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Charmaine’s Mia Bids For Third Consecutive Santa Anita Stakes Win In Royal Heroine

Fresh off of a pair of dominating turf wins, trainer Phil D'Amato's Charmaine's Mia heads a solid field of eight older fillies and mares going one mile on turf in Saturday's Grade 2, $200,000 Royal Heroine Stakes at Santa Anita in Arcadia, Calif.

First post time for a blockbuster 12-race card on Runhappy Santa Anita Derby Day, Saturday, is at 12 noon PT.

Previously headquartered at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Charmaine's Mia, in her first start for D'Amato was a rousing 2 ½-length winner of the G3 Las Cienegas Stakes going six furlongs on turf Jan. 9 while dismissed at odds of 16-1.

In her first-ever try at two turns, she pressed a fast early pace and went on register an emphatic one-length win going one mile on turf in the G2 Buena Vista Stakes Feb. 20. Ridden for the first time by Flavien Prat, Charmaine's Mia was off as the 6-5 favorite and never looked a loser, as she opened up turning for home and won easily while remaining well in front of the gallop out around the clubhouse turn.

Owned by Agave Racing Stable and Rockin Robin Racing Stables, Charmaine's Mia is a 5-year-old mare by top sprinter The Factor out of the Bernstein mare Charming Vixen. With Prat riding her back, she figures to be a short price to annex her third consecutive stakes win and improve upon an overall mark of 27-6-4-2.

Trained by Craig Lewis, Ben and Sally Warren's homebred Warren's Showtime has been a gem of consistency, compiling an overall mark of 17-6-1-8 while amassing earnings of $593,431. Patiently handled by Juan Hernandez in the G2 Buena Vista, she found her best stride late while finishing third, beaten 1 ¾ lengths by Charmaine's Mia.

A 4-year-old California-bred filly by red-hot sire Clubhouse Ride out of the G1 winning Affirmative mare Warren's Veneda, Warren's Showtime, a winner five starts back of the G3 Autumn Miss Stakes at one mile on turf Oct. 17, will hope to be on the move late and if someone can soften up the top selection early, she could make the Royal Heroine finish very close indeed.

Scratched out of Saturday's G3 Santa Ana Stakes to run in the Royal Heroine, LNJ Foxwoods' homebred Tapwater comes off a solid neck victory in a one mile turf allowance and will be trying stakes competition of the first time. Trained by Richard Mandella, Tapwater has three wins from eight starts, with all of her wins coming at one mile on turf and in partnership with Flavien Prat. With Prat opting to stay with Charmaine's Mia, Tapwater will get the services of Mike Smith.

A 5-year-old Kentucky-bred mare by Tapit out of the Indian Charlie mare Fiji Moon, Tapwater earned a career-best 90 Beyer Speed figure in her Feb. 12 allowance score and appears to be coming to her best for Mandella.

GRADE II ROYAL HEROINE STAKES WITH JOCKEYS & WEIGHTS
IN POST POSITION ORDER

Race 9 of 12 Approximate post time 4:00 p.m. PT

Dogtag—Umberto Rispoli–120
Tapwater—Mike Smith—122
Charmaine's Mia—Flavien Prat—124
Warren's Showtime—Juan Hernandez—122
Raymundo's Secret—John Velazquez—122
Laura's Light—Abel Cedillo—122
Rideforthecause—Mario Gutierrez—122
Ippodamia's Girl—Jose Valdivia, Jr.–120

Special early first post time for a 12-race Runhappy Santa Anita Derby Day card on Saturday is at 12 noon PT. For additional information, please visit santaanita.com, or call (626) 574-RACE.

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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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California’s Reigning Horse Of The Year, Muco Unusual Headlines Saturday’s Santa Ana Stakes

George Krikorian's multiple graded stakes winning homebred Mucho Unusual heads a solid field of eight older fillies and mares going a mile and one quarter on turf in Saturday's Grade 3, $100,000 Santa Ana Stakes at Santa Anita.

Voted California-bred Horse of the Year for 2020 by the CTBA, Mucho Unusual will be tackling sharp recent allowance winner Tapwater, promising French-bred Neige Blanche, Irish-bred Red Lark and long-fused French-bred Altea in what shapes up as a terrific betting race.

A two-time graded stakes winner at the current meeting for trainer Tim Yakteen, Mucho Unusual, a 5-year-old mare by Mucho Macho Man, out of the Unusual Heat mare Not Unusual, comes off a solid second going one mile on turf behind rising star Charmaine's Mia in the Grade 2 Buena Vista on Feb. 20 and will appreciate the additional quarter mile on Saturday.

A winner of the Grade 1 Rodeo Drive Stakes at a mile and one quarter on turf five starts back here on Sept. 26, Mucho Unusual also has a second place finish at the trip from three overall tries. Ridden by four different jockeys in her last four races, she'll handled by leading man Flavien Prat. The leading money earner in the field with $862,715, Mucho Unusual, a four-time graded stakes winner, has an overall mark of 20-7-4-4.

Trained by Richard Mandella, Tapwater, in her first start since Oct. 16, stalked the early pace and prevailed by a neck under Prat in a one mile turf allowance here on Feb. 12. Lightly raced, this 5-year-old LNJ Foxwoods homebred mare by Tapit has won two out of her last five starts, all at one mile on grass. With Prat opting to ride likely favorite Mucho Unusual, Mike Smith takes over as Tapwater tries a mile and one quarter for the first time in what will be her first stakes assignment. With three wins and two seconds from eight overall starts, she has earnings of $142,940.

One of two Leonard Powell-trained entrants, Neige Blanche has been idle since well beaten in the Grade 1 American Oaks at 1 ¼ miles on turf Dec. 26. A handy Group 3 winner going 1 3/8 miles on turf in her final French start on June 6, 2020, she showed ample promise in her first two stateside appearances, a close fourth in the Grade 1 Del Mar Oaks Aug. 22 and a third place finish in the Grade 1 Belmont Oaks Sept. 19.

A maiden victress going a mile and one quarter on synthetic in her second start at age two, Neige Blanche is proven at the distance and would appreciate a fast pace when ridden for the first time by Juan Hernandez on Saturday. Owned by Madaket Stables, LLC, Laura DeSeroux, Marsh Naify and Mathilde Powell, Neige Blanche, a 4-year-old filly, has three wins from nine career starts.

Trained by Paddy Gallagher and owned by Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, 4-year-old Irish-bred Red Lark comes off an even fifth place finish in the Grade 2 Buena Vista Feb. 20. An upset winner of the Grade 1 Del Mar Oaks four starts back, she ran a solid fourth in the Grade 1 American Oaks on opening day and is another who would benefit from a lively pace. Handled in her last seven starts by Drayden Van Dyke, she'll be ridden by Ricky Gonzalez on Saturday.

Winless in five Irish starts, Red Lark has two wins from nine stateside starts as she seeks her second stakes victory in the Santa Ana.

Previously trained by eastern-based Chad Brown, French-bred Altea finished well when beaten 2 ¾ lengths by Mucho Unusual in her first start for Michael McCarthy, the Grade 3, 1 1/8 mile turf Robert J. Frankel Stakes on Dec. 27. Subsequently third going a mile and one half on turf in the Grade 3 Astra Stakes Jan. 17, Altea will be ridden for the third consecutive time by Abel Cedillo and is the only horse shortening up in distance on Saturday.

THE GRADE 3 SANTA ANA STAKES WITH JOCKEYS & WEIGHTS IN POST POSITION ORDER

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

Mucho Unusual—Flavien Prat—124
Silberpfeil—Tyler Baze—122
Going to Vegas—Umberto Rispoli—120
Tapwater—Mike Smith—120
Red Lark—Ricardo Gonzalez—122
Neige Blanche—Juan Hernandez—122
Altea—Abel Cedillo—120
Colonial Creed—Mario Gutierrez–120

First post time for a nine-race card on Saturday is at 1 p.m. All of Santa Anita's races are offered free of charge at santaanita.com/live and fans can wager at 1st.com/bet. For additional information, please visit santaanita.com or call (626) 574-RACE.

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Mandella Has United Fit For Return In 12-Furlong San Luis Rey; Prat Wins Five

Idle roughly five months since running a disappointing eighth in the Breeders' Cup Turf, Richard Mandella's classy turf star United came back running on Saturday at Santa Anita in Arcadia, Calif., as he stalked the early pace and motored to an emphatic three quarter length win in the Grade 3, $100,000 San Luis Rey Stakes. Ridden by Flavien Prat, who notched his fourth win of the day, United, a 6-year-old gelding by Giant's Causeway, got a mile and one half on turf in 2:25.51.

Prat added a fifth win in the following race about Fratelli to extend his lead in the local jockey standings to 20 over Juan Hernandez.

With speedy Acclimate going to the front as expected in the run down the hillside turf, Prat was attentive to the pace and tracked the leader while applying mild pressure to the far turn, where he took over a quarter mile out and outran second choice Masteroffoxhounds from the top of the lane prior to holding off a late run from Say the Word.

“Hat's off to Mr. Mandella, he had him ready to run a mile and one half today,” said Prat, who has now guided him to five graded stakes wins. “He was traveling well the whole way and he responded well when I asked him to go. My horse likes to be in the race and he likes it when there is a good pace. I wanted to stay close to Acclimate, I didn't want him to get too easy of a lead.

“Like I say, we were traveling well and at the three eighths pole, I was in control. He likes the turf courses out here and with the Breeders' Cup at Del Mar, that's good. Hoping to have a good year.”

Heavily favored at 4-5 in a field of five older horses, United paid $3.80, $2.60 and $2.10.

“It's always nice to be home,” said Mandella. “He's won very nicely at Del Mar also, although we like The Great Race Place.”

Owned by LNJ Foxwoods, United, who is out of Indy Punch, by Pulling Punches, now has five wins from 10 starts over the Santa Anita turf and his overall mark stands at 18-8-4-1. With the winner's share of $60,000, he now has earnings of $1,513,549.

Patiently handled by Mike Smith, Say the Word made a nice late run, easily besting Masteroffoxhounds by one length. Off at 4-1, Say the Word paid $3.60 and $2.80.

A winner of the G2 San Marcos Stakes at a mile and one quarter on turf Feb. 6, Masteroffoxhounds sat third to the top of the lane and was unable to hold off Say the Word for the place. Ridden by Umberto Rispoli, he was off at 2-1 and paid $2.20 to show while finishing five lengths clear of Acclimate.

Fractions on the race were 24.29, 47.18, 1:11.36, 1:36.01 and 2:00.80.

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