late last year when she brought $500,000 from Fast Fillies at FTKNOV. A producer of fives winners from as many to race, Rich Love is a half to MSW/GSP Concealed Identity (Smarty Jones) and SW/GSP Peach of a Gal (Curlin). After producing back to back foals by Good Magic, Rich Love went to Curlin for 2024.
RUBY NELL ($3.60) DOES IT AGAIN!!
She lead wire-to-wire in the $200,000 Buena Vista Stakes (G2) at @santaanitapark. The daughter of Bolt d'Oro was trained by Richard Mandella with @MaldonadoJockey in the irons! Congrats to owners – @spendthriftfarm! pic.twitter.com/A2vK68enzj
— TVG (@TVG) March 4, 2024
Sunday, Santa Anita Park
BUENA VISTA S.-GII, $202,000, Santa Anita, 3-3, 4yo/up, f/m, 1mT, 1:35.01, gd.
1–RUBY NELL, 122, f, 4, by Bolt d'Oro
1st Dam: Rich Love, by Not For Love
2nd Dam: Richetta, by Polish Numbers
3rd Dam: Riscay, by Rahy
($80,000 Wlg '20 KEENOV; $85,000 Ylg '21 KEESEP; $1,200,000 2yo '22 FTFMAR). O-Spendthrift Farm LLC; B-Solana Beach Sales (KY); T-Richard E. Mandella; J-Edwin A. Maldonado. $120,000. Lifetime Record: 12-6-2-2, $491,520. Werk Nick Rating: B+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree or free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Mouffy, 120, m, 5, Uncle Mo–Truly Together, by Smart Strike. O-Augustin Stables; B-George Strawbridge (KY); T-Jonathan Thomas. $40,000.
3–Nadette (Fr), 120, m, 5, Outstrip (GB)–Ciboulette (Ire), by Pivotal (GB). (€50,000 Ylg '20 ARQDOY; €17,000 2yo '21 ARQSRM; $340,000 RNA 4yo '23 KEENOV). O-Team Valor International, LLC; B-Herve Dardenne (FR); T-Neil D. Drysdale. $24,000.
Margins: 3/4, 1HF, 1. Odds: 0.80, 5.80, 25.50.
Also Ran: Be Your Best (Ire), Bellabel (Ire), Closing Remarks, Lucky Girl (Ire), Justique, Lakota Spirit. Scratched: Kissed by Fire, Thirty Carats.
Click for the Equibase.com chart or the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.
The post Ruby Nell Sparkles in Frontrunning Buena Vista Score appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.
The stormy forecast that delayed the Big 'Cap card originally scheduled for Saturday at Santa Anita and the scratching of his sophomore sensation Nysos (Nyquist) did little to dampen Bob Baffert's day as Newgate (Into Mischief)'s last-jump victory in the GI Santa Anita H. gave the trainer three graded wins–plus, the exacta in the GII San Felipe S.–in Arcadia Sunday. The stallion-making partnership of SF Racing, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables, Robert Masterson, Stonestreet Stables, et al, co-owners of Newgate, doubled up on graded scores with Imagination (Into Mischief)'s win in the San Felipe.
“What a day, I am just blessed and happy that I have a hard-working crew that just works hard to get these horses ready,” Baffert said. “Today they got rewarded with their wins. Those grooms, I've never seen them happier.”
Newgate, sent off a slight second choice behind last-out GII San Pasqual S. winner Newgrange (Violence), settled just off the pace as longshot Subsanador (Arg) (Fortify) sprinted out to the early lead and took the field through fractions of :23.23 and :47.09. The field was bunching up approaching the far turn as the three-quarters went up in 1:12.15 and a three-wide Newgrange was the pacesetter's nearest pursuer as Newgate shadowed the favorite into the stretch. Subsanador showed he wasn't done yet, scampering clear into the lane and, still some two lengths in front with a furlong to run, the Argentinian invader looked set to spring the upset, but Newgate had all the momentum late to just get up for a narrow victory.
“I followed Victor [Espinoza aboard Newgrange] and I sat pretty low until the quarter pole,” said winning rider Frankie Dettori, who also road Imagination to victory earlier on the card. “I took my horse to the outside, I had a bit of weight pull with some of the horses. I thought I would get to the line okay and, in fairness, Subsanador gave me a good fight. The last 20 yards we got out in front, and I couldn't believe it. I could not believe that I had done it.”
Dettori admitted winning the Big 'Cap was a special moment in his storied career.
“When I was a kid here in the late '80s, there were 60,000 people here to see Ferdinand and Alysheba and you just couldn't move,” he said. “I was in awe. I rode in the Big 'Cap the first time last year and it was a dream. And to win it, I couldn't ask for anything more. It is a big feather in my cap, they don't get bigger than the Santa Anita Big 'Cap.”
Newgate was bridesmaid to a pair of stablemates in the 2022 GIII Bob Hope S. and 2023 GIII Sham S. before breaking through with his first graded victory in the GIII Robert B. Lewis S. last February. Sidelined after that effort, the $850,000 Keeneland September purchase returned with a runner-up effort in a Jan. 6 optional claimer and was second behind Newgrange in the Jan. 27 San Pasqual last time out.
“We always thought that he was going to be a better horse as he gets older and we've been patient, just getting races into him and today was supposed to be his coming out party kind of race,” Baffert said. “I was getting a little worried there turning for home it looked like that other horse got away but he just dug in.”
Pedigree Notes:
Newgate gave Into Mischief his second graded win Sunday following stablemate Imagination's win in the GII San Felipe S. He is the 18th top-level victor for the Spendthrift stallion.
Graded stakes-placed Majestic Presence, a half-sister to graded winner Victress (Include), has a 2-year-old daughter by Authentic–who sold for $300,000 at last year's Keeneland September sale–and she produced a filly by Life is Good this year.
Town and Country Horse Farm purchased Majestic Presence, in foal to Runhappy, for $360,000 at the 2017 Keeneland November sale.
#5 NEWGATE ($8.40) runs down pacesetter Subsanador (Arg) in the final jump to win the $400,000 G1 Santa Anita Handicap under @FrankieDettori! pic.twitter.com/s1FJYiZfaQ
— TVG (@TVG) March 4, 2024
Sunday, Santa Anita Park
SANTA ANITA H. PRESENTED BY YAAMAVA' RESORT & CASINO-GI, $401,000, Santa Anita, 3-3, 4yo/up, 1 1/4m, 2:03.49, ft.
1–NEWGATE, 121, c, 4, by Into Mischief
1st Dam: Majestic Presence (GSP-USA, MSP-Can, $227,896), by Majestic Warrior
2nd Dam: Shining Victory, by Victory Gallop
3rd Dam: Phoenix Sunshine, by Encino
1ST GRADE I WIN. 'TDN Rising Star'. ($850,000 Ylg '21 KEESEP). O-SF Racing LLC, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables LLC, Robert E. Masterson, Stonestreet Stables LLC, Jay A. Schoenfarber, Waves Edge Capital LLC and Catherine Donovan; B-Town & Country Horse Farms, LLC (KY); T-Bob Baffert; J-Lanfranco Dettori. $240,000. Lifetime Record: 9-3-4-0, $535,775. *Full to Denim and Pearls, MSP, $212,535. Werk Nick Rating: A. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree or free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Subsanador (Arg), 120, h, 5, Fortify–Save the Date (Arg), by Hurricane Cat. O-Stud Facundito; B-El Mallin (ARG); T-John W. Sadler. $80,000.
3–Reincarnate, 119, c, 4, Good Magic–Allanah, by Scat Daddy. ($775,000 Ylg '21 KEESEP). O-SF Racing LLC, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables LLC, Robert E. Masterson, Stonestreet Stables LLC, Jay A. Schoenfarber, Waves Edge Capital LLC and Catherine Donovan; B-Woods Edge Farm, LLC (KY); T-Bob Baffert. $48,000.
Margins: HD, 2HF, HD. Odds: 3.20, 22.30, 3.80.
Also Ran: Highland Falls, Mixto, Newgrange, Salesman (Ire).
Click for the Equibase.com chart or the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.
The post Newgate claims the Big Cap for Dettori, Baffert appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.
