Santa Anita Kicks Off 87th Winter/Spring Season of Racing Monday

Santa Anita Park will launch its annual winter/spring live racing season on Monday with a 11-race card featuring six stakes races, highlighted by the $300,000 GI Runhappy Malibu S., $300,000 GI American Oaks, and $300,000 GI La Brea S., the last three Grade Is of the year in the U.S.

Dubbed this season for the first time as the Classic Meet, racing at Santa Anita will be conducted on a Thursday-through-Sunday schedule through Apr. 9, the exceptions being Monday, Jan. 2 for the New Year's Day holiday, Monday, Jan. 16 for Martin Luther King Jr. Day, and Monday, Feb. 20 for Presidents' Day. After a brief respite in the spring, live racing will return for a 25-day meet Apr. 22, concluding June 18.

The first race on opening day is set for 11:00 a.m. PST. Then post time will be at noon daily through Jan. 8, at 12:30 p.m. PST through Mar. 12 and 1:00 p.m. PST for the remainder of the Classic Meet with the exception of big-race days.

A total of 93 stakes worth $17.5 million, including 10 Grade Is, are on tap during the 3 ½-month meeting. Led by the $750,000 million GI Santa Anita Derby Apr. 8, the 2022-2023 stakes schedule is rich with GI Kentucky Derby prep races and coveted Road to the Kentucky Derby qualifying points. These important Triple Crown prep races are the GIII Sham S. on Jan. 8, which is worth 10 points to the winner; the GIII Robert B. Lewis S. on Feb. 5, also worth 10; and GII San Felipe S. on Mar. 4 which guarantees 50 Road to the Kentucky Derby points to the winner. Overall, 11 winners of the Santa Anita Derby–and 18 runners in California's final prep for the Run for the Roses–have gone on to stand in the winner's circle at Churchill Downs reserved for one horse a year in Louisville on the first Saturday in May, the most recent being 2018 Triple Crown winner Justify (Scat Daddy).

This year, the historic GI Santa Anita H. will be worth $500,000 and the 1 1/4-mile event has been scheduled for Mar. 4. It remains one of the handful of original stakes events contested each year since Santa Anita opened in 1935.

Zedan Racing's Grade I winner and TDN Rising Star Taiba (Gun Runner) will face eight others in the Malibu in his first start since a third-place finish in the GI Longines Breeders' Cup Classic. Should the chestnut colt win, he would become the only 3-year-old male to win three Grade Is in 2022 and give trainer Bob Baffert a fifth Malibu winner, one shy of fellow Hall of Famer Richard Mandella. The $1.7 million FTFMAR 2-year-old purchase also won the Santa Anita Derby in his second start back in April.

Flightline (Tapit) won his first stakes race in last year's Malibu en-route to a likely 2022 Horse of the Year and champion older male Eclipse Awards.

Mandella will send out multiple Grade II winner Forbidden Kingdom (American Pharoah) for the seven-furlong test, while former California-based trainer Wesley Ward will try to take advantage of the lucrative ship-and-win money with recent Keeneland allowance winner Nakatomi (Firing Line).

The Malibu has been carded as the 10th race on the card with a 3:30 p.m. PST post time.

Baffert will tighten the girth on four of eight for the La Brea in seeking a record ninth winner, including GII Zenyatta S. winner Midnight Memories (Mastery), GII Summertime Oaks heroine Under The Stars (Pioneerof the Nile) and Fun To Dream (Arrogate), who won the Betty Grable S. at Del Mar last month. Trainer Rudy Rodriguez shipped GIII Victory Ride S. winner Hot Peppers (Khozan) and her jockey, Tyler Gaffalione, to the Left Coast in what will be her first start in 2 1/2 months. Post time for the La Brea, which is the day's 8th race, is 2:30 p.m. PST.

Anchoring the day's card with a 4:11 p.m. PST post time is the American Oaks, which drew a field of 11 runners from coast to coast. Joining the local contingent set to line up will be two trained by East Coast-based Graham Motion, and one each from Brendan Walsh, Chad Brown and Shug McGaughey. Last year's GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf winner Pizza Bianca (Fastnet Rock {Aus}) debuts for Motion after her previous eight-race career in the hands of Christophe Clement. She most recently was a $3.45 million RNA at KEENOV and returns in the colors of celebrity chef Bobby Flay.

Pizza Bianca will join her new stablemate, GIII Valley View S. winner Sparkle Blue (Hard Spun), in the gate, while Walsh will for the first time send out G1 Bet365 Fillies Mile S. winner Mise En Scene (GB) (Siyouni {Fr}) returning to action off a sixth-place finish in the GI Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf. McGaughey shipped G2 Sands Point S. winner Skims (GB) (Frankel {GB}) to California with the Brown-trained Winter Memories S. winner and TDN Rising Star Salimah (Ire) (El Kabeir) for the 10-furlong turf test.

Other stakes on the Monday card include the $200,000 GIII Santa Anita Mathis Mile, which drew a field of seven turf milers including I'm A Gambler (Ire) (No Nay Never), who sold for a sales-topping $1,076,000 at TATIHA in October to Red Baron's Barn and Rancho Temescal; the $200,000 GII San Gabriel S., a 1 1/8-mile turf test and traditional early prep for the historic GIII San Juan Capistrano S. at the end of the season; and the $200,000 GII San Antonio S., in years past a traditional prep for the Big 'Cap but more recently used as a stepping stone to both the $6 million G1 Dubai World Cup and $20 million G1 Saudi Cup. Last year's Dubai World Cup winner Country Grammer (Tonalist) will have European champion jockey Frankie Dettori back aboard in the 1 1/16-mile test for the first time since the pair teamed up for the win at Meydan nine months ago. Dettori, in his first and likely last winter in California before his retirement from the saddle at the end of 2023, is scheduled to ride five on the Monday card.

The post Santa Anita Kicks Off 87th Winter/Spring Season of Racing Monday appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Senor Buscador Gears Up for Dirt Mile

Joe Peacock, Jr.'s Senor Buscador (Mineshaft), who earned a berth in the field for next Saturday's GI BigAss Fans Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile via his mild upset in the GIII Ack Ack S. at Churchill Downs Oct. 1, tuned up for that engagement with a 'solid' five-furlong work in the company of his GII Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance-bound stable companion Sheriff Brown (Curlin) beneath jockey Francisco Arrieta at Keeneland Thursday morning.

“We got what we wanted,” trainer Todd Fincher said. “Senor Buscador started about six lengths back and got to the target a little faster and caught up by the three-eighths. He waited a bit not wanting to go by too fast and really started working at the quarter pole.”

Fincher surmised that Senor Buscador, who finished three lengths clear of his company, covered his final three furlongs from the eighth pole to the three-quarter pole in :34 and change.

“Sheriff Brown is better with a target, but he was the hunted today,” said Fincher, whose GI Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint contestant Slammed (Marking) is set to breeze Friday morning.

Also on the Thursday morning tab was Hot Peppers (Khozan), who went five furlongs on her own in 1:02.20 in :12.60, :24.80, :38 and out three-quarters in 1:16. Family Way (Uncle Mo), pre-entered for the GI Maker's Mark Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf, went five-eighths in 1:00.80, the fastest of seven at the distance Thursday morning.

The post Senor Buscador Gears Up for Dirt Mile appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Sophomore Fillies Star on Final Friday Card at Saratoga

Sophomore filly sprinters get their time to shine on the final Friday of the Saratoga meet in the GII Prioress S. Hot Peppers (Khozan) seeks redemption after being run down late and forced to settle for second last out in the Aug. 6 GI Test S. at this venue. She captured her first two starts for the Rudy Rodriguez barn in the June 12 Jersey Girl S. and July 9 GIII Victory Ride S.

“She's doing everything we ask her. We're just lucky they picked us and give us the opportunity,” said Rodriguez. “We just have to keep her happy and she's a runner. I think the trainer before [Ronald Spatz] did a very good job.”

Wicked Halo (Gun Runner) looks to add yet another accomplishment to her sensational sire's constantly improving resume. Winner of the GII Adirondack S. at this venue last year, the gray enters off back-to-back stakes triumphs at Churchill Downs.

A pair of native New Yorkers are also worth a look here in Test fourth-place finisher and Bouwerie S. winner Sterling Silver (Cupid) and track-and-trip, NY-bred union Avenue H. winner Bank On Anna (Central Banker). Also worth a look is Smash Ticket (Midnight Lute), who wired an optional claimer going six panels at the Spa July 20, good for an 89 Beyer Speedy Figure, and ran a field best Beyer of 92 in her previous start at Lone Star.

The post Sophomore Fillies Star on Final Friday Card at Saratoga appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Sun Shines Brighter In The Sunshine State With Hot Peppers’ Success

Florida horse country is near synonymous with yearlings, training farms, and the promise a young horse brings to the legions of supporters behind it. With hotly contested claims as to who exactly holds the title of 'Horse Capital of the World', diehard Lexingtonians more than willing to defend their claims to the ends of time, some tend to get too caught up in splitting hairs. Regional markets can, and do play, a prominent role in building dynasties. They provide a foundation without which the industry could not stand; at least, not on sure footing.

One could start listing off famous Kentucky-breds and run out of daylight before the list ended; such is the privilege of the Bluegrass state. However, Florida lays claim to its own slices of history, and most notably, perhaps, would be their impact not just on pedigrees but on track annuals as well. Horses like 'The Good Doctor', Dr. Fager; the unfortunately infamous Foolish Pleasure; Triple Crown hero Affirmed; 14-length Belmont winner Conquistador Cielo; the feisty Gate Dancer; sire of sires Fappiano, and his son Unbridled, without whom we have no Empire Maker, no Unbridled's Song, no Tapit; fan-favorite, Derby hero Silver Charm; big, grey Skip Away; and Afleet Alex, brought to his knees in the Preakness only to regain his footing and win by daylight. These are but a select few examples, which serve as a reminder of the long-ranging impact on Kentucky breeding programs.

A modern version of events is playing out now in part through Hot Peppers (Khozan), who looks to add her name to that illustrious collection of 'influencers', if you will. She's a testament to the dedication of breeders like Brent and Crystal Fernung, who together own and operate Journeyman Stallions. The former experienced great early success in the stallion management sphere; Congrats and Wildcat Heir both beginning their careers under his discerning eye. And that gaze shifted to Todd Pletcher's newest buzz horse Khozan (by Distorted Humor) in 2015, whose limitless potential was cut short by a training injury, but who showed enough promise early to warrant a shot as a sire.

“I like brilliance,” Brent Fernung said, cut and dry, in a phone interview Monday. “I don't care how pretty a horse is, how much pedigree he has; if he doesn't prove that he has that extraordinary talent, you're at a big disadvantage. [Khozan] showed brilliance in his first start.”

While there was the concession of there being a possibility of hidden abilities no one could quite bring out, Fernung admits it's usually an exception to the rule, and not the rule. In Khozan's case, he fell well into the model Journeyman Stallions looked for in a sire prospect. Running a monster 102 Beyer on debut, a seven furlong dash where he started from the 14 hole, and then demolishing an allowance field by almost 13 lengths at a mile, he'd set himself up as the early favorite for the Florida Derby off two career starts.

Brilliance check marked, the focus shifted to his pedigree, of which there was plenty. As a half-brother to the fabulous Royal Delta (Empire Maker), millionaire Delta Prince (Street Cry {Ire}), and GISW Crown Queen (Smart Strike), and with no less than six sires hailing from his female line, there was every reason to believe the potential was there. Complete with a $1 million price tag as a 2-year-old in training purchase by Al Shaqab Racing, Khozan was hard not to like.

“If he went on, and stayed sound until after the Florida Derby, and he's a Grade I-winner, with that pedigree and everything, it would have been hard to find him at Journeyman Stud. It would've made him too expensive for us.”

Since then, he's more than proven the early faith was well-placed. Khozan has been Florida's leading sire since 2020 and to date has 24 black-type horses from 170 starters. Better news are that his best, and largest crops, are set to arrive this coming spring, while many in his earlier seasons are still competing successfully as 5-year-olds.

When it came to Hot Peppers, the mating was done in the hopes that her dam might produce a foal with a bit more to her than the prior offspring.

“I was a little hesitant to breed A.P. Indy-line mares back to Khozan because it's a little close. He's out of an A.P. Indy mare,” recounts Fernung. “I had [the dam] here, bred her to different stallions, and was unsatisfied with the first couple foals she gave me. Or I wouldn't say unsatisfied, but they just weren't Hot Peppers.”

The mare, Friends Pro (Friend Lake), went to his rising star, and in turn produced a 'cookie cutter image of a female Khozan' with the most appealing qualities immediately visible. While not a large filly, Hot Peppers had a beautiful balance to her as a yearling, and a big, nice walk to match. Friends Pro was correct with a good size, but she lacked the aesthetic appeal her Khozan filly received from her sire, and it showed when the pair went through their respective rings. Friends Pro sold for $1,000 to Rebecca Cawvey at OBSWIN in 2020, but Hot Peppers garnered a kinder reception. As Fernung put it: “Nick De Meric bought her off me, and he buys nice horses, there's no question.”

That nice $40,000 OBS October yearling in 2020 would drop the hammer eight months later at OBS June as a 2-year-old in training, and head the way of Ronald Spatz for $16,000. While not entirely sure, the suspected reason for the low price, one which bestows many horses the title of 'the one that got away' and one every consigner knows: the veterinary findings. Despite the low interest at the training sale, it was hard not to be enthusiastic for a good friend.

“[Ronnie Spatz] called me after he got her because he was excited about her, and then called me after she broke her maiden by a pole. He did a good job of preparing the filly for the races.”

It was a long way back to second in Hot Peppers' maiden-breaking win | Ryan Thompson

The ability to resist the temptation to jump Hot Peppers immediately into stakes company is what Fernung believes helped develop her into the racehorse we see sauntering across our screens. Those same talents which ultimately attracted the attention of Michael Dubb, and resulted in her private purchase after the 14 1/4-length tour de force, are now paying fruitful dividends for her new owners.

After her troubled seventh in the Stonehedge Farm South Sophomore Fillies S., Hot Peppers moved to the barn of Rudy Rodriguez in New York and two months later looked like herself again, blitzing Belmont's Jersey Girl by almost seven lengths in a hand ride. She kicked on to a game score in the GIII Victory Ride in July and with that effort, stamped her ticket for the Spa, where the big girls came to strut their stuff.

And there she was, the Florida filly with a heart as big as her talent, at the head of the field in the GI Test S. at America's summer playground. She led until the final yards, where Chi Town Lady came from dead last to play spoiler, but the impression was made. The blue-collar filly from the Sunshine state had run an incredible race on track conditions she'd never experienced before, against a favorite on a four race win streak, and muscling her way through contact in the stretch.

And perhaps, she even had to fight a bit of that Saratoga curse, by proximity.

Hot Peppers' efforts will likely have consequences beyond her own sphere of influence. The doors will also open wider for Khozan and Journeyman Stud, who now have concrete proof that their stallion can throw runners on par with the best. Brilliance begets brilliance, and developing sires with those qualities is as entrenched in Ocala as it is in Lexington. If you're in need of a stallion, but don't have a bottomless budget, ask Florida for some pointers. They know a little something about breeding the giant, and the giant slayer.

The post Sun Shines Brighter In The Sunshine State With Hot Peppers’ Success appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Verified by MonsterInsights