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Bezos May Be Ready For Prime Time After Stylish Maiden Win At Santa Anita

Highly regarded Bezos, Triple Crown nominated but late to the party, fought off a stiff challenge from his stablemate Fenway turning for home and promptly asserted his dominance, as he waltzed to a 4 ½ length win in Friday's $61,000 Santa Anita maiden special weight feature at Santa Anita in Arcadia, Calif.

Trained by Bob Baffert and ridden by Flavien Prat, Bezos got a flat mile in 1:37.64.

“We missed the window, we were trying to get him there (Derby trail), but he's a beautiful horse,” said Baffert. “This was good what he did today. Going two turns, that's gonna be his game, so he'll develop. We'll just let him develop on his own now. We're not in a hurry now.

“Fenway… he ran his race, but he's definitely a one-turn horse. I think he'll go a one turn mile.”

Well beaten in his 6 ½ furlong debut at odds of 3-5 on Feb. 7, Bezos was sent from the gate by Prat and traded punches with Fenway on the front end through splits of 22.98, 46.37, 1:10.83 and 1:23.85.

Ridden for the first time by Prat, Bezos was off as the 7-5 favorite in a field of six sophomores and paid $4.80, $2.80 and $2.10.

Purchased for $400,000 as a Keeneland September Yearling, Bezos is owned by SF Racing, LLC, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables, LLC, Stonestreet Stables, LLC, Golconda Stable, Siena Farm, LLC and Robert Masterson, picked up $36,600 for the win. A striking physical specimen, Bezos is by Empire Maker out of the A.P. Indy mare A P Mink.

Ridden by Umberto Rispoli, There Goes Harvard was on the move while 1 ½ lengths off the lead three furlongs out, but never threatened the winner the final quarter mile. Trained by Michael McCarthy, There Goes Harvard was off as the 2-1 second choice and paid $3.20 and $2.20 while finishing 2 ¼ lengths better than Fenway.

Ridden by Mike Smith, Fenway, in his fourth career start, was the third choice at 2-1 and paid $2.40 to show while finishing a half length in front of Vantage Point.

Bezos provided Prat with his third win on the card and in race seven and he would notch his fourth of the day aboard Shes'a Perfectlady — giving him a meet-leading 72 wins, 24 better than runner-up Juan Hernandez.

First post time for a nine-race card on Saturday is at 1 p.m.

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Buzzed-About Bezos Shows Up at Second Asking

6th-Santa Anita, $61,500, Msw, 3-26, 3yo, 1m, 1:37.64, ft, 4 1/2 lengths.
BEZOS (c, 3, Empire Maker–A P Mink, by A.P. Indy) failed to live up to the immense hype when seventh at 3-5 behind 'TDN Rising Star' Dream Shake (Twirling Candy) sprinting here Feb. 7, but he made good on the buzz this time while getting more ground to work with. Shedding the blinkers this time, the handsome bay was off at 7-5 in the field of five. Away well from the rail, Bezos took the lead into the first bend from stablemate Fenway (Into Mischief). He doled out an opening quarter in :22.98, and was passed by Fenway down the backside through a :46.37 half. Bezos took back over entering the lane, and found no new challengers from there to don cap and gown by 4 1/2 lengths. There Goes Harvard (Will Take Charge) completed the exacta. “We missed the window, we were trying to get him there [to the GI Kentucky Derby], but he's a beautiful horse,” said trainer Bob Baffert. “This was good what he did today. Going two turns, that's gonna be his game, so he'll develop. We'll just let him develop on his own now. We're not in a hurry now.” The winner hails from the female family of GSWs Palmeiro (Pleasant Tap), Dynaslew (Dynaformer) and Shotski (Blame). His dam was bred to Competitive Edge for 2021. Sales history: $190,000 Wlg '18 KEENOV; $400,000 Ylg '19 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: 2-1-0-0, $37,100. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.
O-SF Racing LLC, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables LLC, Stonestreet Stables LLC, Golconda Stable, Siena Farm LLC & Robert E. Masterson; B-Grousemont Farm (KY); T-Bob Baffert.

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‘Big, Scopey’ Roman Centurian Aimed At Wood Memorial

Trainer Simon Callaghan said Roman Centurian, bred and co-owned by Don Alberto Stable with Qatar Racing Limited, is likely to make his next start in the Grade 2, $750,000 Wood Memorial presented by Resorts World Casino on April 3 at Aqueduct Racetrack.

The Wood Memorial card features the first Grade 1 of 2021 on the NYRA circuit in the $300,000 Carter Handicap, a seven-furlong sprint for older horses. The stakes-laden day also features the $250,000 Gazelle at nine furlongs for sophomore fillies offering 100-40-20-10 Kentucky Oaks qualifying points to the top-four finishers; the $200,000 Bay Shore, a seven-furlong sprint for sophomores; and the $150,000 Excelsior at nine furlongs for older horses.

By Empire Maker and out of the Bernardini mare Spare Change, Roman Centurian finished fourth last out to the victorious Life Is Good in the 1 1/16-mile Grade 2 San Felipe at Santa Anita Park.

The dark bay colt, a $550,000 Keeneland September Yearling Sale purchase, breezed back for the first time Thursday at Santa Anita covering a half-mile in 50.40 seconds.

“I think there's a very good chance that we will ship to New York,” said Callaghan. “He breezed very well yesterday and we were happy. He'll breeze again next week and it's looking more likely that we'll come.”

After a debut fourth sprinting in a maiden event won by Life Is Good in November at Del Mar, Roman Centurian stretched out to 1 1/16-miles for his second-out graduation on Jan. 3 at Santa Anita. He exited that effort to finish a good second in the Grade 2 Robert B. Lewis at Santa Anita, rallying from last-of-6 to miss by a neck to Medina Spirit in the 1 1/16-mile test.

Roman Centurian is currently 33rd on the Kentucky Derby leaderboard with 9 points. Callaghan said a trip to New York for the Wood Memorial, which offers 100-40-20-10 points to the top-four finishers, will suit the improving horse more than a return engagement with Life Is Good in the Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby on April 3.

“Life is Good is looking like a pretty formidable horse right now and I think that the track at Aqueduct will be more to his liking,” said Callaghan. “We've always liked him. He made good progress from his maiden win to running a close second to Medina Spirit.

“I don't think the race set up very well for him last time,” added Callaghan. “We're hoping that with another race under his belt and moving to a track that we think will be more to his liking, that we'll see a good performance to move him forward.”

The Callaghan-trained Firing Line, who was also a runner-up in the Robert B. Lewis, finished second in the 2015 Kentucky Derby. The veteran conditioner, a native of Great Britain who set up his stable in Southern California in 2009, said Roman Centurian should appreciate the added distance in the nine-furlong Wood Memorial.

“He's a big, scopey two-turn kind of horse,” said Callaghan. “I think he's got some progression in him. He's a nice framed horse who is going to strengthen as the year goes on. We're hoping we can have a good 3-year-old year with him.”

A winner with 2-of-3 starters at the Big A, Callaghan scored with Taris in the 2015 Grade 3 Go for Wand and with Out of The Flames in the 2018 Mizdirection. He sent out Americanize to finish fourth in the 2017 Grade 1 Cigar Mile.

Callaghan said a local rider is likely to pick up the Wood mount aboard Roman Centurian.

A probable list of Wood Memorial contenders includes Brooklyn Strong (Daniel Velazquez), Crowded Trade (Chad Brown), Dynamic One (Todd Pletcher), Nicky the Vest (Jonathan Thomas), Overtook (Pletcher), Risk Taking (Brown), and Weyburn (Jimmy Jerkens). Also under consideration are Prevalence (Brendan Walsh) and Rombauer (Michael McCarthy).

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Friday’s Insights: Centennial Debuts Empire Maker Colt

Sponsored by Alex Nichols Agency

5th-Aqueduct, $80K, Msw, 3yo, 6f, post time: 3:25 p.m. ET
ROYAL REALM (Empire Maker) gets his career underway for Centennial Farms and trainer Jimmy Jerkens. A $250,000 Keeneland September acquisiton, the Triple Crown-nominated dark bay is out of an unraced daughter of Golden Sheba (Coronado's Quest), the dam of Godolphin's two-time GISW Wedding Toast (Street Sense), whose son Ya Hayati (Dubawi {Ire}) won the Listed Zabeel Turf at Meydan last month. The colt's third dam includes the recently deceased MGISW Congaree (Arazi) and SW/GISP Sangaree (Awesome Again). TJCIS PPs

A Frosted Firster for the Williamsons…
6th-Santa Anita, $61K, Msw, 3yo, 6f, post time: 6:12 p.m. ET
MARZANNA (Frosted) makes her first trip to the races in the orange-and-yellow colors of her breeder Williamson Racing LLC. The gray is out of Cal-bred SW Excessive Blend (In Excess {Ire}), a daughter of GSW Blending Element (Ire) (Great Commotion), whose other produce include GSW Tiz Elemental (Cee's Tizzy); former 'TDN Rising Star' and GSW Texas Ryano (Curlin); SW & GSP Holladay Road (Street Cry {Ire}); and SW Tiz A Blend (Cee's Tizzy). Just Distorted (Distorted Humor) cost Tommy Town Thoroughbreds $400,000 at KEESEP in 2019 and is out of a Smart Strike half-sister to multiple Canadian GSW Seductively (Thunder Gulch), GSP Pulling G's (Curlin) and MSP Prophetically (Pulpit). TJCIS PPs

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