Velazquez Gets Beautiful Gift Up In Final Yards Of Santa Ysabel

It may not rise to the level of settled science, but yet another equine case study was unveiled Sunday at Santa Anita, leaving little doubt that when it comes to big race results, this is indeed Bob Baffert's world and the rest of us are merely living in it.

Although she encountered unexpected trouble a quarter mile out, Baffert's Beautiful Gift, the “Other Baffert” in pari-mutuel parlance, was able to mount a furious rally through the lane and get up to nail Michael McCarthy's Moraz by a short head in the Grade 3, $100,000 Santa Ysabel Stakes, an important steppingstone to the Grade 2 Santa Anita Oaks on April 3 at the Arcadia, Calif., track.  Ridden by John Velazquez, Beautiful Gift got a mile and one sixteenth in 1:44.83.

With Baffert's 3-5 favorite Kalypso showing the way to the far turn, Moraz was closing in, just a length back to her outside while Beautiful Gift sat third at the rail, about 1 ½ lengths off the lead.  Approaching the quarter pole, Moraz appeared to have gained the advantage and Beautiful Gift, full of run, was poised to come through at the rail, but instead had to wait and swing three-deep at the top of the lane, allowing Moraz to hold a seemingly insurmountable 2 ½ length lead with just a sixteenth of a mile to run.

“She was full of run and I was trying to keep her from getting dirt in her face but when Rispoli (Umberto, aboard Moraz) pushed Joel (Rosario, aboard Kalypso) in, I had to take a hold of her,” said Velazquez.  “But she was able to overcome it…By the time I got her to the outside, I got her rolling and I was hoping she would get there before the wire and she did.”

Idle since breaking her maiden at a flat mile on Oct. 23, Beautiful Gift, who was one of three Baffert entrants among a field of four sophomore fillies, was off at 3-1 and paid $8.00 and $3.80 with no show wagering.

“I didn't think Johnny was going to get there and all of a sudden that mare kicked in and (Beautiful Gift) is really (good).  We gave her some time.  She got really light on us.  The further the better for her.  I didn't think she got there until I saw the super slow mo, but I'm just happy that they ran well…It's nice to get these fillies, it's all I have for the Oaks, so it's fun.”

A daughter of Medaglia d'Oro, owned and bred by Baoma Corporation, Beautiful Gift is out of the A.P. Indy mare Sea Gift.  With two wins from three starts, the winner's share of $60,000 boosted  her earnings to $99,600.

The second choice at 2-1, Moraz finished 2 ¾ lengths in front of Kalypso and paid $3.20 to show.  Baffert's third entrant, Heels Up, was last throughout and was distanced by nearly 26 lengths at 16-1.

Baffert, whose top rated Derby hopeful Life Is Good ran away with Saturday's Grade 2 San Felipe Stakes, now has nine stakes wins and 21 overall victories at the current Winter/Spring Meet, putting him first in both categories.

Beautiful Gift will receive 50 qualifying points to the Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks, which will be run on April 30.  The second, third and fourth place finishers will receive 20, 10 and five points respectively.

Fractions on the race were 23.95, 48.13, 1:12.69 and 1:38.21.

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Medaglia d’Oro Filly Gets Up in Time in Santa Ysabel

She had to be worked on early in Sunday's GIII Santa Ysabel S. at Santa Anita and seemed an unlikely winner as late as the eighth pole, but Baoma Corporation's Beautiful Gift (Medaglia d'Oro) produced a strong rally in deep stretch to nail Moraz (Empire Maker) in the last jump while making her first start since October.

A debut third behind re-opposing GSW barnmate Kalypso (Brody's Cause) going 5 1/2 furlongs Sept. 5 at Del Mar, the homebred stretched out to a local mile Oct. 23 and surged in the closing strides to get up by a half-length as the odds-on chalk.

Off as the 3-1 third choice in this four-horse group as Kalypso was knocked down to 3-5, the bay was away without issue and found a good spot in a pocketed third as the chalk dictated terms by a measured length through a modest :23.95 quarter. Stalking Moraz turned up the heat just a touch past a :48.13 half and those two appeared to leave Beautiful Gift behind as she was pushed along by John Velazquez at the top of the far turn. Moraz pulled even with Kalypso three furlongs from home and started to do the better work soon after, kicking clear into the final furlong. Beautiful Gift began to uncoil her best stride right about then, however, and had just enough racetrack to charge alongside the leader and get her head down first on the wire. Kalypso was third.

“I didn't think Johnny was going to get there and all of a sudden she kicked in, and she's really good,” said winning trainer Bob Baffert. “We gave her some time. She got really light on us. The further the better for her. I didn't think she got there until I saw the super slow-mo, but I'm just happy that they ran well. It's nice to get these fillies, it's all I have for the Oaks, so it's fun.”

Pedigree Notes:

With the victory, Beautiful Gift becomes the 150th stakes winner and 78th graded stakes winner for 22-year-old super-sire Medaglia d'Oro. She is the second black-type performer out of Sea Gift, who won her only career start as a 3-year-old in England, following Chitu, who captured the 2014 GIII Sunland Derby before running third, beaten less than a length by Shared Belief (Candy Ride {Arg}), in that year's GI Malibu S. Second dam Ocean Queen is a GSW half-sister to MGSW Dance Parade (Gone West), who in turn produced MG1SW marathoner Leading Light (Ire) (Montjeu {Ire}). A $450,000 RNA at Keeneland November in 2014, Sea Gift has a juvenile Arrogate colt named Mwari and was bred to Justify last spring.

Sunday, Santa Anita
SANTA YSABEL S.-GIII, $98,000, Santa Anita, 3-7, 3yo, f,
1 1/16m, 1:44.83, ft.
1–BEAUTIFUL GIFT, 120, f, 3, by Medaglia d'Oro
                1st Dam: Sea Gift, by A.P. Indy
                2nd Dam: Ocean Queen, by Zilzal
                3rd Dam: River Jig, by Irish River (Fr)
1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. O/B-Baoma
Corp (KY); T-Bob Baffert; J-John R. Velazquez. $60,000.
Lifetime Record: 3-2-0-1, $99,600. *1/2 to Chitu (Henny
Hughes), GSW & GISP, $597,800. Werk Nick Rating: A.
Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Moraz, 120, f, 3, Empire Maker–Malvinia, by A.P. Indy.
O/B-Don Alberto Corporation (KY); T-Michael W. McCarthy.
$20,000.
3–Kalypso, 120, f, 3, Brody's Cause–Malibu Cove, by Malibu
Moon. ($240,000 Ylg '19 FTKJUL). O-David A. Bernsen, LLC,
Gainesway Stable (Antony Beck), Rockingham Ranch & Chad
Littlefield; B-Spendthrift Farm LLC (KY); T-Bob Baffert. $12,000.
Margins: HD, 2 3/4, 23. Odds: 3.00, 2.20, 0.70.
Also Ran: Heels Up. Scratched: A Real Hero. Click for the Equibase.com chart,
the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.

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Baffert-Trained Kalypso Headlines Sunday’s Oaks Prep At Santa Anita Park

Bob Baffert's well accomplished Kalypso heads a field of five sophomore fillies going a mile and one sixteenth in Sunday's Grade 3, $100,000 Santa Ysabel Stakes at Santa Anita. Baffert will also be represented by Baoma Corporation's Beautiful Gift as well as Pegram, Watson and Weitman's Heels Up in a race that Baffert has won a record five times.

With 50 Kentucky Oaks qualifying points to be awarded to the winner, the Santa Ynez takes on added significance as America's biggest race for 3-year-old fillies looms on April 30 at Churchill Downs. Saturday's second, third and fourth place finishers will receive 20, 15 and five points respectively.

Third, beaten 1 ¾ lengths by Kalypso in the Grade 3 Las Virgenes Stakes here on Feb. 6, trainer Michael McCarthy's Moraz will likely go as the second choice in the Santa Ysabel, which will be her fourth career start. A recent mile and one sixteenth maiden winner at Golden Gate Fields, McCarthy's A Real Hero will be a longshot with Flavien Prat aboard.

Owned by David Bernsen, LLC and Rockingham Ranch, Kalyspo, a Kentucky-bred daughter of Brody's Cause, out of the Malibu Moon mare Malibu Cove, broke her maiden going six furlongs four starts back in the ungraded Anoakia Stakes on Oct. 18 and then showed the way prior to running second, beaten 1 ½ lengths going 1 1/16 miles in the Grade 1 Starlet Stakes at Los Alamitos Dec. 5.

Off at 4-5 in the Grade 2 Santa Ynez Stakes going seven furlongs on Jan. 3, Kalypso pressed the pace and prevailed by 1 ¾ lengths. Subsequently second as the even money favorite going one mile in the Grade 3 Las Virgenes Stakes on Feb. 6, she was no match for Richard Mandella's Moonlight d'Oro, who rallied powerfully through the lane to prevail by 1 ½ lengths.

Although second twice at two turns, Kalypso, who will be making her seventh start, retains the services of Joel Rosario and is strictly the horse to beat on Sunday.

Owned by her breeder, Don Alberto Corporation, Moraz, who was a dazzling 11 length maiden winner going a flat mile two starts back on Jan. 8, kept to her task in the Las Virgenes when beaten 1 ¾ lengths by the top selection and her connections are hoping she has enough upside to turn the tables.

By Empire Maker out of the A.P. Indy mare Malvinia, Moraz will be making her fourth start and be handled by regular rider Umberto Rispoli.

Bet down to 3-5 as she stretched out to a flat mile in her second start on Oct. 23, Baoma Corporation's homebred Beautiful Gift stalked the early pace and rallied gamely for a half length win. By Medaglia d'Oro out of the A.P. Indy mare Sea Gift, Beautiful Gift also appears to have ample upside and will be ridden for the first time by John Velazquez.

Baffert's Heels Up, who has been idle since running third in the 6 ½ furlongs Dezi Arnaz Stakes Nov. 14 at Del Mar, will be stretching out for the first time in what will be her fourth start. Owned by Mike Pegram, Karl Watson and Paul Weitman, Heels Up, a daughter of Twirling Candy out of the Tale of the Cat mare Tale Untold, will likely be forwardly placed under Drayden Van Dyke, who will be aboard for the first time.

THE GRADE 3 SANTA YSABEL WITH JOCKEYS & WEIGHTS IN POST POSITION ORDER

Race 4 of 9 Approximate post time 2 p.m. PT

  1. A Real Hero—Flavien Prat—120
  2. Beautiful Gift—John Velazquez—120
  3. Heels Up—Drayden Van Dyke—120
  4. Kalypso—Joel Rosario—120
  5. Moraz—Umberto Rispoli—120

First post time for a nine-race card on Sunday is at 12:30 p.m. All of Santa Anita's races are offered free of charge at santaanita.com/live and fans can wager at 1st.com/bet. For additional information, please visit santaanita.com or call (626) 574-RACE.

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