Snapper Sinclair To Try Down The Hill In Friday’s Eddie D Stakes

The long wait is over. Idle since March of 2019, Santa Anita's legendary Camino Real Hillside Turf Course will play host to an outstanding opening day field of nine three-year-olds and up competing at about six and a half furlongs in Friday's Grade 2, $200,000 Eddie D Stakes. The Eddie D is one of four stakes on opening day of Santa Anita's 16-day Autumn Meet which will conclude on Oct. 31. Trainer Steve Asmussen's Midwest invader Snapper Sinclair and Phil D'Amato's locally based Gregorian Chant head what appears to be a very deep and diverse lineup.

One of the most popular races among fans and horsemen since December, 1953, the Camino Real hillside is a European style course with a panoramic start on Santa Anita's northern perimeter, hard by Colorado Place, an iconic stretch of roadway that was a part of America's original Route 66.

Once the horses are underway, they will negotiate a slight right-hand turn followed by a run “down the dip,” as Joe Hernandez, the original Voice of Santa Anita, used to describe horses as they ran down an undulating swale before emerging from behind a stand of trees en route to the quarter pole. From there, the field will cross the main track and then reunite with the “course proper” for what is often a thrilling stretch run.

Snapper Sinclair, a 6-year-old full horse by City Zip, comes off a three quarter length victory in a one-turn restricted stakes going a mile and 70 yards on turf at Kentucky Downs Sept. 8. Owned by Bloom Racing Stables, LLC, Snapper Sinclair, who ran fourth in 2019 Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile at Santa Anita, will be shipping in from his Churchill Downs base and be trying the Santa Anita turf for the first time and will be making his fifth start of the year.

Primarily campaigned at one mile on turf and dirt, Snapper Sinclair was a seven furlong turf stakes winner in his third career start on Sept. 6, 2017 at Churchill and he has not sprinted on turf or dirt since October 17, 2018 at Keeneland. With two wins from four starts this year, he's now banked $1,793,340 from an overall mark of 33-7-8-4.

Originally pegged as a long-fused turf runner, D'Amato's Gregorian Chant found a new lease on life sprinting out of Santa Anita's newly constructed turf chute this past winter. A winner of three consecutive six furlong turf stakes, including the Grade 3 San Simeon four starts back on March 13, Gregorian Chant, a 5-year-old English-bred gelding, was too close to the early pace in Belmont Park's Grade 1 Jaipur Stakes on June 5, finishing seventh, beaten 4 ¼ lengths at 5-1 going six furlongs over a turf that was listed as good.

In his most recent start, Gregorian Chant finished third, beaten 2 ½ lengths in Del Mar's five furlong turf Green Flash Handicap Aug. 22, a race that appeared a bit short for his late running style. Owned by Slam Dunk Racing, Old Bones Racing Stable, LLC and Michael Nentwig, Gregorian Chant will be trying Santa Anita's hillside turf for the first time with high expectations.

D'Amato will also be represented by the talented multiple stakes winning mare Charmaine's Mia, the lone distaffer in the field. A three-time graded stakes winner at six furlongs and one mile (twice) over the Santa Anita lawn, she too will be trying the hillside course for the first time. Owned by Agave Racing Stable, Medallion Racing and Rockin Robin Racing Stables, Charmaine's Mia, who had been campaigned primarily at Woodbine Racecourse in Toronto, joined D'Amato's stable late last year.

Idle since finishing sixth in the Grade 2 Yellow Ribbon Handicap at a mile and one sixteenth at Del Mar Aug. 7, Charmaine's Mia, a 5-year-old Kentucky-bred mare by The Factor, has not sprinted since winning her first start for D'Amato five starts back in the Grade 3 Las Cienegas Stakes at six furlongs on turf here on Jan. 9.

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Although a bit long in tooth at age seven, trainer Mark Glatt's Law Abidin Citizen, idle since a close fourth on dirt in the Grade 1 Bing Crosby Stakes July 31 at Del Mar, is fresh, dangerous and has the distinction of having won the last race down the hill—the Grade 3 San Simeon Stakes on March 31, 2019. A winner of four of eight starts over the hillside turf, this Twirling Candy gelding will be making his fourth start of the year as Glatt eyes the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint in November. Owned by Dan Agnew, Gerry Schneider and John Xitco, Law Abidin Citizen rates a huge chance on Friday.

Glen Hill Farm's homebred Caribou Club, another 7-year-old gelding, has won two of his three starts down the hill, including his most recent, the Grade 3 Joe Hernandez Stakes on Jan. 1, 2019 when conditioned by Tom Proctor. Idle since a close fourth in an ungraded stakes at 1 1/16 miles on turf July 17 at Gulfstream Park, Caribou Club will be making his fourth start of the year and his first for trainer Michael McCarthy. Caribou Club will be reunited for the first since 2017 with Drayden Van Dyke, who at that time guided him to a pair of wins from four starts.

Originally run as the Morvich Handicap in 1974, the Eddie D was renamed in 2012 to honor legendary retired Hall of Fame jockey Eddie Delahoussaye.

THE GRADE 2 EDDIE D STAKES WITH JOCKEY & WEIGHTS IN POST POSITION ORDER

Race 7 of 9 Approximate post time 4 p.m. PT

  1. Gregorian Chant—Juan Hernandez–126
  2. Caribou Club—Drayden Van Dyke—126
  3. Mesut—Umberto Rispoli—122
  4. Charmaine's Mia—Flavien Prat—123
  5. Law Abidin Citizen—Abel Cedillo—126
  6. Chaos Theory—Kent Desormeaux—126
  7. Lieutenant Dan—Geovanni Franco—126
  8. Whisper Not—John Velazquez—126
  9. Snapper Sinclair—Joel Rosario–124

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Gregorian Chant Heads Green Flash Field At Del Mar

Slam Dunk Racing and Old Bones Racing Stable's Gregorian Chant, ending an 11-week layoff, carries 5-2 morning line favoritism against seven rivals in Sunday's $100,000 Grade 3 Green Flash Handicap at Del Mar Thoroughbred Club in Del Mar, Calif.

The Green Flash, a five-furlong sprint over the Jimmy Durante Turf Course, is the last of seven graded stakes presented during the three-day Pacific Classic weekend with combined purses totaling $1.95 million.

Gregorian Chant, a 5-year-old English-bred gelding, took a three-race winning streak at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, Calif., to Belmont Park in Elmont, New York for the Grade 1 Jaipur on June 5 and, after being forwardly-placed early in the six-furlong turf sprint, tired and finished seventh of nine.

“I don't think it was as much the (listed 'good') turf as the tactics,” trainer Phil D'Amato said. “He likes to come from off the pace and we wound up dueling with the co-favorite on the lead.”

Brought back to the West Coast and given a break, Gregorian Chant has had five turf works here since the July 16 start of the meeting.

“We freshened him up with this race in mind,” D'Amato said. “We'll see if the distance is good for him for the Breeders' Cup.”

The $1 million Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint will be run over the same course on Saturday, November 6.

The field for the Green Flash from the rail out with jockeys and morning line odds in parentheses: Kneedeepinsnow (Drayden Van Dyke, 20-1); Texas Wedge (Umberto Rispoli, 6-1); Lieutenant Dan (Giovanni Franco, 7-2); Collusion Illusion (Flavien Prat, 7-2); Chasin Munny (Jose Valdivia, Jr., 10-1); Little Juanito (Ricky Gonzalez, 6-1); Give Me the Lute (Kent Desormeaux, 6-1), and Gregorian Chant (Juan Hernandez).

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D’Amato Finds Home In Turf Sprints For Gregorian Chant

Long regarded as a two-turn horse on grass, trainer Phil D'Amato's 5-year-old Gregorian Chant has found a home sprinting on turf at Santa Anita in Arcadia, Calif., as he rallied from last to take Saturday's Grade 3, $100,000 San Simeon Stakes by a neck while getting six furlongs on turf in 1:08.79 under Juan Hernandez—his second consecutive turf stakes win at the distance.

Unhurried early from his number two post position, Gregorian Chant was into the bridle, about four lengths off the lead while a joint fifth heading to the far turn as heavily favored Jolie Olimpica showed the way.  Moving easily around the turn, Hernandez wheeled four-deep turning for home and in a thriller, outran Sombeyay and Flavien Prat late.

“He broke slow and I just let him get comfortable (on the backstretch) and then when we went into the stretch, Phil told me to get him rolling and that's what I did,” said Hernandez, who also orchestrated a 2 ¼-length win in the ungraded Clockers' Corner Stakes on Jan. 24.  “It's exciting fighting with another horse, going head and head, you feel excited and you feel strong.  You just want to win the race.”

Off at 7-2 in a field of six older horses, Gregorian Chant, who was bred in England, paid $9.80, $4.20 and $2.20.

“It took us awhile to figure out what he wanted to do,” said D'Amato.  “This horse has found his home sprinting, no question.  There's so much difference in him now, compared to him at three and four (years old).  He' matured a lot and we will definitely keep him short.”

Ridden by Flavien Prat and trained by Peter Miller, Sombeyay was attentive to the pace, made the lead turning for home and couldn't hold the winner off while finishing 2 ½ lengths in front of Jolie Olimpica.  Off at 4-1, Sombeyay paid $4.80 and $2.60.

Richard Mandella's Brazilian-bred mare Jolie Olimpica, who went to the front out of the gate under Mike Smith and was head and head into and around the turn, couldn't run with the top two late and paid $2.10 to show while off at even money.

Fractions on the race were 22.72, 45.52 and 57.32.

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Gregorian Chant Sings New Tune Sprinting To Clockers’ Corner Triumph

Well beaten in a Grade 2 stakes going a mile and one half on turf Nov. 27, trainer Phil D'Amato's English-bred Gregorian Chant shortened up in distance and rallied from last to first in Sunday's $70,000 Clockers' Corner Stakes at Santa Anita, winning by 2 ¼ lengths.  Ridden by the meet's leading rider Juan Hernandez, Gregorian Chant got six furlongs out of the Arcadia, Calif., track's turf chute in 1:08.42 over a course listed as firm.

Entered in his first sprint since breaking his maiden at first asking going seven furlongs on a synthetic surface in Ireland on December 7, 2018, Gregorian Chant was ridden confidently by Hernandez, despite the fact he was trying an entirely different game today.

Last, about seven lengths off the lead heading into the far turn, Gregorian Chant was into the bridle as Hernandez angled out while trying to exploit a fast early pace set by Mr Vargas and Thanks Mr. Eidson.  Six-wide turning for home, Gregorian Chant gained the advantage a sixteenth of a mile from home and won going away.

“Phil told me don't change his style,” said Hernandez, who had won aboard Gregorian Chant in a 1 1/16-mile turf allowance three starts back at Del Mar on Aug. 29.  “It looked like there was plenty of speed and there was.  The race set up good for us.  Turning for home, I had a lot of horse and he just exploded.  He passed those other horses pretty easy.”

Eleventh, beaten 15 ¾ lengths in the G2 Hollywood Turf Cup Nov. 27, Gregorian Chant was off at 10-1 and paid $23.00, $8.20 and $4.60.

“I gotta give Nick Cosato (Slam Dunk Racing) a lot of credit,” said D'Amato.  “He thought of this after his last race.  Just remembering what a big turn of foot he had from when we bought him, we thought it was worth a try.  Juan fits this horse really well.  Actually his brother, Jonathan, gallops him in the morning, so it's kind of a little family affair there.  Juan has a special touch there with him and gets everything out of him.”

Owned by Slam Dunk Racing, Old Bones Racing Stable, LLC and Michael Nentwig, Gregorian Chant, a 5-year-old gelding, picked up his first stakes win and improved his overall mark to 13-4-0-2.  Purchased privately following his maiden win in Ireland, Gregorian Chant picked up $43,920 for the win, increasing his earnings to $165,013.

Although passed by his stablemate at the top of the lane, Strike Me Down, who was five-deep at the time, kept to his task and overhauled Thanks Mr. Eidson by a head for second, giving D'Amato a one-two finish.  Off as the 2-1 favorite with Umberto Rispoli, Strike Me Down paid $4.80 and $3.00.

Ridden by Edwin Maldonado, Thanks Mr. Eidson, who tracked Mr Vargas to the quarter pole, stayed on gamely and paid $3.60 to show.

Fractions on the race were 21.76, 44.65 and 56.63.

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