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Brickyard Ride Cruises To Thor’s Echo Score At Santa Anita

Absent a suicidal pace duel, the Craig Lewis-trained Brickyard Ride settled into a rhythmic stride out of the gate and coasted gate to wire in Saturday's $100,000 Thor's Echo Stakes at Santa Anita in Arcadia, Calif., winning by 4 ¾ lengths. Ridden for the first time by Juan Hernandez, Brickyard Ride got six furlongs in 1:09.34.

Winless in two starts since taking the Grade 2 San Carlos Stakes at seven furlongs on March 6, Brickyard Ride was pressed through opening quarter miles of 21.40 and 21 flat in his last two starts—resulting in a fourth-place finish in a six-furlong classified allowance May 7 and a second-place finish in the G3 Kona Gold Stakes at 6 ½ furlongs on April 18.

With an opening quarter mile of 22.62, Brickyard Ride was in complete control of the Thor's Echo, and although Colt Fiction appeared full of run while two lengths back turning for home, Brickyard Ride was never challenged through the lane.

“Craig told me a clean break with him was the key today,” said Hernandez. “I never bothered him, he felt comfortable the whole way. It felt like he ran faster when I worked him the other day (a bullet five furlongs in 58 flat on June 4) than he ran today. I looked at three or four replays of his races and it looked like today, he relaxed better.”

Owned and bred in California by Alfred Pais, Brickyard Ride was off as the 8-5 favorite and returned $5.20, $3.60 and $2.60.

“I don't like to make excuses for my horses but, he was pretty much eliminated last time,” said Lewis. “He hit the gate and then he ducked in real bad, he just lost his best attribute, which is speed. I just felt like he trained well and we know he's a brilliant horse when he's right…Juan knew he had a lot of horse under him.

“We're probably going to point for the Bing Crosby (G1, six furlongs at Del Mar July 31), possibly. We could stretch him out in a Cal-bred stake. He's a lovely moving horse, big horse with a wonderful stride, very athletic and has plenty of speed…We don't know if he can could do it (be effective routing) but we know this, he will be in front.”

A striking looking 4-year-old chestnut colt by Clubhouse Ride out of the Southern Image mare Brickyard Helen, Brickyard Ride notched his third stakes victory and he now has six wins from nine Santa Anita starts. With an overall mark of 16-8-1-2, the winner's share of $60,000 increased his earnings to $464,477.

Ridden for the first time by Umberto Rispoli, the Bill Spawr-conditioned Colt Fiction saved every inch of ground from his rail post and although he accelerated when called upon was no match for the winner, finishing 1 ¼ lengths in front of Fashionably Fast.

The second choice at 5-2, Colt Fiction paid $3.20 and $2.20.

Fashionably Fast, who was off at 7-2 with Tiago Periera, paid $2.60 to show while finishing 2 ¾ lengths in front of Loud Mouth.

Fractions on the race were 22.62, 45.16 and 56.99.

Sponsored by the CTBA, the Thor's Echo is part of the lucrative Golden State Series for eligible California-bred or sired horses.

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High-Priced Cezanne Leaves Big Impression In Kona Gold

Purchased for a whopping $3,650,000 at age two and idle since Aug. 1, Bob Baffert's Cezanne came back to the races in a massive way on Sunday at Santa Anita in Arcadia, Calif., as he rallied into a blistering pace and came away with a 9 ¾-length victory over odds-on favorite Brickyard Ride. With leading man Flavien Prat picking up his fourth win on the day and his second stakes score, Cezanne, a 4-year-old colt by Curlin, smoked home in 1:14.71 for 6 ½ furlongs.

Taken in-hand out of the gate while stablemate Ax Man chased Brickyard Ride, Cezanne was next to last in a field of four at the rail and moved into contention around the far turn while well within himself. With Prat sitting motionless to the five sixteenths pole, Cezanne fairly sailed by Brickyard Ride turning for home and won in sensational fashion as Baffert picked up his second win on the day.

“It worked out well,” said Prat, who has now ridden Cezanne in all four of his starts, winning three times. “We had a fast pace in front of us and we were able to save ground. He gave me a good kick when I asked him. He ran really nice.”

Fourth in the two turn Shared Belief Stakes at Del Mar Aug. 1, Cezanne, in his second career stakes assignment, was the second choice at 9-5 and paid $5.80 and $2.40 with no show wagering.

“We knew there was going to be a hot pace,” said Jimmy Barnes, assistant to Baffert, who also collected his fourth Kona Gold win today. “Not sure how fast, but it ended up being fast, and you know Cezanne just ate them up. (Prat) gave him a wonderful ride and Bob had him ready…With the races coming up this spring and summer, we should be looking really good with Cezanne.”

Owned by Mrs. John Magnier, Michael B. Tabor, Derrick Smith and St. Elias Stable, Cezanne, who is out of the Bernardini mare Achieving, now has three wins from four starts and with the winner's take of $60,000, increased his earnings to $123,000.

Brickyard Ride, who set similarly fast splits in winning the Grade II, seven furlong San Carlos Stakes here on March 6, was unable to notch his third consecutive stakes win, but stayed gamely for the place, finishing 1 ¼ lengths better than Fight On, while Ax Man checked in last.

Ridden by Alexis Centeno, Brickyard Ride, the lone Cal-bred in the field of four 3-year-olds and up was off at 3-5 and paid $2.20 to show.

Fraction on the race were 21.18, 43.60 and 1:08.27.

With a training double, Baffert has 32 wins through 50 racing days, two better than Phil D'Amato. Prat, who also won the Grade 3 Tokyo City Cup earlier with Tizamagician, now has 89 wins, 38 clear of Juan Hernandez. Prat's 16 stakes wins put him six in front of Umberto Rispoli.

Racing resumes with first post time for a nine-race card on Friday at 1 p.m.

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Cal-Bred Brickyard Ride Tops Short Field In Kona Gold Stakes

Fresh off the best race of his career, the Craig Lewis-trained Brickyard Ride, along with Bob Baffert's multiple stakes winning Ax Man, head Sunday's Grade 3, $100,000 Kona Gold Stakes at Santa Anita. Named for the winner of the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Sprint and Eclipse Champion Sprinter of the year 2000, the Kona Gold has attracted four 3-year-olds and up going 6 ½ furlongs over the Santa Anita main track.

A 4-year-old California-bred colt by red-hot sire Clubhouse Ride, Brickyard Ride is owned by his breeder, Alfred Pais. A gate to wire winner of both the six furlong California Cup Sprint on Jan. 16 and the Grade 2 San Carlos Stakes going seven furlongs on March 6, Brickyard Ride has won four out of his last five starts since being paired with apprentice Alexis Centeno, dating back to a gate to wire allowance win going six furlongs here on Sept. 27.

“He's blessed with a lot of natural speed (and) obviously, he's learning how to relax,” said Lewis following the San Carlos, which was Brickyard Ride's first try in graded stakes competition. “He's maturing, he's a big powerful horse. He reached for (more) ground like a horse that could run forever. He's starting to look like he could be the goods.”

A four-length winner of the San Carlos, Brickyard Ride, the lone Cal-bred in the field, earned a career-best 100 Beyer Speed figure, which narrowly topped his Cal Cup Sprint Beyer of 99. Out of the Southern Image mare Brickyard Helen, Brickyard Ride, who cuts back in distance a sixteenth of a mile, will be bidding for his third consecutive stakes win and his eighth victory from 14 lifetime starts which have produced earnings of $380,277.

Ridden for the first time by Edwin Maldonado, the Hal and Patti Earnhardt homebred Ax Man went to the front and never looked back in an impressive 4 ½ length win in the ungraded Santana Mile on March 28.

“I was very confident turning for home,” said Maldonado, who is well respected for his ability to get the best out of front-running horses. “I gave him a couple reminders, but he knows what he's doing…Bob told me to put him on the lead and it's not like I don't like to be on the lead, right? The rest of it was very simple, put him on the lead and he did the rest.”

Although Ax Man, a 6-year-old Kentucky-bred gelding, is shortening up from a big effort going two turns, it can be expected that Maldonado will employ similar tactics, as conceding the early advantage to Brickyard Ride would likely be an ill-advised strategy.

A non-threatening fourth as the 3-1 favorite two starts back in the Grade 3 Palos Verdes Stakes at six furlongs on Jan. 23, Ax Man, who is out of the Flying Chevron mare Shameful, earned a 95 Beyer in winning the Santana Mile, his second career stakes win. With an overall mark of 16-7-0-3, he has earnings of $357,797.

THE GRADE 3 KONA GOLD WITH JOCKEYS & WEIGHTS IN POST POSITION ORDER

Race 8 of 9 Approximate post time 4:30 p.m. PT

Cezanne—Flavien Prat—122
Fight On—Umberto Rispoli—124
Ax Man—Edwin Maldonado–124
Brickyard Ride—Alexis Centeno—126

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Brickyard Ride Gives Rider Alexis Centeno First Graded Victory In San Carlos

Fresh off a huge win versus California-breds, Alfred Pais's homebred Brickyard Ride made short work of open company in Saturday's Grade 2, $200,000 San Carlos Stakes at Santa Anita in Arcadia, Calif., as he made every pole a winning one in covering seven furlongs in 1:21.51. Ridden by apprentice Alexis Centeno and trained by Craig Lewis, Brickyard Ride, a 4-year-old colt by top California-based stallion Clubhouse Ride, was never threatened as he won by four lengths.

Breaking like a shot from post position six in a field of nine, Brickyard Ride outfooted 2019 Breeders' Cup Juvenile winner Storm the Court while under restraint in the early running and was merely a chestnut blur around the far turn. With just three taps of the stick to keep him focused, Brickyard Ride cruised to the wire, where he received a congratulatory pat on the right shoulder from Centeno, who celebrated his first-ever graded stakes victory.

“Well, speed kills and he killed today, with his speed,” said Lewis, who also trained Clubhouse Ride. “He's blessed with a lot of natural speed obviously, he's learning how to relax. He's maturing, he's a big powerful horse. He reached for (more) ground like a horse that could run forever. He's starting to look like he could be the goods.”

A 3 ¼ length winner of the six-furlong Don Valpredo Cal Cup Sprint on Jan. 16, Brickyard Ride was off at 5-1, a considerable overlay off of his morning line of 3-1, and paid $12.00, $5.40 and $4.20.

“This is of big significance to me,” said Centeno, a 27-year-old Puerto Rican native. “Craig Lewis gave me the opportunity to work this horse and since I've been on him, he's run well for me and he's comfortable with me.”

Out of the Southern Image mare Brickyard Helen, Brickyard Ride collected his first graded stakes win and his seventh overall victory from 13 starts. With the winner's share of $120,000, he increased his earnings to $380,277.

Fellow Cal-bred Tigre Di Slugo, who was second to the winner in the Cal Cup Sprint, rallied well for second today, finishing a nose better than Exaulted. The 5-2 favorite with Joel Rosario, Tigre Di Slugo paid $3.80 and $2.80.

Ridden by Mike Smith, Exaulted was off at 6-1 and paid $3.40 to show.

Fractions on the race were 21.63, 43.93 and 1:08.49.

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