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Veteran Hembree The Morning-Line Choice In Saturday’s Thunder Road

Fresh off a Grade 2 win sprinting and in the money in 26 out of 40 lifetime starts, Tom Kagele's 7-year-old Hembree heads a field of eight older horses going one mile on turf in Saturday's Grade 3, $100,000 Thunder Road Stakes at Santa Anita.

Claimed for $62,500 out of a one turn mile win two starts back on Nov. 19 at Churchill Downs, Hembree rallied for an authoritative three quarter length score going 6 ½ furlongs on turf in the Grade 2 Joe Hernandez Stakes here on Jan. 1. Trained by Peter Miller, Hembree, a two-time graded winner, is a full horse by Proud Citizen, out of the Langfuhr mare Knockatrina.

With lifetime earnings of $927,371, Hembree, who will be ridden back by Joel Rosario, is 40-8-10-8 overall, dating back to his first-out maiden win at Saratoga at age two in August of 2016.

Miller's “Avis Choice” is Sombeyay, who comes off a front-running 1 ¼ lengths allowance win on Jan. 15 as the 4-5 favorite under Flavien Prat, who appears to have opted for Border Town. Originally trained by Todd Pletcher, Sombeyay will be making his third start for Miller as he seeks his third graded stakes win. Owned by Swifty Farms, Inc., Sombeyay, a 5-year-old horse by Into Mischief, is 15-4-5-0 overall and will be ridden for the first time by Juan Hernandez.

Trained by Richard Mandella, Border Town comes off what appeared to be his best career race on Jan. 8, as he rallied from off the pace to take a one mile allowance by half a length under regular rider Prat. Owned by Ramona Bass and Perry Bass III, Border Town, a 5-year-old gelding by War Front, seeks his first graded stakes win in what will be his 12th start.

Trainer Dan Blacker's comebacking Hit the Road, who seeks his third consecutive win, lends further depth to the Thunder Road party. Idle since taking the restricted Oceanside Stakes at one mile on turf July 10 at Del Mar, Hit the Road was also a minor stakes winner going a mile on grass at Santa Anita in his third career start on Oct. 6, 2019. Owned by D K Racing, LLC and Radley Equine, Inc., Hit the Road, a 4-year-old colt by More Than Ready, would relish a fast pace to run at with regular rider Umberto Rispoli up.

THE GRADE 3 THUNDER ROAD, WITH JOCKEYS & WEIGHTS IN POST POSITION ORDER

Race 8 of 10 Approximate post time 3:30 p.m. PT

Sombeyay—Juan Hernandez—122
Hit the Road—Umberto Rispoli—122
Restrainedvengence—Ruben Fuentes—122
Border Town—Flavien Prat—124
Campaign—Tyler Baze—122
Award Winner—Abel Cedillo—120
Bob and Jackie—Heriberto Figueroa—122
Hembree—Joel Rosario—120

Early first post time for a 10-race card on Saturday is at 12 noon. For additional information, please visit santaanita.com.

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‘We’ll See How Good She Is’: Moonlight d’Oro To Make Stakes Debut In Las Virgenes

Moonlight d'Oro makes her stakes debut in Saturday's Grade 3 Las Virgenes Stakes for 3-year-old fillies at one mile, a major steppingstone to the G2 Santa Anita Oaks on April 3 at Santa Anita in Arcadia, Calif.

The bay Medaglia d'Oro filly owned by MyRacehorse and Spendthrift Farm LLC is coming off an impressive maiden win at one mile, sashaying home first by three lengths as the 9-10 favorite last Dec. 13 under Flavien Prat, who will be back up in the $200,000 Las Virgenes.

“We'll see how good she is,” said Hall of Fame trainer Richard Mandella, who won his first Las Virgenes in 1993 with Likeable Style ridden by Gary Stevens and his second in 2013 with champion Beholder under the late Garrett Gomez.

Moonlight d'Oro worked six furlongs Wednesday in a bullet 1:12.60.

Mandella said Border Town is likely for this Saturday's G3 Thunder Road at a mile on grass, while Extra Hope “is nominated in case it looks like rain and it ends up a dirt race.”

Border Town also is nominated to the San Marcos Stakes at 1 ¼ miles on grass which had been scheduled to be run Sunday but was moved back a week when nearly 2 ½ inches of rain inundated the area Friday.

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Improving Border Town May Have Edge Over Turf Veterans In Santa Anita’s American Stakes

In a field replete with classy veterans returning off extended vacations, Richard Mandella's fast-improving Border Town seeks his third consecutive win at the current Winter Spring Meeting in Sunday's Grade 3, $100,000 American Stakes at Santa Anita in Arcadia, Calif. To be run at a flat mile on turf, the American has attracted a deep and competitive field of 10 three year olds and up.

Trainer Mark Glatt will be well represented by multiple graded stakes winner Sharp Samurai, who has been idle since Aug. 18, and Phil D'Amato will send out a pair of classy comebackers, multiple Grade 1 winner Bowies Hero, idle since Nov. 2, and graded stakes winning Cleopatra's Strike, who's been idle 4 ½ months.

It is noteworthy that Flavien Prat, Santa Anita's runaway leading rider who enters closing week with 83 wins, has opted to ride upstart Border Town over Bowies Hero and perhaps several others in the American lineup.

BORDER TOWN
Owner: Perry R. Bass, II & Ramona Bass
Trainer: Richard Mandella
Winless in a pair of one mile turf maiden races with eastern-based Chad Brown in July and September of last year, this 4-year-old colt by War Front has run four solid races for Mandella and Prat, dating back to a head defeat in a one mile maiden race on Jan. 5. Subsequently third under the same conditions Jan. 30, Border Town broke out with a big 3 ½ length maiden win going 1 1/8 miles on turf Feb. 28. In his most recent start on May 24, he accelerated late to take a one mile turf allowance by one length, winning in-hand in a performance that has thrust him to center stage on Sunday.

SHARP SAMURAI
Owner: Red Baron's Barn, LLC & Rancho Temescal
Trainer: Mark Glatt
One of the top turf horses on this circuit dating back to 2017, this 6-year-old First Samurai gelding has been idle since a close second in the Grade 2 Del Mar Mile Handicap on Aug. 18. A three-time graded stakes winner on grass, Sharp Samurai is five for eight over the Santa Anita turf course and is 7-2-2-1 at one mile on turf. To be ridden for the first time by Abel Cedillo, who ranks a close third behind Mike Smith and Prat with 10 stakes wins at the current stand, Sharp Samurai has a solid work tab to his credit and rates a huge chance off the bench.

BOWIES HERO
Owner: Agave Racing Stable, ERJ Racing, LLC, Madaket Stables, LLC & Rockin Robin Stables
Trainer: Phil D'Amato
Idle since fifth at 16-1 in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Mile here on Nov. 2, this 6-year-old full horse by Artie Schiller rallied to win the Grade 1 Shadwell Turf Mile two starts back at Keeneland on Oct. 5. A winner of Santa Anita's Grade 1 Frank E. Kilroe Mile in March, 2018, classy Bowies Hero is 10-3-1-2 over the Santa Anita lawn and is 16-7-1-1 lifetime at one mile on grass. The leading money earner in the field with $1,538,970, his overall mark stands at 22-8-1-3. With Prat committed to Border Town, Umberto Rispoli will try his hand for the first time on Sunday.

CLEOPATRA'S STRIKE
Owner: Slam Dunk Racing & Michael Nentwig
Trainer: Phil D'Amato
Idle since a close second in the Grade 2 San Marcos Stakes at a mile and one quarter on turf Feb. 1, this 7-year-old Smart Strike gelding was also a close second two starts back, in the Grade 2 San Gabriel at a mile and one eighth on turf Jan. 4. A winner of the Grade 2 John Henry Turf Stakes here four starts back at a mile and a quarter on Sept. 28, he's been ridden in three out of his last four race by Abel Cedillo, but will get the first-time services of Mike Smith on Sunday. Originally based at Woodbine, he's flourished in D'Amato's care, posting a win, four seconds and a fourth place finish from six starts dating back to a nose defeat in the January, 2019 San Gabriel.

G3 AMERICAN STAKES
WITH JOCKEYS & WEIGHTS IN POST POSITION ORDER
Race 10 of 12 Approximate post time 5 p.m. PT

True Valour—Jose Valdivia, Jr.—124
Jasikan—Ruben Fuentes–124
Cleopatra's Strike—Mike Smith—124
Blitzkrieg—Victor Espinoza—122
Sharp Samurai—Abel Cedillo—122
Souter—Evin Roman–122
Border Town—Flavien Prat—122
Bowies Hero—Umberto Rispoli—124
King of Speed—Geovanni Franco—122
Bolo—Drayden Van Dyke–122

First post time on closing day, Sunday is at 12:30 p.m. For additional information, please visit santaanita.com or call (626) 574-RACE.

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