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Yakteen Stable’s Cal-Bred ‘Queen,’ Mucho Unusual, Takes Robert J. Frankel Stakes

Well beaten in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf on Nov. 7, George Krikorian's homebred Mucho Unusual seemed to relish a return home to Santa Anita in Arcadia, Calif., as she rallied under Eastern-based John Velazquez to take Sunday's Grade 3, $100,000 Robert J. Frankel Stakes by three-quarters of a length. Trained by Tim Yakteen, the California-bred daughter of Mucho Macho Man got a mile and one eighth on turf in 1:46.94.

Comfortably in-hand while second, about two lengths off of pacesetting She's Our Charm around the first turn, Mucho Unusual inched up outside a three-horse spread that included favored Miss Teheran and She's Our Charm heading to the three furlong pole and held sway late under a hand ride from Velazquez, who collected his third win on the day.

“She broke good and it looked like the one speed filly (She's Our Charm) would go and she did,” said Velazquez. “Down the backside, Joel (Rosario, aboard favored Miss Teheran) moved a little early and I also wanted to make sure I put a little pressure on the two (She's Our Charm) because she had been running easily. Turning for home, I asked her and she finished up great.”

A front-running winner of the G1 Rodeo Drive Stakes here two starts back on Sept. 26, Mucho Unusual was the narrow second choice at 5-2 in a field of eight fillies and mares and paid $7.80, $4.40 and $3.20.

“We had an outside draw and that was a little bit of a concern,” said Yakteen. “There was one lone speed in the race. She is such a dream to train, so easy, so straightforward, she makes my job easy. She's my queen. We don't have a big stable but she's our queen.”

Out of Krikorian's Unusual Heat mare Not Unusual, Mucho Unusual, who turns 5 on Friday, is now a three-time graded stakes winner. With an overall mark of 18-6-3-4, she picked up $60,000 for the win, increasing her earnings to $762,715.

Owned in-part by former Santa Anita general manager, Ron Charles, English-bred Never Be Enough flew late for second money, prevailing by a nose over She's Our Charm. Ridden by Tiago Pereira, Never Be Enough was off at 32-1 and paid $18.40 and $10.40.

In a big effort, Ron McAnally's She's Our Charm fought bravely late and finished three quarters of a length better than Miss Teheran. Off at 4-1 with Juan Hernandez, She's Our Charm paid $4.00 to show.

Trained by Chad Brown, Irish-bred Miss Teheran shipped in from South Florida seeking her first stakes victory but her chances were seriously comprised when she hesitated leaving the gate and was subsequently shuffled back while in tight quarters. Thereafter, she appeared a bit keen with Rosario and when the rail opened up a half mile out, he asked her to engage the front runners in what proved a failed strategy as the actual 5-2 favorite.

Fractions on the race were 23.72, 47.90, 1:11.70 and 1:35.02.

Named in honor of the Hall of Fame trainer who passed away at age 68 in 2009, Bobby Frankel was a five-time leading Winter/Spring Meet trainer at Santa Anita and he remains the track's all-time leader by races won with 917 and is third on the all-time stakes-won list with 146. Frankel won the race's precursor, the San Gorgonio Stakes, a record seven times.

Live racing resumes at Santa Anita on Thursday with first post time for a nine-race card at 12:30 p.m.

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$600,000 Guaranteed Rainbow 6 Jackpot, $23,107 Super Hi-5 Carryover Await Gulfstream Players On Wednesday

There will be a $600,000 guaranteed pool in the 20-cent Rainbow 6 and a Super Hi-5 carryover of $23,107.89 when racing resumes Wednesday at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Fla.

First race post time is 12:35 p.m.

Multiple winning tickets in Sunday's Rainbow 6 returned $23,888.54.

The jackpot pool is only paid out when there is a single unique ticket sold with all six winners. On days when there is no unique ticket, 70 percent of that day's pool goes back to those bettors holding tickets with the most winners, while 30 percent is carried over to the jackpot pool.

Wednesday's Rainbow 6 begins with the fifth race, a $35,000 claiming event for 3-year-olds and up going 1 1/8 miles on the turf course. The race is scheduled to go off at 2:28 p.m. and will be the first of four turf races in the sequence.

Trainer Mary Eppler has entered Strong Headed and Reliability, while Mike Maker will send out All Good.

The sixth race is a maiden special weight event for fillies and mares at 6 ½ furlongs. George Weaver sends out a first-time starter Into Candy for owner Martin Schwartz. A daughter of into Mischief, Into Candy fetched $210,000 at auction. Whispering Pines enters off a third-place finish in the slop at Churchill Downs for Brian Lynch. Trainer Todd Pletcher will saddle Shadwell Stable's Aqaareb.

The seventh race, a mile turf event for juvenile fillies with a $35,000 claiming tag, drew field of 10 including Pharoah's Gold, a daughter of American Pharoah who broke her maiden at Keeneland in October, Mike Maker's Serenade a Kitten and trainer Brittany Russell's Coffee Buzz Buzz.

A $20,000 claimer for 3-year-olds and up going 1 1/8 miles on the turf brings together a competitive field of nine in Gulfstream's eighth race followed by a starter optional claimer at a mile on the main track. The Rainbow 6 ends with a maiden special weight event for 2-year-old fillies at 7 ½ furlongs on the turf. The field of 12 has horses from the stables of Mark Casse, Pletcher, Maker, George Arnold, Wesley Ward, Bill Mott, Saffie Joseph Jr., Graham Motion, Eddie Kenneally and Steve Dwoskin.

WHO'S HOT: Jockey Edgard Zayas rode three winners Sunday. Zayas won the early double with Seize the Hay ($4) in the first and Sidarth ($9.60) in the second, and Dr Harlan ($14.80) in the ninth.

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Gulfstream Park: Will New Year Reverse Bad Luck For Imprimis In Janus Stakes?

Breeze Easy LLC's Imprimis will seek to put the bad luck of 2020 behind him and start off the New Year with a return to the Gulfstream Park winner's circle following Friday's $75,000 Janus Stakes at the Hallandale Beach, Fla., track.

The Janus, a five-furlong turf dash for 4-year-olds and up, will be featured on Friday's New Year's Day program that will also include the $75,000 Abundantia, a five-furlong sprint on turf for older fillies and mares, and the $75,000 Cash Run, a mile stakes for 3-year-old fillies. (First-race post time is set for 12:35 p.m.)

Imprimis concluded his 2020 campaign with a nightmare journey in the Nov. 7 Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint (G1) at Keeneland, where he was “stymied” and “steadied” in the 5 ½-furlong dash, according to the Equibase chart caller. The veteran star turf sprinter was shut off while making a move between horses, forcing jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. to sharply steady his mount during the stretch run.

“He got shut off for no reason. He was up in there and going. The horse was just starting to run,” trainer Joe Orseno said. “It was tough. It takes a lot to get him to where he is and peak like that and keep him like that. It wasn't like I had three or four in that day. I had one in and that was my best shot. He was the best horse but unfortunately the best horse didn't win. It was just a shame for all the connections. It was like a kick in the gut.”

Imprimis' 2020 season started off with some bad luck as well. The 6-year-old gelding came off a long layoff to prevail by 2 ¼ lengths in the Sept. 6 Troy (G3) at Saratoga, only to be disqualified through a controversial ruling by the stewards.

The son of Broken Vow came right back to tune up for the Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint with a late-running victory in the $700,000 Kentucky Downs Turf Sprint (G3).

Imprimis has had nothing but good luck at Gulfstream, where he has been victorious in all four starts, including three victories in a row to launch his career. He came back the following year to capture the Silks Run.

“We were talking about waiting until the Gulfstream Turf Sprint Feb. 12, but he's doing so well,” Orseno said.

Ortiz has the return call on the Florida-bred gelding.

DARRS Inc.'s Extravagant Kid, who finished fourth while avoiding trouble in the Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint, is scheduled to defend his title in the Janus. The Brendan Walsh-trained 8-year-old gelding, who fell just a length short at Keeneland last start, defeated two next-out winners in last year's Janus and followed that score up with a victory in the Sunshine Millions Turf Sprint at Gulfstream.

Tyler Gaffalione, who was aboard for both victories, has the mount aboard the Florida-bred son of Kiss the Kid.

Blind Ambition, Fully Loaded, Harry's Ontheloose, Sayyaaf and The Critical Way round out the main body of the field. Edgemont Road and Frosted Grace are main-track-only entrants.

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Lenzi’s Lucky Lady Takes To The Turf for Abundantia At Gulfstream Park

David Bernsen LLC and Jeffrey Lambert's Lenzi's Lucky Lady will take to the turf at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Fla., for Friday's $75,000 Abundantia after really showing her affinity for the surface in her most recent start.

A stakes winner on dirt, the 4-year-old daughter of With Distinction debuted on turf in a Dec. 13 optional claiming allowance at Gulfstream Park with a front-running victory at the five-furlong distance of the Abundantia.

“It looks like she found a new home on turf,” trainer Bob Hess said.

Formerly trained by Kathleen O'Connell, Lenzi's Lucky Lady won two stakes during her juvenile season, including the $100,000 Florida Sire Stakes Desert Vixen. She returned from an 11-month layoff to finish second in a six-furlong optional claiming allowance on dirt Aug. 22, when she was claimed by her current connections for $75,000. The Florida-bred filly was forwardly placed before fading to ninth in the Charles Town Oaks (G3) Aug. 28 in her first start for Hess.

“Dave Bernsen is the principle owner and he picked her out. Kathleen is a friend and a top-notch horsewoman, so I really had no illusions of moving the horse up at all,” Hess said. “She ran great the day we claimed her. We had a fiasco up at Charles Town and I brought her to Del Mar trying for the 'Ship & Win.' I worked her on the turf and she worked great, but the race didn't fill and we brought her back to Gulfstream.”

Emisael Jaramillo has the call aboard Lenzi's Lucky Lady.

Three Diamond Farm's Jakarta will seek her third victory over the Gulfstream Park turf in as many starts Friday. The Michael Maker-trained 6-year-old mare is coming off a 2 ¼-length victory in the Claiming Crown Distaff Dash at five furlongs.

The daughter of Bustin Stones has also shown versatility, having won the off-the-turf Powder Break at a mile over a sloppy Gulfstream track last May.

Luis Saez has the return mount aboard Jakarta.

David Melin, Leon Ellman and Laurie Plesa's Miss Auramet, who has also enjoyed success on dirt and turf, is scheduled to seek her fourth straight victory Friday. The Eddie Plesa Jr.-trained 5-year-old mare won back-to-back off-the-turf races at Delaware Park and Laurel Park before returning to South Florida to win an optional claiming allowance at Gulfstream Park West Oct. 18.

Paco Lopez has the call aboard the daughter of Uncaptured.

Team Valor International's Victory Kingdom, who finished a close second in Ontario Fashion Stakes (G3) over Woodbine's synthetic surface two starts back, returns to turf for the Abundantia. Group stakes-placed in Europe, the 6-year-old daughter of Animal Kingdom has made three starts in the U.S. for trainer Rodolphe Brisset, including a fourth-place finish in the Smart N Fancy stakes on turf at Saratoga last August.

Julien Leparoux is scheduled to ride Victory Kingdom for the first time Friday.

Cara Oliver's Hear My Prayer will seek her third victory in five starts over the Gulfstream Park turf course, where she captured the five-furlong Melody of Colors in March.

Irad Ortiz Jr. is scheduled to ride the daughter of The Big Beast for the first time.

Kenwood Racing LLC's Tracy Ann's Legacy will seek her fourth victory on the Gulfstream turf course, over which the 5-year-old daughter of Shackleford has finished in the money in all seven starts.

Edgard Zayas has the call aboard the Kelly Breen trainee.

Compensate, Disieincandyland, Miss Deplorable and Spun Glass round out the field,.

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