Candy Ride’s Geaux Rocket Ride Much The Best In Affirmed

Pin Oak Stud's Geaux Rocket Ride (Candy Ride {Arg}) checked stakes winner off his list with an off-the-pace victory in the Affirmed S. at The Great Race Place late on Sunday afternoon.

After a sparkling 5 3/4 length debut win Jan. 29 at Santa Anita, the bay colt was second in the GII San Felipe S. to Practical Move (Practical Joke) before he was sidelined with a slightly-elevated fever before the GI Santa Anita Derby.

Off at odds of 1-2 here, Geaux Rocket Ride was determined to live up to his price as he tracked Del Mar Jerry (Mastery) and Hard to Figure (Hard Spun), who were engaged in a speed duel into the clubhouse turn and up the backstretch. Given his cue rounding the far turn, the Richard Mandella trainee ranged up on the pair, went right by both of them and rolled down the lane to win by 1 3/4 lengths over Mr Fisk (Arrogate).

“He's just a classy little dude,” said trainer Richard Mandella. “We will probably look into the [GI] Haskell S. We are going to enjoy this one today, but that will be the one we look to.”

The first to make the races for his dam, who counts MSP Mighty Mo as a full-brother, Geaux Rocket Ride's latest sibling is a filly by Rowayton who was foaled Mar. 6.

AFFIRMED S., $100,000, Santa Anita, 6-4, 3yo, 1 1/16m, 1:43.75, ft.
1–GEAUX ROCKET RIDE, 120, c, 3, by Candy Ride (Arg)
                1st Dam: Beyond Grace, by Uncle Mo
                2nd Dam: Flowers Athefinish, by Grand Reward
                3rd Dam: Golden Petal, by Mr. Prospector
($350,000 Ylg '21 FTKJUL). 1ST BLACK TYPE WIN. O-Pin Oak Stud LLC; B-OXO Equine LLC (KY); T-Richard E. Mandella; J-Ramon A. Vazquez. $60,000. Lifetime Record: GSP, 3-2-1-0, $180,200.
2–Mr Fisk, 120, c, 3, Arrogate–Plein Air (Ire), by Manduro (Ger). 1ST BLACK TYPE. O/B-Sunny Brook Stables (KY); T-Bob Baffert. $20,000.
3–Hard to Figure, 120, c, 3, Hard Spun–Ani La, by Mr. Greeley.
($40,000 Ylg '21 KEESEP; $200,000 2yo '22 OBSMAR). O-Michael E. Pegram, Karl Watson and Paul Weitman; B-James Heyward (KY); T-Bob Baffert. $12,000.
Margins: 1 3/4, 6, 2 3/4. Odds: 0.50, 4.10, 6.90.
Also Ran: Ze'bul, Del Mar Jerry. Scratched: Skinner.
Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

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Skinner To Scratch From Affirmed

Trainer John Shirreffs told the Santa Anita notes team Saturday that C R K Stable's Skinner (Curlin) would be scratched from Sunday's $100,000 Affirmed S. at Santa Anita.

The decision was made following a Saturday morning gallop over the Santa Anita main track.

“I just wasn't happy with the way he jogged,” the conditioner said.

Skinner, a $40,000 Keeneland September yearling turned $510,000 OBS April juvenile, broke his maiden in his 3-year-old debut in February and finished third to Practical Move (Practical Joke) in both the GII San Felipe S. and GI Runhappy Santa Anita Derby.

The bay was green-lighted for a run in the GI Kentucky Derby May 6, but was withdrawn from consideration two days prior to the race with an elevated temperature. Skinner was back on the worktab as soon as May 14 and had logged two additional breezes since then.

Skinner's defection leaves a field of five for the Affirmed, led by 8-5 morning-line favorite Geaux Rocket Ride (Candy Ride {Arg}), last seen finishing second in the San Felipe Mar. 4.

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Hopper Tops Affirmed Exacta for McCarthy at Santa Anita

While the 3-year-old picture was focused primarily in New York Saturday with the GI Belmont S. and the GI Woody Stephens S., Hopper (Declaration of War) threw his hat into the ring from the other coast with a facile victory in the GIII Affirmed S. at Santa Anita. It was a short field, but the exacta horses both hailed from the Sean McCarthy barn while the trifecta was filled out by three former Bob Baffert pupils.

When the stall doors flew, Hopper immediately hightailed it the front from the one post. He stayed on the inside, moving easily and getting the first quarter in :23.37. 'TDN Rising Star' and GSP Doppelganger (Into Mischief) drafted in second, just off his flank and to the outside as Hopper threw down a half in :46.74, still moving smoothly. Abel Cedillo roused him in the stretch, leaving Doppelganger far behind, and the dark bay drew clear to win by 5 1/4 lengths while stablemate High Connection (Connect) passed Doppelganger late. Hopper gave the impression of being out for a morning breeze, making it look easy as he dominated the field.

“I saw Juan [Hernandez] asking [High Connection] at about the three-and-a-half to get into contention and Doppelganger was moving at the same time, but Hopper was just cruising on the front end, so I had a pretty good feeling,” said McCarthy.

Owned by Lanni Bloodstock, Madaket Stables, and SF Racing, Hopper debuted for Baffert Feb. 25 in a six-furlong maiden special weight over this surface, getting bumped at the start and again just after the three-eighths pole. He didn't reappear again until May 7 after that troubled beginning, and by then he'd been transferred to the McCarthy barn. Going seven furlongs that day, he went wide to win by 2 1/4 lengths and register an 87 Beyer. The Affirmed was only his third career start. McCarthy has indicated both Hopper and the runner-up will return to Baffert when the Hall of Famer returns from his suspension next month.

Pedigree Notes:
War Front's European champion and MG1SW Declaration of War is the sire of Hopper and 32 other Northern Hemisphere-bred black-type winners. Among his 17 graded winners are Canadian champion Mr. Hustle, GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile winner Fire At Will, GISW Decorated Invader, French G1SW Olmedo (Fr), and MGISW Gufo, who was also third in the GI Manhattan S. Saturday. Declaration of War stood at Coolmore in Ireland, America, and Australia before moving to Shizunai Stallion Station in Japan ahead of the 2019 season.

Hopper is out of Irridescence (SAf), a champion and MG1SW in her native country. She traveled all over the world for major races, winning Hong Kong's G1 Audemars Piguet Queen Elizabeth II Cup, and placing in the GI Beverly D. S. in the U.S., the G1 Falmouth S. in England, and the G2 Haafhd Jebel Hatta in Dubai. Hopper is her first stakes winner. She did not produce foals in 2020 or 2021 after being bred to Noble Mission (GB) both times, and was last bred to Air Force Blue. Her sire, the Nureyev stallion Caesour, has 16 stakes winners out of his daughters, including the 2020 GI Jaipur S. winner Oleksandra (Aus) (Animal Kingdom), a mare who beat the boys more than once.

Saturday, Santa Anita
AFFIRMED S.-GIII, $98,000, Santa Anita, 6-11, 3yo, 1 1/16m, 1:43.83, ft.
1–HOPPER, 120, c, 3, by Declaration of War
               1st Dam: Irridescence (Saf) (Ch. 3-year-old Filly-SAF, MG1SW-SAF, G1SW-HK,
               SW & GSP-UAE, G1SP-Eng, GISP-USA, $1,578,910), by Caesour
               2nd Dam: Meretricious (Saf), by Dancing Champ
               3rd Dam: Capitoline (Saf), by Elevation (Saf)
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. ($90,000 Ylg
'20 KEESEP). O-Lanni Bloodstock, Madaket Stables LLC and SF
Racing LLC; B-Green Lantern Stables, LLC (KY); T-Sean
McCarthy; J-Abel Cedillo. $60,000. Lifetime Record: 3-2-0-0,
$100,700. Werk Nick Rating: B+. Click for the
eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–High Connection, 120, c, 3, Connect–Forest Legend, by Forest
Camp. 1ST BLACK TYPE, 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE. ($75,000
Ylg '20 KEESEP; $290,000 2yo '21 OBSMAR). O-HRH Prince
Sultan Bin Mishal Al Saud; B-G. Watts Humphrey (KY); T-Sean
McCarthy. $20,000.
3–Doppelganger, 120, c, 3, Into Mischief–Twice the Lady, by
Quiet American. ($570,000 Ylg '20 FTKSEL). 'TDN Rising Star'.
O-SF Racing LLC, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables LLC,
Robert E. Masterson, Jay A. Schoenfarber, Waves Edge
Capital LLC, Catherine M. Donovan, Golconda Stable, Siena
Farm LLC; B-WinStar Farm, LLC (KY); T-Tim Yakteen. $12,000.
Margins: 5 1/4, HF, 35. Odds: 3.30, 1.00, 1.40.
Also Ran: Pioneering Papa. Scratched: Fast Draw Munnings, Newgrange.
Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

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