Tag: fighting mad
Harvest Moon Shines In ‘Win And You’re In’ Zenyatta Stakes
The lone 3-year-old in the field, trainer Simon Callaghan's Harvest Moon stalked heavily favored Fighting Mad early and took charge turning for home en route to a rousing three-quarter length score in Sunday's Grade 2, $200,000 Zenyatta Stakes at Santa Anita in Arcadia, Calif. The Zenyatta is a pivotal steppingstone to the G1 Breeders' Cup Distaff at Keeneland on Nov. 7.
With Bob Baffert-trained Fighting Mad, a recent gate to wire G1 winner going to the early lead as expected, Harvest Moon fell into a perfect stalking trip from her number three post in a field of four fillies and mares. Lapped just outside the favorite in the run up the backstretch, Harvest Moon glided alongside Fighting Mad mid-way around the far turn and held Hard Not to Love safe late for the win.
“We thought Fighting Mad would go to the lead and we wanted to keep pressure on her,” said jockey Flavien Prat, who has now guided Harvest Moon to four consecutive wins. “My filly had never been a mile and a sixteenth, but Fighting Mad was carrying 126 pounds. You never know with a 3-year-old against older, but we got eight pounds, so that was good. It turned out this was a good distance for my filly and she really ran well.”
A 1 1/4-length winner of the G3 Torrey Pines stakes versus sophomore fillies going one mile on Aug. 22 at Del Mar, Harvest Moon was the third betting choice at 7-2 and paid $9.80 and $5.60 (no show wagering).
“We have been really patient with her early on and that's a credit to Alice (Bamford, breeder and co-owner) and Michael Tabor (co-owner),” said Callaghan. It was said that this filly has a lot of talent and they were so patient throughout the whole process. She took her time to come to hand, but she's come a long way in a short period of time.
Harvest Moon was under consideration to run against 3-year-old fillies in the G2 Black-Eyed Susan Stakes Preakness weekend at Pimlico, but Callaghan opted to keep the filly in Southern California.
“(Running in the Zenyatta) certainly looks like a good decision now. Myself and Alice, along with everyone else, chatted and we felt at this stage keeping her here, receiving weight from Fighting Mad, was the right thing.”
A 3-year-old bay filly by Uncle Mo, out of the Shamardal mare Qaraaba (winner of the G3 Robert J. Frankel Stakes for Callaghan and Harvest Moon's owners), Harvest Moon notched her second graded stakes win and her fourth overall win from five starts. With the winner's share of $120,000, Harvest Moon roughly doubled her earnings to $240,720.
“I'm absolutely thrilled today, completely over the moon for Harvest Moon!” said Bamford. “She's a homebred and she's just so deep in my heart and in my family's heart. It was so good to see her so well ridden today, showing off her beautiful stride … We lost her mother this year, Qaraaba, who (was) a stunning, stunning filly and each time I tell her, 'Harvest Moon, go and do it for your Mama.' And she has.”
The actual second choice in the race at 7-2, Hard Not to Love was a close third throughout and edged by the favorite late by three quarters of a length for second money while returning $5.60 to place with Mike Smith up.
Fractions on the race were 23.37, 46.51, 1:10.21 and 1:36.11.
Named for the legendary mare that remained unbeaten and became the only distaffer to ever beat the boys in the Breeders' Cup Classic by taking the 2009 running at Santa Anita, Zenyatta would then became Horse of the Year in 2010 for owners Jerry and Ann Moss and trainer John Shirreffs. The Zenyatta is a Breeders' Cup “Win and You're In” Challenge Race qualifier to the G1 Breeders' Cup Distaff at Keeneland Nov. 7.
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Fighting Mad Looks to Extend Hot Streak in Zenyatta
Fighting Mad (New Year’s Day) looks to score her third straight victory and stamp her ticket to the GI Breeders’ Cup Distaff in Sunday’s GII Zenyatta S. at Santa Anita. Placed on the shelf after winning the GIII Torrey Pines S. in August of 2019, the West homebred crossed the line third, but was disqualified and placed fourth when making her return in the GIII Desert Stormer S. in May. A decisive winner of the GII Santa Maria S. two weeks later, the bay wired the GI Clement L. Hirsch S. at Del Mar Aug. 2.
The 3-year-old Harvest Moon (Uncle Mo) also enters this test on a hot streak and takes on her elders for the first time. Graduating at second asking when switched to the main track July 3, the bay captured an optional claimer next out at Del Mar July 27 and won the GIII Torrey Pines S. Aug. 22.
Closing out her sophomore season with a win in the GI La Brea S. last December, Hard Not to Love (Hard Spun) captured the GII Santa Monica S. Feb. 15 and was second in the GI Beholder Mile Mar. 14. Completing the exacta in the Santa Maria, the ‘TDN Rising Star’ was sixth in the Clement Hirsch.
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Frontrunning Fighting Mad Tops ‘Win And You’re In’ Zenyatta Stakes
An impressive gate to wire winner of her last two starts, the Gary and Mary West homebred Fighting Mad looms a standout in Sunday's Grade 2, $200,000 Zenyatta Stakes at Santa Anita. The Zenyatta, to be contested at a mile and one sixteenth, has attracted a field of five fillies and mares aged three and up.
Trainer Simon Callaghan's Harvest Moon, a 3-year-old daughter of Uncle Mo, has won her last three starts and is an up and comer that will attract considerable pari-mutuel attention. Hard Not to Love, a Grade 1 winner and well accomplished, comes off a dull sixth behind Fighting Mad in the Grade 1 Clement Hirsch at Del Mar and will hope to rebound for trainer John Shirreffs.
Named for the legendary winner of the 2009 Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Classic at Santa Anita who then became Horse of the Year in 2010 for owners Jerry and Ann Moss and trainer John Shirreffs, the Zenyatta is a Breeders' Cup “Win & You're In” Challenge Race qualifier to the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Distaff at Keeneland on Nov. 7.
FIGHTING MAD
Owner: Gary & Mary West
Trainer: Bob Baffert
Ridden aggressively on the lead going a mile and one sixteenth in her last two starts by Abel Cedillo, she took the Grade 2 Santa Maria Stakes by 3 ¼ lengths on May 31 and prevailed by a half length in the Grade 1 Hirsch on Aug. 2. A winner of five out her eight starts, this 4-year-old daughter of New Year's Day is at the top of her game and looms strictly the horse to beat in the Zenyatta.
HARVEST MOON
Owner: Alice Bamford & Michael B. Tabor
Trainer: Simon Callaghan
A one mile maiden winner in her second start on July 20 at Los Alamitos, she then rallied to win a first condition allowance at the same distance by 4 ¼ lengths on July 27 at Del Mar. Off again as the 3-2 favorite, she responded with a solid 1 ¼ length score in the Grade 3, one mile Torrey Pines Stakes Aug. 22 and looms a very legitimate danger on Sunday. With Flavien Prat set to ride for the fourth consecutive time, Harvest, who has won three out of her four races, looms a legitimate threat.
HARD NOT TO LOVE
Owner: Mercedes Stables LLC, West Point Thoroughbreds, Scott Dilworth, Dorothy & David Ingordo, Steve Mooney
Trainer: John Shirreffs
Often quirky in the paddock and on the racetrack due to the fact she only has the use of one eye, Hard Not to Love will try to bounce back from a 13 ¼ length drubbing at the hands of Fighting Mad in the Aug. 2 Clement Hirsch. Second, beaten 3 ¼ lengths by Fighting Mad two starts back in the Grade 2 Santa Maria, Hard Not to Love, a 4-year-old Ontario, Canadian-bred filly by Hard Spun is winless in three two turn starts since taking the Grade 2, seven furlong Santa Monica Stakes on Feb. 15.
THE GRADE 2 ZENYATTA STAKES WITH JOCKEYS & WEIGHTS IN POST POSITION ORDER
Race 4 of 11 Approximate post time 2 p.m. PT
- Fighting Mad—Luis Saez—126
- Proud Emma—Ricardo Gonzalez—122
- Harvest Moon—Flavien Prat—118
- Hang a Star—Tyler Baze—122
- Hard Not to Love—Mike Smith—122
First post time for an 11-race card on Sunday is at 12:30 p.m. Although there is no public admittance, Santa Anita's races can be viewed free of charge via the track's livestream video at santaanita.com
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