craig lewis | Horse Racing Free Tips

Warren’s Showtime Gives Craig Lewis 1,000th Career Victory In Autumn Miss Stakes

In what amounted to a storybook ending, Benjamin and Sally Warren's homebred Warren's Showtime pinned her ears late and would not be denied en route to a gutty neck victory in Saturday's Grade 3, $100,000 Autumn Miss Stakes at Santa Anita in Arcadia, Calif. Ridden by Flavien Prat, the 3-year-old chestnut daughter of Clubhouse Ride provided trainer Craig Lewis with his 1,000th career victory while getting a flat mile on turf in 1:33.77.

Breaking sharply from her number five post position, Warren's Showtime was immediately taken off the pace while a joint fourth, about six lengths off of pace-setting Quiet Secretary mid-way around the clubhouse turn. Fifth by a similar margin three furlongs out, Warren's Showtime wheeled four-wide at the top of the stretch and, in a resolute effort, overhauled Going to Vegas close home to notch her first graded stakes win while providing Lewis with his career milestone.

“What was going through my mind was she might not get there!” said Lewis. “I've been very fortunate. I've had a lot of great horses in my career. Cutlass Reality…Music Merci…Larry the Legend. I've had multiple other good horses and a lot of great owners. I'm very thankful and feel very fortunate, very grateful to be in this situation.

“Fillies like her (bring me back). There are a lot of bumps in the road. A trainer's life is not all pie and ice cream, but when things like this happen it makes it all worthwhile. The early mornings, the things that go wrong. The difficult situations, but situations like this overcome all the negative involved.”

Most recently a close third at a mile and one eighth on turf in the G1 Del Mar Oaks Aug. 22, Warren's Showtime, who is out of the Warrens' G1 stakes winner Warren's Veneda, was the solid 3-5 favorite in a field of seven sophomore fillies and paid $3.40, $2.60 and $2.20.

“I've been on her in the morning and I was pretty pleased with the way she was going,” said Prat, who had never ridden Warren's Showtime in the afternoon. “She's always running in great races. She definitely deserved a graded stakes (win). She definitely gives you everything. I thought it was a pretty strong pace up front, so I was taking my time and when I asked her to go she responded well.”

The lone California-bred in the field, Warren's Showtime picked up her fifth stakes win and improved her overall mark to 13-6-0-5. With the winner's share of $60,000 she increased her earnings to $520,251.

Attentive to the pace throughout, longshot Going to Vegas ran too good to lose under Mario Gutierrez, as she finished a half length in front of her stablemate Nasty. Trained by Richard Baltas, Going to Vegas was off at 14-1 and paid $8.40 and $3.80.

Second throughout, Nasty got on terms with Quiet Secretary at the quarter pole and made the lead inside the eighth pole, but was third-best on the day. Off at 7-1 with Ricky Gonzalez up, she paid $4.20 to show.

Fractions on the race were 22.50, 45.42, 1:09.69 and 1:21.65.

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Prat Takes Over On Warren’s Showtime For Autumn Miss Stakes

A four-time stakes winner in search of her first graded victory, California-bred Warren's Showtime heads a field of seven sophomore fillies going one mile on turf in Saturday's Grade 3, $100,000 Autumn Miss Stakes at Santa Anita in Arcadia, Calif.

Owned by Ben and Sally Warren and bred by Ben Warren, Warren's Showtime is trained by Craig Lewis and is by red-hot sire Clubhouse Ride, out of the Warrens' G1-winning Warren's Veneda. Most recently a close third in the G1 Del Mar Oaks, Warren's Showtime is the leading money earner in the field with $460,251.

The Jeff Mullins-trained Croughavouke, a sharp recent one mile turf allowance winner, the Simon Callaghan-trained Mind Out, who fetched $850,000 as a yearling, Leonard Powell's French-bred Guitty, who faced colts in the Del Mar Derby and midwestern invader Nasty, who will be making her first start for Richard Baltas, all would appear to have legitimate chances.

WARREN'S SHOWTIME
Owner: Ben & Sally Warren
Trainer: Craig Lewis
Most recently third, beaten 1 1/2 lengths going a mile and one eighth on turf in the G1 Del Mar Oaks Aug. 22, she has been a gem of consistency for her connections, winning three times from seven starts this year while third on three occasions and banking $333,980. In the Oaks at Del Mar, she appeared to have the race in hand under Mike Smith as she made the lead and opened up by one length a furlong out but may have lost her focus late. Ridden in her 11 previous tries by Jorge Velez, she'll get the first-time services of Flavien Prat and will get back to what may be a preferred distance, as she's four for seven at a mile on turf. With three wins from four tries over the Santa Anita grass, she's 12-5-0-5 overall.

CROUGHAVOUKE
Owner: Red Baron's Barn & Rancho Temescal, LLC
Trainer: Jeff Mullins
Highly regarded by Mullins since her arrival from her native Ireland late last year, she's placed in a total of four turf stakes in nine Southern California starts, including a close third in the G3, mile and one eighth Honeymoon three starts back on May 30. Closer to the pace in her one mile turf allowance score on Aug. 29 at Del Mar, she rolled to an impressive three quarter length win as the 2-1 favorite under Umberto Rispoli, who rides back in the Autumn Miss. With an overall mark of 11-2-3-2, Croughavouke seeks her first graded stakes victory on Saturday.

MIND OUT
Owner: Gainesway Stable, LNJ Foxwoods & Andrew Rosen
Trainer: Simon Callaghan
Most recently fourth, beaten three lengths by loose on the lead winner BulletproofOne in the 5 1/2-furlong turf Unzip Me Stakes, this chestnut daughter of Tapit is better suited at one mile on turf and figures to run a huge race on Saturday. A close third to Warren's Showtime in her second career start, the one mile turf Surfer Girl Stakes five starts back on Oct. 6, 2019, Mind Out has the class and running style to spring a mild upset. She'll be ridden for the first time by Drayden Van Dyke.

GUITTY
Owner: Benowitz Family Trust, Madaket Stables, LLC, M. Mathiesen & M. Powell
Trainer: Leonard Powell
A deep closer at any distance, she was far back early going a mile and one eighth on turf in the G2 Del Mar Derby Sept. 6 and finished well to be beaten 5 1/4 lengths. An even seventh two back in the G1 Del Mar Oaks at the same distance Aug. 22, she flew late to be second, beaten three quarter of a length in the G2 San Clemente at one mile on turf July 25. With two wins, both at a mile on turf, from 10 overall starts, Guitty will hope to be rolling from off the pace with top jock Juan Hernandez engaged.

NASTY
Owner: LNJ Foxwoods
Trainer: Richard Baltas
Most recently well beaten as the 7-2 favorite in an ungraded one mile turf stakes running over a yielding course at Indiana Grand Aug. 12, this Kentucky-bred filly by Street Sense had pressed the pace in two previous 1 1/16-mile turf races at Indiana, breaking her maiden by eight lengths on June 18 and taking a second condition allowance by one length on July 13 while favored on both occasions. Previously trained by Brad Cox, she has two wins from five starts and will debut for Baltas while ridden for the first time by Ricky Gonzalez. Out of the Lion Heart mare Valiant Passion, Nasty was purchased for $230,000 as a Keeneland September Yearling.

G3 AUTUMN MISS STAKES WITH JOCKEYS & WEIGHTS IN POST POSITION ORDER

Race 9 of 10 Approximate post time 5 p.m. PT

Mind Out—Drayden Van Dyke—120
Quiet Secretary—Victor Espinoza—120
Nasty—Ricky Gonzalez—120
Guitty—Juan Hernandez—120
Warren's Showtime—Flavien Prat—122
Going to Vegas—Mario Gutierrez–120
Croughavouke—Umberto Rispoli—120

First post time for a 10-race card on Saturday is at 1 p.m. Although there is no public admittance, Santa Anita's races can be viewed free of charge, via livestream video at santaanita.com.

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Son Of Hot California Sire Clubhouse Ride Takes Aim At Snow Chief Stakes

Margot's Boy, yet another son of the “now” California stallion Clubhouse Ride, goes for his fourth straight victory and his first stakes triumph in Saturday's $150,000 Snow Chief Stakes at a mile and an eighth on turf at Santa Anita in Arcadia, Calif.

The race is named for the Eclipse Award winner as champion 3-year-old male of 1986 who retired in 1987 as the all-time California-bred earnings leader with $3,383,210.

He was trained by Mel Stute.

Clubhouse Ride stands at Pete and Evelyn Parrella's 145-acre Legacy Ranch in Clements, California, for $3,500.

Owned and bred by Alfred Pais (pronounced pie-EEZ), Margot's Boy's style is one of catch me if you can. In his last three races, he went to the front and stayed there, although at a mile and one eighth the Snow Chief will mark his longest race yet.

“We'll see how it develops; he doesn't have to be in front,” said Craig Lewis, who also conditioned multiple Grade 2 winner Clubhouse Ride.

“But I prefer to be in front if nobody else wants to be there and if he doesn't have to go too fast.”

Drayden Van Dyke has ridden Margot's Boy in all of his races and will be aboard again Saturday in the Snow Chief, one in the lucrative Golden State Series, this restricted to 3-year-olds.

“I won't have to tell Drayden anything,” Lewis said. “He knows the horse very well. He's a smart rider; I'm sure everything will be fine.

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