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Smooth Like Straight Brings ‘A-Game’ To Twilight Derby At Santa Anita

In a dominant performance, heavily favored Smooth Like Strait sat a close second early, took command turning for home and drew off to an emphatic 1 1/2-length victory in Sunday's Grade 2, $200,000 Twilight Derby at Santa Anita in Arcadia, Calif.

Trained by Michael McCarthy and ridden by Umberto Rispoli, the bay colt by Midnight Lute got a mile and one eighth on firm turf in 1:46.89.

With pacesetter Dominant Soul grudgingly giving way at the top of the lane, Smooth Like Strait shook loose of eventual third-place finisher Field Pass in the final furlong to register his third graded stakes win and his third tally in his last four starts.

“I studied the race yesterday and this morning because I really wanted to win,” said Rispoli, who first rode him at Del Mar on Aug. 9. “We know how he could be keen in the first part of the race, but Michael does such an amazing job, he's been relaxed. You can see him behind horses now and he really understands to be calm. Even when the horses reached me at the three eighths pole, I thought about what to do. 'Am I going to go or stay?' At the top of the straight I knew I had the race in my hand.”

Most recently fourth as the favorite in a G2, 1 1/16-mile turf stakes at Churchill Downs Sept. 5, Smooth Like Strait was off as the 6-5 favorite in a field of nine sophomores and paid $4.60, $3.20 and $2.40.

Owned and bred in Kentucky by Cannon Thoroughbreds, LLC, Smooth Like Strait picked up $120,000 for the win, increasing his earnings to $397,823. A winner of the G3 La Jolla Handicap two starts back on Aug. 9, Smooth Like Strait, who is out of the Flower Alley mare Smooth as Usual, improved his overall mark to 10-5-1-1.

“I was a little disappointed in the way he ran at Churchill Downs,” said McCarthy. “I didn't think there was a horse around that could beat him that day…This horse has come back, and he has not disappointed since we've been back (at Santa Anita). I was a little skeptical about a mile and one eighth, but he won going a mile and a sixteenth in the La Jolla Handicap very well.

“All the stars aligned today. He brought his A-game. Umberto rode him like the leading rider he is. I'm very happy for the Cannons and everybody involved, even my groom Mike Munoz and Cleo Thomas, they do an excellent job with this horse…”

Scarto, who was unhurried while shuffled back a bit around the far turn, put in a determined late bid and proved second best under Juan Hernandez, finishing second by three-quarters of a length over Field Pass. Off at 7-1, Scarto paid $5.60 and $3.60.

Field Pass, with Drayden Van Dyke up, was off as the second choice at 3-1 and paid $3.20 to show.

Fractions on the race were 23.60, 47.84, 1:11.74 and 1:35.14.

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Filly on a Mission: Daughter of Into Mischief Garners Rising Stardom for Baffert

Baoma Corporation’s $750,000 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga buy Private Mission (Into Mischief) led home a one-two finish of promising fillies for the Bob Baffert barn Sunday to earn the ‘TDN Rising Star’ distinction. Backed as the even-money choice off a series of works that had churned up some buzz (click for XBTV video of Oct. 5 breeze in company with $1.3-million colt American Admiral {American Pharoah}), the bay showed good early speed to sit in second locked on to the pacesetter. She took over after a :45.23 half, and only stablemate Frosteria (Frosted–Hystericalady) could come close to keeping up with her at that point. Private Mission had more to give, however, and cruised home a geared-down 1 3/4-length winner. Frosteria was 6 3/4 lengths clear of the third finisher.

Dam Private Gift, who was a two-turn stakes winner, was a $2.3-million purchase by Greg Goodman’s Mt. Brilliant while in foal to A.P. Indy at the 2008 Fasig-Tipton November sale. In addition to Secret Someone (A. P. Indy), MSW & GSP, $409,301, she is responsible for the dam of last year’s GI Alabama S. heroine Dunbar Road (Quality Road). Private Gift is a half to GI Kentucky Oaks heroine Secret Status (A.P. Indy). Her Honor Code yearling filly sold to BSW/Crow for $240,000 at last month’s Keeneland September sale. Private Gift was not bred back for 2020, but visited Candy Ride (Arg) this season. Baffert trains progeny by the nation’s leading sire Into Mischief that include GI Kentucky Derby hero Authentic and leading sophomore filly Gamine.

10th-Santa Anita, $57,000, Msw, 10-18, 2yo, f, 6 1/2f, 1:16.82, ft, 1 3/4 lengths.
PRIVATE MISSION, f, 2, Into Mischief
                1st Dam: Private Gift (SW, $212,248), by Unbridled
                2nd Dam: Private Status, by Alydar
                3rd Dam: Miss Eva (Arg), by Con Brio II
Sales history: $750,000 Ylg ’19 FTSAUG. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $33,000. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton. Free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
O-Baoma Corporation; B-Mt. Brilliant Broodmares I LLC (KY); T-Bob Baffert. *1/2 to Secret Someone (A.P. Indy), MSW & GSP, $409,301.

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Mustang Joins Space Force To Encourage Conservation

A 5-year-old Mustang has been added to the Space Force conservation program at Vandenberg Air Force Base in Southern California. The military working horse program supports the Force and patrols the Western Range, which is more than 98,000 acres.

Begun in 1996, the conservation unit and military working horse program is the only equine patrol unit within the Department of Defense. It's one of only four conservation units in the United States Air Force.

Named Ghost, the Mustang is nearly 10 years younger than the other four horses in the program. He is also the only Mustang. Ghost is in training and is being ridden three times a week to prepare him for the workload other military working horses endure.

The program helps protect Mustangs, which are at risk because of overpopulation and its resulting diminished food resources. The Mustangs are great choices for the patrol as they are extremely surefooted.

Six patrolmen use the five horses to patrol coastline, monitor nesting seasons for endangered species, patrol hunting and fishing areas, and enforce state and federal laws.

Brody’s Cause Filly Graduates in Anoakia

Kalypso broke her maiden in stakes company with a front-running score in the Anoakia S. Sunday at Santa Anita. The chestnut filly strode out to the early lead and was in hand through a quarter in :22.17 and a half :45.14. Three lengths in front with furlong to run, Kalypso was never threatened and sailed under the wire 2 1/4 lengths in front to become the second black-type winner for her freshman sire (by Giant’s Causeway).

“When you ride for Bob [Baffert], he just says, ‘Break well and play the break,'” said winning rider Abel Cedillo. “I knew she had speed, so she broke really sharp and I just took that. She finished really strong and she galloped out really strong too. I think she did it pretty well.”

Kalypso was third behind subsequent GI Del Mar Debutante runner-up Forest Caraway (Bodemeister) and Debutante third-place finisher Illumination in her 5 1/2-furlong debut at Del Mar Aug. 15 and had to settle for second behind Queengol after setting the pace over that same track and distance Sept. 5.

“We’ve been wanting to run her long, but we couldn’t get a race to go,” Baffert said. “She got sick after Del Mar, so we took our time with her. She’s been training well and she’s changed a lot. We’ll stretch her out next time.”

Malibu Cove has a yearling filly by Hit it a Bomb who sold for $4,000 at last year’s Keeneland November sale. The mare, a full-sister to multiple graded stakes winner Prospective and to the dam of this year’s GIII Bashford Manor S. third-place finisher Herd Immunity (Union Rags), also has a weanling by Mor Spirit and she was bred back to Jimmy Creed. Spendthrift’s B. Wayne Hughes purchased the winner’s second dam, Spirited Away, for $290,000 as a Fasig-Tipton Saratoga yearling in 2005. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.

ANOAKIA S., $77,950, Santa Anita, 10-18, 2yo, f, 6f, 1:10.30, ft.
1–KALYPSO, 118, f, 2, by Brody’s Cause
                1st Dam: Malibu Cove, by Malibu Moon
                2nd Dam: Spirited Away, by Awesome Again
                3rd Dam: Cape North, by Capote
($240,000 Ylg ’19 FTKJUL). 1ST BLACK TYPE WIN.
O-Rockingham Ranch and David A Bernsen LLC; B-Spendthrift
Farm LLC (KY); T-Bob Baffert; J-Abel Cedillo. $46,500. Lifetime
Record: 3-1-1-1, $64,100.
2–Queengol, 120, f, 2, Flashback–Nechez Dawn, by Indian
Charlie. ($22,000 Wlg ’18 KEENOV; $90,000 2yo ’20 OBSMAR).
O-Saragol Stable Corp. & Johana Viana; B-John R. Penn (KY);
T-John W. Sadler. $15,500.
3–Illumination, 118, f, 2, Medaglia d’Oro–Light the City, by
Street Sense. ($900,000 Ylg ’19 FTSAUG). O-George Bolton,
Peter & Karin Leidel, Barry Lipman, & Kerri Radcliffe; B-Breeze
Easy, LLC (KY); T-Bob Baffert. $9,300.
Margins: 2 1/4, HF, 1 1/4. Odds: 4.80, 1.20, 6.10.
Also Ran: Forest Caraway, Needless to Say.

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