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Grade 1 Winner Fighting Mad Retired, To Be Bred To Curlin In 2021

Fighting Mad, a California-based Grade 1 winner, has been retired from racing and will be bred to Hall of Famer Curlin during the 2021 breeding season, Daily Racing Form and BloodHorse report.

The 6-year-old daughter of New Year's Day won five of 10 starts during her on-track career, earning $472,008 as a homebred for Gary and Mary West and trained by Bob Baffert. Her biggest win came last year when she led at every point of call in the Grade 1 Clement L. Hirsch Stakes at Del Mar, which was preceded by a front-running victory in the G2 Santa Maria Stakes at Santa Anita Park.

In 2019, Fighting Mad earned her first career graded stakes win, when she took the G3 Torrey Pines Stakes at Del Mar in gate-to-wire fashion.

Curlin, a 17-year-old son of Smart Strike, stands at Hill 'n' Dale at Xalapa in Paris, Ky., for an advertised fee of $175,000. He is the sire of Preakness Stakes winner Exaggerator, Belmont Stakes winner Palace Malice, Breeders' Cup Classic winner Vino Rosso, and champions Good Magic and Stellar Wind.

Owner Gary West told Bloodhorse that Fighting Mad would be boarded at Dell Ridge Farm in Lexington, Ky.

Read more at Daily Racing Form and BloodHorse.

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Chilean-Bred Sanenus Makes Early Move A Winning One In La Canada

Ridden for the first time by Umberto Rispoli, Chilean-bred Sanenus made what appeared to be a premature move, but instead, the race was over early, as she took command around the far turn en route to an impressive six-length win in Saturday's Grade 3, $200,000 La Canada Stakes at Santa Anita in Arcadia, Calif.

Trained by Michael McCarthy for owner/breeder Matriarca, Sanenus got 1 1/16 miles on a fast track in 1:45.44.

Third, just a half length off of dueling leaders Fighting Mad and Hard Not to Love down the backstretch, Rispoli decided to press the issue heading to the half-mile pole and was large and in charge mid-way around the far turn.

“I've been on her several times in the morning,” said Rispoli. “I knew she was a very good filly. Today, I asked her a bit at the half-mile pole and she responded well. At the top of the stretch, she was looking around and I was just hoping she was going to stay focused. She finished well and I think she has more there.”

A Group 1 winner at age three in her native Chile, Sanenus was most recently third in the G3 Chilukki Stakes at Churchill Downs Nov. 21 and was off at 7-1 today in a field of seven older fillies and mares, returning $17.00, $8.20 and $4.60.

The La Canada marked the first stateside win in her fourth try for McCarthy and with the winner's share of $120,000, Sanenus now has earnings of $219,700. A 5-year-old mare by Scat Daddy out of the Tale of the Cat mare Belgian Chocolate, Saenus now has five wins from 12 career starts.

“Umberto did a great job, he had to niggle a little bit at her to kind of keep her in the game around the first turn,” said McCarthy. I thought she was in a great position up the backside and she went up to engage those fillies leaving the half-mile pole. At the quarter, she had her ears up and I love the way she opened up. The La Canada has a great history and a lot of really nice mares have won this race over the years and this is a nice race to have on her resume.”

Ridden by Mike Smith, Miss Stormy D rallied to be second by a nose over Hard Not to Love and paid $12.00 and $5.80 while off at 14-1.

Hard Not to Love, who was the second choice at 3-1, was done early and finished third, 6 ½ lengths clear of Never Be Enough. Ridden by Ricky Gonzalez, Hard Not to Love paid $3.00 to show.

Fighting Mad, the 4-5 favorite with Abel Cedillo, was also a pace casualty and had no answer for the winner five-sixteenths from home, finishing fifth.

Fractions on the race were 23.30, 46.37, 1:11.28 and 1:38.20.

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Fighting Mad Makes Seasonal Bow in La Canada

Grade I winner Fighting Mad (New Year’s Day) looks to return to winning ways as she kicks off her 5-year-old season Saturday in the GIII La Canada S. at Santa Anita. Starting off last term with a third in the six-panel GIII Desert Stormer S. in May, the homebred scored a decisive victory over the re-opposing Hard Not to Love (Hard Spun) when stretched out to two turns in the GII Santa Maria S. just two weeks later. Capturing the GI Clement L. Hirsch S. next out at Del Mar in August, the bay was third when last seen in the GII Zenyatta S. in Arcadia Sept. 27.

Hard Not to Love, heroine of the 2019 GI La Brea S., captured the GII Santa Monica S. last February and was second in the GI Beholder Mile prior to her second in the Santa Maria. Failing to fire when sixth in the Clement Hirsch, the bay was a close second in the Zenyatta.

Fighting Mad’s stablemate Message (Warrior’s Reward) also makes her seasonal debut here. She was last seen finishing second to Proud Emma (Include) in the GIII Bayakoa S. at Los Alamitos Dec. 6.

The post Fighting Mad Makes Seasonal Bow in La Canada appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Equibase Analysis: Never Be Enough Poised To Upset La Canada

Saturday's running of the Grade 3, $100,000 La Canada Stakes at Santa Anita Park features a field of seven mares, most of which have made their mark in similar stakes recently. Leading the field in terms of career earnings is Hard Not to Love, who won the one-turn Grade 2 Santa Monica Stakes 11 months ago and who has three runner-up finishes in graded stakes since, most recently in the G2 Zenyatta Stakes last fall. Fighting Mad is a two-time G1 winner, having captured the Santa Maria Stakes at Santa Anita last May, as well as the Clement L. Hirsch Stakes last August at Del Mar, both at the distance of the La Canada.

Proud Emma just won the identical G3 Bayakoa Stakes at Los Alamitos last month, with Message finishing second and Miss Stormy D fourth. Never Be Enough is the new face in the older female dirt division, running on conventional dirt for the first time after eight races on turf or all-weather following coming to the U.S. from Great Britain. Sanenus rounds out the field and also appears to fit with these off a runner-up effort in the G3 Chilukki Stakes in November.

Although she has never run a race on a conventional dirt surface, I believe Never Be Enough can run well enough to post the upset in this year's La Canada Stakes. This hard knocking mare leads the field by far in races run in her career (29), having won seven and finishing second in five others, including a four for 10 record in 2020. Shipping from trainer Manuel Badilla's Golden Gate Fields base last fall, Never Be Enough (GB) won the Kathryn Crosby Stakes (111 Equibase Speed Figure) on the turf at Del Mar then two races later was closing strongly late and ended up second in the Robert J. Frankel Stakes, ending up beaten just three-quarters of a length at the end by Mucho Unusual (a grade 1 stakes winner). That 111 figure matches up perfectly with the 112 figures Fighting Mad earned winning the Clement L. Hirsch Stakes and with the 112 figure Hard Not to Love earned when second in the Santa Maria Stakes. As such, if Never Be Enough can transfer her form to the main track, she has every right to run well enough to win this race

Fighting Mad hasn't been seen since finishing third as the prohibitive favorite in the Zenyatta Stakes last September, a disappointing effort which led to her skipping the Breeders' Cup Distaff and taking time off to prepare for her five year old campaign. Prior to that, Fighting Mad led from start to finish and dominated against short five and six horse fields in the Santa Maria Stakes (117 figure) and Clement L. Hirsch Stakes (112 figure). In the La Canada, I expect Fighting Mad to secure the lead at the start and try to control the pace to the finish, which is certainly possible. However, horses like Message, Sanenus and Miss Stormy D may also want the lead or to be very close to the front, which may see Fighting Mad run more like she did in the Zenyatta when passed late in the stretch.

Proud Emma just won the identical Bayakoa Stakes at Los Alamitos with a 104 figure and three races before that won the Tranquility Lake Stakes with a 105 figure. In both races, Proud Emma closed from off the pace so in the La Canada she has a chance to save ground from the rail and close into the pacesetter in the stretch although she would need to improve to get to the 112 figure level it appears the winner of this race will need to earn to win.

Hard Not to Love is certainly a contender but I don't think she can win the La Canada. In three of her four races around two turns she managed second place, but all were in short fields of six or less. The best of those earned a 112 figure when second in the Santa Maria. However, Fighting Mad won that race after leading from the start and that's a more likely scenario in my opinion than Hard Not to Love turning the tables on her foe.

The rest of the La Canada Stakes field, with their best Equibase Speed Figures, is Message (105), Miss Stormy D (111) and Sanenus (97).

Win Contenders, in preference order:
Never Be Enough (GB)
Fighting Mad
Proud Emma

La Canada Stakes – Grade 3
Race 8 at Santa Anita
Saturday, Jan. 9, 2021 – Post Time 6:30 PM E.T.
One Mile and One Sixteenth
Fillies and Mares, Four Years Old and Upward
Purse: $100,000

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