chandelier stakes | Horse Racing Free Tips

Elm Drive Cruises to Angels Flight Victory

Elm Drive took command of the Angels Flight S. and never looked like anything but the winner in an eye-catching 3-year-old bow reminiscent of her early juvenile form.

As brilliant as she was on unveiling June 26 at Los Alamitos, where she dominated a five furlong field of maidens by eight easy lengths, and then a head victorious in Del Mar's GII Sorrento S. Aug. 6 over eventual GISW Eda (Munnings), she was as uncharacteristically dull in her prior two starts. Eased to a distant seventh in the GI Del Mar Debutante Sept. 5 and last Oct. 10 in the 1 1/16m GII Chandelier S. at the Great Race Place, Elm Drive wasn't seen again until this return to one turn contests.

With the scratch of old foe Eda, overcoming a bumper car start to speed to the lead was a breeze; the 2-1 co-second choice had everything her own way as she cruised through a :23.59 opening quarter and a :46.66 half. The big white blaze emerged first into the lane, three on top and going well, and Elm Drive comfortably held off a late rally by Kirstenbosch (Midnight Lute).

“She broke sharp and just showed she was in command every step of the way and a had a little extra to kick away in the stretch,” said trainer Philip D'Amato, the current leader in trainer standings with 38 wins and one more than Bob Baffert for the lead in stakes victories, with 12. “I'm very happy with her comeback. Seven eighths is a tricky distance to win at off the bench and I'm glad we did it. I think she'll get a lot out of this race.”

Elm Drive is her dam's second black-type runner and fifth winner from five older offspring to survive. The mare has a yearling colt by Accelerate and a 2022 colt by Volatile. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

ANGELS FLIGHT S., $79,400, Santa Anita, 5-8, 3yo, f, 7f, 1:23.97, ft.
1–ELM DRIVE, 124, f, 3, by Mohaymen
                1st Dam: Lets Dance Charlie, by Indian Charlie
                2nd Dam: Dance Darling, by Devil's Bag
                3rd Dam: Danzig Darling, by Danzig
($40,000 Ylg '20 OBSOCT; $165,000 2yo '21 OBSMAR). O-Little Red Feather Racing; B-Kenneth D'Oyen (KY); T-Philip D'Amato; J-Ricardo Gonzalez. $47,640. Lifetime Record: GSW, 5-3-0-0, $195,640. *1/2 to Mother of Dragons (First Dude), MSW, $153,995.
2–Kirstenbosch, 120, f, 3, Midnight Lute–Llandudno, by Belong to Me. 1ST BLACK TYPE. O/B-Keith Abrahams (KY); T-John W. Sadler. $15,880.
3–Empire Gal, 120, f, 3, Empire Maker–Double Tapped, by Tapit. 1ST BLACK TYPE. O-Bridlewood Farm and Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners; B-Bridlewood Farm (FL); T-Michael W. McCarthy. $9,528.
Margins: 2 1/4, 2 3/4, 1HF. Odds: 2.00, 2.00, 1.80.
Also Ran: Unsolved Mystery, Classical Romance. Scratched: Eda.

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Into Mischief Filly Makes It Look Easy In Chandelier Stakes; Juvenile Fillies Next Stop

With favored Grace Adler in deep water around the far turn, trainer Phil D'Amato's Ain't Easy was running comfortably on the lead and was never threatened en route to a 4 ¾-length score in the Grade 2, $200,000 Chandelier Stakes at Santa Anita in Arcadia, Calif. Ridden by Joel Rosario, Ain't Easy got a mile and one sixteenth in 1:45.20.

A Breeders' Cup “Win & You're In” Challenge Race qualifier, Ain't Easy will get a fees-paid berth into the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies on Nov. 5 at Del Mar.

Breaking sharply from post position two, Ain't Easy was a bit keen around the Club House turn as she tucked in a close third behind pacesetter Electric Ride, who she overtook by a half length at the three-furlong marker. Leading by about four lengths at the three sixteenths pole, Ain't Easy won geared down in a most impressive effort.

A first out maiden winner going 5 ½ furlongs with Rosario Aug. 21 at Del Mar, Ain't Easy, a daughter of Into Mischief, was off 7-2 and paid $9.00, $4.00 and $3.20.

Owned by Old Bones Racing Stable, LLC, Michael Lombardi and Joey Platts, Ain't Easy, who is out of the Australian-bred mare Ameristralia, picked up $120,000 for the win and now has earnings of $162,000.

“She acted very professional, sitting behind horses,” said D'Amato. “'When Joel (Rosario) wanted to, she came up the inside, which I like to see with a young horse. She just looked like she was having fun in the stretch. I think it set up perfect. A good two-turn experience, confidence booster, an easy win, where it didn't look like she was taxed too much, so I like everything I saw right now.

Ain't Easy was bred in Kentucky by Spendthrift Farm and sold for $400,000 at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale.

Electric Ride, off at 6-1 with Joe Bravo, finished 2 ¼ lengths in front of Desert Dawn and paid $7.00 and $4.80.

Off at 31-1 with Ricky Gonzalez, Desert Dawn paid $7.60 to show.

Grace Adler, off at 4-5, finished a well beaten fifth.

Fractions on the race were 23.56, 47.99, 1:12.16 and 1:37.98.

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Grace Adler Headlines Chandelier

Grace Adler (Curlin) looks to take her record to three-for-three and provide Hall of Famer Bob Baffert with his 12th victory in Santa Anita's GII Chandelier S. Friday, a “Win and You're in Event” for the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies in November. A debut winner at Del Mar July 31, the $700,000 FTKSEL purchase already secured her spot in the gate for the World Championships with a dominant late-running score in the Sept. 5 GI Del Mar Debutante S., which she won by 11 1/4 lengths over Dance to the Music (Maclean's Music). The chestnut did get the perfect set up that day–with a trio of speedsters leading to a pace collapse–but there is enough speed signed on here to give her a similar set up. This is Grace Adler's first try around two turns, but she is bred to run all day and her performance last out over seven furlongs suggested added distance would be no issue. Baffert–whose 12 wins in this event include five of the last nine renewals–also saddles a maiden of three starts in Censorship (Tonalist), who was second to Desert Dawn (Cupid) last out going a mile at Del Mar Aug. 26.

Several flashy first-out winners take on the more accomplished favorite here, including 'TDN Rising Stars' Electric Ride (Daredevil) and Ain't Easy (Into Mischief). Trained by John Sadler, Electric Ride pressed the pace early and blew her rivals away in the lane for an 8 1/2-length graduation in her six-panel unveiling at Del Mar Aug. 28, earning an 85 Beyer Speed Figure. A $400,000 KEESEP acquisition, the Phil D'Amato-trained Ain't Easy bided her time in mid-pack early, circled the field turning for home and charged clear to don cap and gown by 5 1/4 lengths in her sprint debut in SoCal Aug. 21. D'Amato also sends out GII Sorrento S. winner Elm Drive (Mohaymen), who was part of the early pace duel in the Del Mar Debutante and paid the price, fading to seventh.

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Baffert: Improbable ‘Getting Really Good’ While Maximum Security ‘Didn’t Bring His ‘A’ Game’

It was business as usual for Bob Baffert Sunday morning at Santa Anita after the two-time Triple Crown-winning trainer savored victories on Saturday by undefeated Princess Noor and relatively unsung Improbable in Breeders' Cup Challenge Series races at the Arcadia, Calif., track.

Princess Noor proved convincingly she can handle two turns, giving Baffert a record 12th triumph in the Grade 2 Chandelier Stakes at 1 1/16 miles, while Improbable rallied from last to capture the G1 Awesome Again Stakes, vanquishing stablemate and odds-on favorite Maximum Security in the process.

“You're never sure about going two turns, and she was stuck behind horses coming out of the one hole, but she came out of the race really well,” Baffert said of Princess Noor, a $1,350,000 purchase owned by Saudi businessman Amr Zedan who campaigns as Zedan Racing

“She's still doing her thing and it looks like two turns is not going to be a problem for her,” Baffert added.

Princess Noor will likely be the favorite for the G1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies at Keeneland on Nov. 6.

Improbable and Maximum Security are likely headed to the G1 Breeders' Cup Classic on Nov. 7, Improbable earning a fees-paid berth with his Awesome Again victory and Maximum Security winning a similar spot through his triumph in the G1 Pacific Classic at Del Mar.

“Improbable and Max came out really well. I knew there was going to be a lot of pace, and we were going to sit off of it and then let Max run, but he was in between Midcourt and they were just bumping the whole way down the backside.

“They were in a full drive from the half-mile pole, but he didn't bring his A game, and Improbable is getting really good. He's got a lot of Grade 1's on his resume, he's filled out, matured, and Drayden (Van Dyke) rode a great race, just sat back there early on.

“He saw what was happening up front and let them go.”

Next up for Baffert is Saturday's Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Md. Thousand Words worked five furlongs in 1:00.60 Saturday at Churchill Downs towards that goal while Kentucky Derby winner Authentic works there Monday.

“As long as Authentic works good, both horses will ship to Maryland on Tuesday,” Baffert said.

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