‘TDN Rising Star’ Kinza Goes Gate To Wire In Las Virgenes

Looking every bit a 'TDN Rising Star', Kinza (Carpe Diem) stepped up in class, posted a second-consecutive 96 Beyer and took home her first graded win with a professional gate-to-wire performance at 'The Great Race Place' on Saturday afternoon.

To kick start her career over the same surface Dec. 29, the chestnut became a meteoric star when she won by an eye-catching 7 1/2 lengths for trainer Bob Baffert. Putting in quality workouts since, the filly was well-supported at the windows as the 1-1 choice over rival Kopion (Omaha Beach). The Richard Mandella trainee at odds of 6-5 here, arrived with a pair of wins under her belt, one of which was a 5 1/4-length score last out in the GIII Santa Ynez S. Jan. 7.

Kinza took the opening round of the Kentucky Oaks points race by wrangling the lead from the bell, which gave her the upper hand into the first turn. Holding the rail position up the backstretch, the 3-year-old remained committed to the pace as the far turn arrived. Though Kopion was called upon to pull even with her mark just before the top of the lane, she could not muster the speed to catch Kinza, who went on to win by two lengths.

“She acts like a filly that can handle (two turns),” said assistant to Bob Baffert, Jimmy Barnes. “You don't know until you do it, but she had shown in the morning, in her workouts that she could go further. I was more concerned there was so much speed, with the small field and a lot of speed. Unfortunately, our other filly (Nothing Like You {Malibu Moon}) she's got speed, but she was on the rail and she doesn't have that kind of speed, so she had to kind of take back and make some kind of trip and she probably doesn't want to do that.”

Pedigree Notes:

Kinza is the 237th winner and third Western Hemisphere graded/group stakes winner for her Louisiana-based sire. The first to the races for her dam, the winner counts as a half-sister a 2-year-old by Instagrand. A $100,000 purchase by MTC at the 2014 Keeneland September Sale, Secret Wonder visited Honest Mischief for this season.

Saturday, Santa Anita Park
LAS VIRGENES S.-GIII, $100,000, Santa Anita, 2-10, 3yo, f, 1m, 1:37.03, ft.
1–KINZA, 120, f, 3, by Carpe Diem
                1st Dam: Secret Wonder, by Quality Road
                2nd Dam: Maxinkuckee Miss, by Langfuhr
                3rd Dam: Wini Jones, by Seeking the Gold
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. ($17,000 Wlg '21 FTNMIX; $30,000 Ylg '22 OBSOCT; $350,000 2yo '23 EASMAY). 'TDN Rising Star'. O-Michael Lund Petersen; B-JD Business Ventures LLC, Brushy Hill Stable & Carpe Diem Syndicate (NY); T-Bob Baffert; J-Juan J. Hernandez. $60,000. Lifetime Record: 2-2-0-0, $99,000. Werk Nick Rating: B. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Kopion, 120, f, 3, Omaha Beach–Galloping Ami, by Victory Gallop. ($270,000 Ylg '22 KEESEP). O-Spendthrift Farm LLC; B-Tall Oaks Farm (KY); T-Richard E. Mandella. $20,000.
3–She's a Tempest, 120, f, 3, Connect–Hurricane Tiz, by Tiznow. 1ST BLACK TYPE, 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE. O-Beerman Family Trust and Sayjay Racing LLC; B-SAYJAY Racing, LLC & Beerman Family Trust (KY); T-Steve R. Knapp. $12,000.
Margins: 2, 1HF, 9 1/4. Odds: 1.00, 1.30, 16.40.
Also Ran: Nothing Like You, Great Forty Eight.
Click for the Equibase.com chart and the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.

 

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Graham Lee Thanks Racing Community For Their Support Three Months After Spinal Injury

A statement thanking the racing community for their support was released by the Injured Jockeys Fund (IJF) on behalf of injured jockey Graham Lee on Saturday.

Injured in a severe fall at Newcastle three months ago, the Group 1-winning jockey is currently located at the Spinal Unit of the James Cook University Hospital in Middlesborough. Also a Grand National winner, Lee is planning to modify his house in order to move home in the next few months. A JustGiving page was set up for Lee shortly after his accident and it has raised over £190,000 to date.

Lee's statement, released via the IJF, read as follows: “It's three months now since my accident and I thought it was appropriate for me to say something publicly for the first time.

“Frankly, I've been overwhelmed by the unbelievable support and good wishes sent by everyone and I'd like to thank you all so much on behalf of myself, my wife Becky and our children, Amy and Robbie.

“It feels like I'm in a bit of a bubble here at the James Cook Spinal Unit but the girls share with me all the messages that they are receiving and every single one is appreciated, as is the support of my great friends who continue to visit me so regularly and keep my spirits up.

“I never really considered that I had achieved that much as a jockey and it seems crazy that so many people are thinking of us all. I can't deny it has been–and continues to be–hard for us all, but these messages help us all so much.

“I would also like to thank the team of nurses here who are just unbelievable in the around the clock care and support they offer us all.

“As most of you know, the injuries I have suffered are life-changing and there is a long road ahead. But we have just received planning permission so that work can start to adapt our home in the hope that I will be able to leave hospital at some stage in the next few months.

“Thank you again. I am truly humbled and grateful.”

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Power Squeeze Makes It Three Straight With Suncoast Win

Power Squeeze may have finally put it all together in time to pick up 20 points on the Road to the Kentucky Oaks with a win in Saturday's Suncoast S. Racing along the Mid-Atlantic last season, it took the $90,000 OBSAPR grad three tries to break her maiden when she caught an off-the-turf one-mile event at Delaware Oct. 7. After a short layoff, Jorge Delgado shipped Power Squeeze south to Gulfstream where she upset the Cash Run S. at odds of 8-1 to open her 3-year-old season Jan. 1.

Second on the board at 3-1 Saturday behind last-out GII Demoiselle S. winner Life Talk (Gun Runner), Power Squeeze was always involved with the early pace and stalked from third while locked in against the fence behind pacesetter Managing Mischief (Maximus Mischief). Still caught in amongst the pack through a half in :48.94, the Delgado trainee began to find running room past the quarter pole and shot clear once space opened inside the furlong marker. 6-1 shot Whocouldaskformo barely held off 28-1 shot America's Vow to fill a pricey trifecta. 2-5 favorite Life Talk came up empty into the stretch and faded to trail the field home.

Union Rags currently sits at 32 stakes winners while Callmethesqueeze, now a producer of two stakes winners herself, has a 2-year-old Street Sense filly and a yearling Liam's Map colt still to run. She visited top freshman stallion Vino Rosso for 2024. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.

 

SUNCOAST S., $100,000, Tampa Bay Downs, 2-10, 3yo, f, 1m 40y, 1:40.22, ft.
1–POWER SQUEEZE, 122, f, 3, by Union Rags
                1st Dam: Callmethesqueeze (MSW, $324,499),
                                by Awesome Again
                2nd Dam: Mop Squeezer, by Roanoke
                3rd Dam: Honey League Girl, by Honey Jay
($50,000 Ylg '22 KEESEP; $90,000 2yo '23 OBSAPR). O-Lea
Farms, LLC; B-Forging Oaks LLC (KY); T-Jorge Delgado; J-Daniel
Centeno. $60,000. Lifetime Record: 5-3-1-0, $188,650. *1/2 to
Call On Mischief (Into Mischief), SW, $283,237.
2–Whocouldaskformo, 120, f, 3, Uncle Mo–Midnight Belle,
by Bernardini. ($450,000 Ylg '22 KEESEP). 1ST BLACK TYPE.
O-Courtlandt Farms (Donald Adam); B-Summer Wind Equine
LLC (KY); T-Claude R. McGaughey III. $20,000.
3–America's Vow, 120, f, 3, Constitution–Cloudy Vow, by
Broken Vow. 1ST BLACK TYPE. O/B-Patricia Pavlish (KY);
T-Timothy E. Hamm. $10,000.
Margins: 2 3/4, HD, 3/4. Odds: 3.00, 6.00, 28.70.
Also Ran: Managing Mischief, Gorgeous Girl, Life Talk.

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Oaklawn Adding Two Race Days

Oaklawn Park is adding two race days to their calendar–Sunday, Apr. 7 and Sunday, May 5–to make up for recent cancellations due to inclement weather.

“We are excited to announce the two additional dates of Apr. 7 and May 5 to Oaklawn's 2023-2024 racing calendar,” said Oaklawn President Louis Cella. “Thoroughbred racing is the heart and soul of Oaklawn, and adding these days provides even more opportunities for faithful fans to cheer on their favorite horses and for our horsemen to compete for additional purses.”

Oaklawn will race four days a week, Thursday through Sunday, for a period of three weeks beginning Mar. 7. The Apr. 7 addition will conclude four days of live racing that week. Oaklawn was originally set to close on Kentucky Derby day, Saturday, May 4.

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