drayden van dyke | Horse Racing Free Tips

Van Dyke, Rispoli Handed Days Over Repeated Whip Use Infractions

California riders Drayden Van Dyke and Umberto Rispoli will each be serving three-day suspensions for repeatedly violating new whip rules in the state. Both riders have been fined for previous whip rule violations, which now prohibit jockeys from hitting horses overhanded, hitting more than six times in a race, or hitting more than two times in succession.

Rispoli will serve his days Jan. 16, 17, and 18 for the latest offense in the fifth race at Santa Anita on Jan. 8. Van Dyke will serve his days Jan. 17, 18, and 22 after violating the rules in the third race the following day.

It is the fourth offense related to whip use in 60 days for both riders.

Jockeys at Santa Anita have spoken out against the rules, which were approved by the California Horse Racing Board in late 2020. Hall of Famer Mike Smith took up for his fellow riders, raising questions about the safety of under-handed whip use and also voicing concerns about the fairness of whip limitations to horseplayers.

Read Smith's open letter to the CHRB on the issue here.

Charmaine’s Mia Takes Las Cienegas In Southern California Debut

Headquartered in Toronto, Canada, since mid-summer, Agave Racing Stable's Charmaine's Mia came to play on Saturday at Santa Anita, as she opened up around the far turn and was never challenged thereafter in registering an impressive 2 ½ length tally in the Grade 3, $100,000 Las Cienegas Stakes. Ridden by Drayden Van Dyke and trained by Phil D'Amato, Charmaine's Mia got six furlongs in 1:07.81 on the Arcadia, Calif., track's turf course.

Breaking alertly from her number two post position out of Santa Anita's new turf chute, Charmaine's Mia was immediately head and head with Bohemian Bourbon to her inside, while Superstition tracked a close third while three-deep to the far turn.

From there, Charmaine's Mia put away Bohemian Bourbon and although even money favorite Jolie Olimpica kicked into gear from off the pace late, she never threatened the winner who won with her ears pinned.

“I've never been on her before, but Phil told me she was working lights-out,” said Van Dyke. “She was sitting on a big race, that's all I knew about her. He said 'Play the break wherever you are, and go from there.' She was doing it so easy, she had her ears pricked up and she was enjoying herself, so I wasn't taking anything away from her.

“I knew she was going to show another gear at the top of the lane, if I had any competition behind me that was going to run me down, but I had too much horse for them to catch me. She ran a hell of a race.”

Second in a six-turf furlong turf allowance at Woodbine on Oct. 24, Charmaine's Mia, who notched her first graded stakes win in her fourth try, was off at 16-1 in a field of six and paid $35.40, $9.80 and $6.00.

“I've learned with some of these horses coming in from Woodbine, that because they've got a deeper turf up there, this is their first chance to run over a firm turf and sometimes, they just float over it and she did just that,” said D'Amato, who's had good success with horses coming from Woodbine over the past several years. “She had trained phenomenally well on the training track here. I haven't had a horse get over this training track this well since (multiple Grade 1 winner) Obviously.”

A 5-year-old Kentucky-bred mare by The Factor, out of the Bernstein mare Charming Vixen, Charmaine's Mia posted her fifth win from 26 starts and with the winner's share of $60,000, increased her earnings to $232,976.

Brazilian-bred Jolie Olimpica, who won last year's Las Cienegas and had been idle since July 11, didn't show her customary zip but rallied from fifth to be second by a half length over Lighthouse. Ridden by Mike Smith, Jolie Olimpica paid $2.80 and $2.40.

Although she finished third, Lighthouse, who was ridden by Umberto Rispoli, was disqualified for interference shortly before the horses came out of the chute, causing Oleksandra to clip heels, unseating Joel Rosario. (Oleksandra finished the race in good order while rider-less and although he was forced to miss the last race on the card, Rosario was on his feet immediately and checked out okay at the track's First Aid station).

As a result of the disqualification, Superstition, who was ridden by Flavien Prat, became the official third place finisher and paid $3.20 to show.

Fractions on the race were 21.58, 43.80 and 55.63.

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Baffert Runners Take Top Two Spots In Starlet But Third Entry, Heavy Favorite Princess Noor, Is Pulled Up

Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert and jockey Drayden Van Dyke teamed to win the Grade 1, $300,000 Starlet for a fourth consecutive year Saturday with 17-1 shot Varda at Los Alamitos race course in Cypress, Calif.

Baffert, however, wasn't in a mood to immediately celebrate the success in the final Grade 1 of the year for 2-year-old fillies.

He was concerned about the well being of Princess Noor, the 3-5 favorite who was pulled up early in the stretch by jockey Victor Espinoza.

After tracking the early pace of stablemate Kalypso, the daughter of Not This Time, a $1.35 million purchase earlier this year for Zedan Racing Stables, Inc., had breezed to the lead at the head of the long stretch and looked primed to draw away from her four rivals.

However, Princess Noor was guided towards the outside rail by jockey Victor Espinoza and pulled up. She walked into the van under her own power and was taken back to the Baffert stable to be examined.

“(Espinoza) said he pulled her up right away,'' said Baffert. “He said it didn't look real bad. It was her left front. We're going to take her back to the barn and have her X-rayed to see what the deal is. I can't believe it. She was running so easy.

“(Varda) had been working really well and she looked like the kind of filly that the farther the better with her, so that's why we've been waiting and waiting with her. I'm so upset (about Princess Noor) it's hard to focus.''

About 30 minutes after the race, Baffert told Daily Racing Form's Steve Andersen X-rays revealed there were no fractures. “It's soft tissue,'' he said. I don't know if she hit herself. She'll be fine. She didn't break anything.''

A $700,000 purchase at the OBS April sale, Varda is owned by Baoma Corp., which also campaigned Bast.

A daughter of Distorted Humor and the Sky Mesa mare She'll Be Right, Varda trailed early while kept outside by Van Dyke, drew alongside Kalypso with about a sixteenth of a mile and pulled clear late to win by 1 ½ lengths.

The victory was the second in three starts for the New York-bred and pushed her earnings to $254,500. She paid $37.80, $8.40 and $5.80 as the second longest shot in the field. Kalypso, who had a 2 ½ length lead with an eighth of a mile to run after Princess Noor was pulled up, returned $7.80 and $7.40 while finishing four lengths clear of 25-1 shot Nasreddine. Astute, the 13-10 second choice, was fourth, her first loss after beginning her career with a pair of sprint wins for Hall of Fame trainer Richard Mandella.

“She always tries hard,'' said Van Dyke of the winner. “She broke well and we just waited. She needed every bit of that long stretch.''

Van Dyke's previous three wins with Baffert in the Starlet had come with Dream Tree (2017), Chasing Yesterday (2018) and Bast (2019).

Racing resumes Sunday at Los Alamitos. Post time is 12:30 p.m.

The main event is the $100,000 Bayakoa, a Grade 3 for fillies and mares – 3-year-olds and up – at 1 1/16 miles. The Bayakoa will go as the fifth race on the program with a scheduled post time of 2:28 p.m.

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‘It’s Gonna Be A Big Hit’: Santa Anita’s New Turf Chute Gets Rave Reviews

On a stunningly beautiful Monday morning, Santa Anita's all-new turf chute, which parallels the track's seven furlong main track chute, was put to the test as a pair of horses broke from the starting gate at a 6 ½ furlong setting and transitioned across the main track and back to the turf course “proper” with aplomb.

Trainer Vladimir Cerin's Lady Noguez, ridden by Umberto Rispoli and Neil Drysdale's Cosmo, with Flavien Prat up, were allowed to run up the backstretch prior to being pulled up as they headed to the far turn.

“What a beautiful addition,” said Prat. “This new chute is fantastic and it's in a great place. Both of the horses handled the dirt crossing with no problem at all and I can't wait to start riding races over this in the afternoons.”

Rispoli was likewise ecstatic regarding the promise of Santa Anita's newest addition.

“It's perfect, there's a slight bend to the right coming out of the gate and then you've got a nice run to the dirt crossing,” he said. “This gives us a lot of options with the kinds of races we can run and I think everybody is going to want to get their horses on it. They've done a great job getting this ready for opening day and I really think it's going to provide some great racing.”

Designed by track consultant Dennis Moore and “green lighted” by Santa Anita's Chief Operating Officer, Aidan Butler, the turf chute project was undertaken on Aug. 17 and involved removal of blacktop and extensive excavation in order to get the running surface elevated and compacted to the level of the main track, which it intersects at approximately the three quarter pole.

“This is a great step forward,” said Moore. “I wanted everything to go just like it did this morning. Those two horses crossed the dirt here with no problem.”

“It's really, really cool to see all of this hard work come together,” said Butler, who will be jetting to Gulfstream Park tomorrow morning to oversee racing operations there. “It looks terrific and this new chute really solidifies our turf offerings here at Santa Anita. It was designed to stand the test of time and here's hoping it's here for many years to come.”

Retired Hall of Fame jockey Gary Stevens, who is now involved in racehorse ownership and is one of America's most highly respected racing analysts on Fox Sports 1, was also on-hand for this morning's demonstration.

“This provides a totally new component to our turf arsenal,” said Stevens. “I actually got a little choked up watching those horses cross the dirt because it reminds me of the downhill crossing and all the races I rode here. I think it's gonna be a big hit. I know I'd sure like to ride it.”

Two other jockeys of note, Hall of Famer Mike Smith and budding star Drayden Van Dyke, joined Stevens on the inside rail.

“It looks really good,” said Smith. “Same as with the downhill, I think Jay (Slender) will load 'em from the outside in, with that little bend to the right.”

“I think everybody was interested in how those horses would handle crossing the dirt, and they did it with no problem,” said Van Dyke. “This is great news for everybody.”

The turf chute, which is 80 feet wide and approximately 800 feet long, will accommodate sprint races at distances of six and 6 ½ furlongs, while Santa Anita's traditional Camino Real Hillside Course will continue to be available to horses running distances of a mile and a quarter and up.

To view this morning's turf chute demonstration, please click here.

While the public will not be admitted for live racing due to the continuing Covid-19 pandemic, fans are encouraged to follow Santa Anita's live racing via XpressBet.com and 1stBet.com. For more information regarding Santa Anita's upcoming Winter/Spring Meet, including post times, please visit santaanita.com or call (626) 574-RACE.

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