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Going Global Makes Stylish U.S. Debut In Sweet Life Stakes

In her first stateside start, Irish-bred Going Global unleashed a furious stretch rally to take Sunday's Grade 3, $100,000 Sweet Life Stakes at Santa Anita by a widening half length under Flavien Prat. Trained by Phil D'Amato, Going Global, who had been idle since Nov. 11 in her native Ireland, got six furlongs on turf in 1:07.68 at the Arcadia, Calif., oval.

Unhurried but in contention while about 6 ½ lengths off the lead at the half-mile pole, Going Global, in an eye-catching move, was able to save ground while full of run at the rail around the far turn, shifted into the four-path a furlong out and blew by front-running Five Pics Please in the shadow of the wire in a most impressive effort.

“I watched her last race and you could see she could run,” said Prat. “Phil talked to me this morning and said they really liked her. She's a little tough, likes to do things her way, but she was very professional.”

Purchased for $16,900 at public auction as a yearling, Going Global, who registered a 1 ¼-length win versus 13 rivals that included males on Nov. 11, had a steady series of drills on Santa Anita's inner dirt training track and paid $19.80, $9.60 and $6.60 while off at 8-1 in a field of 12 sophomore fillies.

“We were trying to point for an allowance race for the last couple weeks and it didn't come,” said D'Amato, who registered his sixth stake win of the meet. “It was one of those things. She trained well enough to where I thought she merited a chance in here. So, either run or wait a while until the allowance goes. Luckily, we were able to get Flavien here and a beautiful trip.

“I think the sky is the limit for this filly. Flavien hinted that she could definitely use some more ground, so we'll definitely look at the two turn stakes schedule here and go from there.”

Owned by Saul Gevertz, Michael Nentwig and Ray Pagano, Going Global, a filly by Mehmas out of the Invasor mare Wrood, now has two wins from five overall starts. With the winner's share of $60,000, she increased her earnings to $68,792.

Ridden by Tyler Baze, Five Pics Please set fractions of :21.65, :44.16 and :55.85 and held second by three quarters of a length over Nimbostratus. Off at 9-1, Five Pics Please paid $10.40 and $7.00.

French-bred Nimbostratus, with Joel Rosario up, paid $5.40 to show and finished 2 ½ lengths in front of 9-5 favorite Majestic Steps, who had no apparent excuses.

Note: Prat also went on to win Sunday's eighth and ninth races, giving him four on the day and 27 for the meet, putting Prat and Umberto Rispoli in a tie for the lead.

Racing resumes with an eight-race Presidents Day holiday card on Monday with a 12:30 p.m. PT first post.

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Irish Imports Majestic Steps, Going Global Headline Sunday’s Sweet Life Stakes

An impressive winner of her U.S. debut going six furlongs on turf on Jan. 2, trainer Phil D'Amato's Irish-bred Majestic Steps figures tough right back among a competitive field of 12 sophomore fillies going the same distance out of Santa Anita's turf chute in Sunday's Grade 3, $100,000 Sweet Life Stakes.

D'Amato will also be represented by another Irish-bred in the Sweet Life, Going Global, who has been idle since defeating 13 rivals in open company going seven furlongs on synthetic Nov. 11 in Ireland. Although she's an unknown, she gets the services of Flavien Prat, which will likely ensure she gets ample pari-mutuel attention.

A four length maiden winner over the course on Jan. 2, trainer Simon Callaghan's impeccably bred Freedom Flyer rates a huge chance in what will be her sixth start. Another very interesting commodity is John Sadler's speedy Five Pics Please, who shipped in from Mountaineer Park and sped to a three quarter length gate to wire allowance tally here on Jan. 10.

Owned by Michael House, Majestic Steps did everything right in breaking her maiden here in her fifth career start Jan. 2. Mid-pack early as a field of nine fillies came out of the turf chute, she was in tight quarters between horses at the 3 ½ pole, knifed her way through while into the bridle, cut to the rail and appeared to idle a bit while awaiting room three sixteenths out.

With Umberto Rispoli at the controls, she unleashed an impressive turn of foot and like so many of D'Amato's turf runners, made a successful transition from a steady series of training track drills to a big performance sprinting on turf. Off at 8-1 in her U.S. debut, she figures to be a much shorter price in the Sweet Life, which will be her first group or graded assignment.

With a consistent diet of dirt drills on Santa Anita's inner training track to her credit, Going Global looms a huge question mark in this deep and competitive field. Owned by Saul Gevertz, Michael Nentwig, Ray Pagano and John Rochfort, Going Global was off at 16-1 in her maiden win over synthetic on Nov. 11 and it'll be interesting to see how the betting goes in her U.S. debut.

A $450,000 2-year-old in training sale purchase last April, Freedom Flyer, who is by Constitution out of the Carson City mare Rebuke, was off as the 5-2 favorite in a field of 10 going six furlongs on turf Jan. 2 and registered a resounding gate to wire score under Ricky Gonzalez, who rides her back. Owned by James D. Branham and Marsha Naify, Freedom Flyer has been off the board just once in five starts and should be well supported in the Sweet Life.

Richard Mandella's Pizzazz, who has routed on turf in her last four starts, including a close fourth in the Grade 3 Jimmy Durante Stakes at Del Mar two starts back on Nov. 28, would appear to have a big shot with Mike Smith riding back. A Bass Stables homebred daughter of War Front, she comes off a disappointing fourth in the one mile turf Blue Norther Stakes here on Dec. 31 and is one of several who figures to be rolling from off the pace.

Owned by Desert Sun Stables, Five Pics Please, who had not raced on turf in her previous three starts, was dismissed at 29-1 in her Southern California debut, but she sped to the lead with Rispoli and never looked back although she was tiring late. A Kentucky-bred daughter of the Indian Charlie stallion Cinco Charlie, she's out of the Congrats mare No Pictures Please. With Rispoli opting to stay with Majestic Steps, Sadler will look to Tyler Baze to execute a potential front-running heist.

Doug O'Neill's Plum Sexy, who closed much ground to be third, beaten 1 ¼ lengths by Five Pics Please on Jan. 10, would appreciate a fast pace and looms dangerous at a price with Heriberto Figueroa back aboard. Owned by C T R Stables, LLC, Wonderland Racing Stables, Bob and Sheila Bambauer and Steve Rothblum, Plum Sexy was a first-out maiden winner going 5 ½ furlongs on turf here and subsequently showed early speed before finishing eighth in the Jimmy Durante Stakes on Nov. 28 at Del Mar. With a hot pace likely, look or Plum Sexy to be back off the early pace on Sunday.

THE GRADE 3 SWEET LIFE STAKES WITH JOCKEYS & WEIGHTS IN POST POSITION ORDER

Race 7 of 9 Approximate post time 3:30 p.m. PT

Nimbostratus—Joel Rosario—122
Freedom Flyer—Ricardo Gonzalez—122
Going Global—Flavien Prat—122
Go Greta—Juan Hernandez—122
Squared Shady—Edwin Maldonado—122
Royal Address—Mario Gutierrez—124
Five Pics Please—Tyler Baze—122
Pizzazz—Mike Smith–122
Majestic Steps—Umberto Rispoli—122
Magical Thought—Ruben Fuentes—122
Plum Sexy—Heriberto Figueroa—122
I'm So Anna—Jessica Pyfer–124

First post time for a nine-race card on Sunday is at 12:30 p.m. For additional information, please visit santaanita.com.

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Report: Prat, Longtime Agent Lawson Split; Brad Pegram To Handle Book

Flavien Prat has split from agent Derek Lawson, who has represented Southern California's leading jockey since he came to the U.S. from his native France to ride full time at the end of 2014. Daily Racing Form reported the split and the fact that Prat's hiring of agent Brad Pegram has forced Drayden Van Dyke to make a change.

Pegram has represented both Van Dyke and Hall of Famer Mike Smith, but California rules restrict an agent from having more than two riders.

Van Dyke told Daily Racing Form's Steve Andersen he's “been swamped with calls already” but added that he was going to take a few days to consider options, including relocating to another circuit.

The change will take place effective Feb. 26, according to the report.

Prat did not give a reason for the move, telling Andersen, “I felt like it was time to make a change.”

The 28-year-old Prat has won numerous Southern California riding titles while working with Lawson. He is currently fourth behind Juan Hernandez, Umberto Rispoli and Joel Rosario in the Santa Anita jockey standings, with 19 wins from 113 mounts, a 17% winning percentage. Van Dyke is 5-for-49.

Now in his seventh year riding full time in Southern California, Prat has compiled 987 victories from 4,921 mounts with his horses earning over $76 million. He won the 2019 Kentucky Derby aboard Country House via the disqualification of Maximum Security and has won three Breeders' Cup races.

Van Dyke, a 26-year-old native of Louisville, Ky., has been riding since 2013 and has 721 career wins from 4,530 starts for mount earnings of $45.5 million. Among his 18 Grade 1 victories is a win by Stormy Liberal in the 2018 Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint.

Pegram has close ties to the Bob Baffert stable, with Smith getting many of the Hall of Fame trainer's top horses. Van Dyke has previously ridden a number of Baffert's top young prospects. Pegram is the nephew of longtime Baffert client Mike Pegram and the son of longtime agent Jim Pegram.

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Moonlight D’Oro Overtakes Kalypso In Las Virgenes

Although even-money favorite Kalypso gunned to an uncontested early lead, Richard Mandella's Moonlight d'Oro rallied powerfully off the turn for home to win Saturday's Grade 3, $200,000 Las Virgenes Stakes by 1 ½ lengths at Santa Anita in Arcadia, Calif. Ridden by Flavien Prat, Moonlight d'Oro got a flat mile in 1:38.01.

With an avalanche of late money coming her way, Kalyspo darted to the Las Virgenes lead under Joel Rosario and maintained a one-length advantage over Honor America and Moraz as the field headed up the backside five furlongs out.

Last but only 2 ½ lengths off the leader while on the move mid-way around the far turn, Moonlight d'Oro wheeled three-wide turning for home and met little resistance from the favorite as she won going away under a hand ride.

“I was trying to see if I should stay inside or go around, and I decided to go around,” said Prat. “She was there for me when I asked her to go. Rosario was at the front and nobody was really bothering him, but when I came around the turn, I made that great move and tried to get some momentum out of it. She was traveling nicely behind horses, and I was very happy with how she ran.”

An impressive three-length maiden winner at the same distance on Dec. 13 at Los Alamitos, Moonlight d'Oro was the second choice at 6-5 in field of five sophomore fillies and paid $4.60, $2.20 and $2.10.

“It turned out good. I was worried she got a little washy going to the gate, and she was a lamb over at Los Alamitos where she should have gotten upset,” said Mandella. “Sometimes you take them over to something like that and then the next time they're looking for the excitement.”

Owned by MyRacehorse and Spendthrift Farm, LLC, Moonlight d'Oro, a Kentucky-bred daughter of Medaglia d'Oro, out of the Bernardini mare Venetian Sonata, now has two wins from four starts and with the winner's share of $120,000, increased her earnings to $163,040.

“How can you do any better than they have done?” Mandella said of the owners. “Kentucky Derby and Breeders' Cup.”

An important prep to the G2 Santa Anita Oaks on April 3, the Las Virgenes winner will receive 10 Kentucky Oaks (April 30) qualifying points, with four, two and one given to those finishing underneath.

Trained by Bob Baffert, Kalypso finished 1 ¾ lengths in front of Moraz and paid $2.40 and $2.10.

Ridden by Umberto Rispoli and trained by Michael McCarthy, Moraz was off at 4-1 and paid $2.10 to show.

Fractions on the race were 23.25, 47.47, 1:12.72 and 1:25.17.

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