john sadler | Horse Racing Free Tips

Big Switch Makes Big Move To Overcome Stablemate Big Novel In Golden State Fillies

George Krikorian's Big Switch, well-supported at 3-1, overhauled 8-5 favored stablemate Big Novel in the upper stretch and drew off to a convincing victory in the $175,000 Golden State Fillies in the second of four supporting features on the first day of the Breeders' Cup World Championships at Del Mar Friday.

With star jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr. in the saddle, Big Switch scored by 2 3/4 lengths in 1:10.23 for the six furlongs. Big Novel held on well to be second, 6 3/4 lengths in front of third-place Vivacious Vanessa in the line-up of nine California-bred 2-year-old fillies.

Big Switch, a daughter of Mr. Big trained by John Sadler, who also sent out the runner-up, paid $8.60, $3.80, and $2.80 after her second success in as many starts. Big Novel returned $3.00 and $2.20, while Vivacious Vanessa paid 2.80 to show. The winner's share of the purse was $99,750.

IRAD ORTIZ, JR. (Big Switch, winner) – “Juan (assistant trainer Juan Leyva) didn't give me any special instructions. He just said keep her calm until the race. She did all the work in the race; I didn't have to do much. I had a good trip. She just ran and that's all there was to it.”

JUAN LEYVA, assistant to John Sadler (Big Switch, winner) “I've won some stakes (deputizing) for John at Keeneland, but haven't run 1-2 in a stakes before. I thought both fillies ran really well. We knew (runner-up) Big Novel was the speed of the race, but (Big Switch) really toughed it out.”

FRACTIONS: :22.46 :45.39 1:10.23 1:22.39

The stakes win was the fifth at Del Mar for rider Ortiz, Jr.

The stakes win was the second of the meet for trainer Sadler. He now has 82 stakes wins at Del Mar, second most of all trainers.

The winning owner and breeder is George Krikorian of Torrance, Calif.

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Livingmybestlife Leads All The Way In Opening Day Seashell At Del Mar

Hronis Racing's Livingmybestlife took the lead right out the gate and simply wouldn't be caught Wednesday afternoon at Del Mar in the featured $103,750 Seashell Stakes as the seaside track opened its eight Bing Crosby Season with an eight-race card.

The winner, a 3-year-old daughter of The Big Beast trained by John Sadler, ran the mile on the main track in 1:36.53 under Juan Hernandez and picked up a winner's check for $62,250, pushing her bankroll to $209,970 after she reported home a length and a half the best. It was the fourth victory in seven career starts for the Florida-bred who was claimed for $50,000 by her current connections out of her first start at Oaklawn Park in Arkansas last April.

Finishing second was the 1/2 race favorite Moonlight d'Oro, owned by MyRacehorse or Spendthrift Farm, while Michael Rosemayer's Clockstrikestwelve ran third.

The opening card was the first of 13 that will be held over the course of the Del Mar session that goes forward to Sunday, November 28. Adding special spice to this edition of the “Crosby” is the 38th running of the Breeders' Cup Championships, which will be conducted here this Friday and Saturday with $31 million of purses and awards on the line.

Racing continues Thursday with another eight-race card with first post at 12:30 p.m.

JUAN HERNANDEZ (Livingmybestlife, winner) – “Yes, that was the plan – go to the front and see how far we could go. She likes to run that way. We had a Plan B in case someone did something crazy, but our first plan worked out fine. We weren't going that fast and she was comfortable. When we turned for home, she changed leads on her own and from there I was on a winner.”

JUAN LEYVA, assistant to John Sadler (Livingmybestlife, winner) “She got to break out front and do what she likes to do, which is cruise on the lead. She was comfortable the whole time and ran a great race. She's been nothing but good since we claimed her. At the three-eighths when I saw the favorite (Moonlight d'Oro) wasn't really pressing her and she was pulling away, I felt really good.”

FRACTIONS: :23.16 :46.38 1:10.78 1:23.63 1:36.53

The stakes win was the first of the meet and the first in the initial running of the Seashell. Jockey Hernandez now has 12 stakes wins at Del Mar.

The stakes win was the first of the meet and the first in the initial running of the Seashell. Trainer Sadler now has 81 stakes wins at Del Mar, second most of all time.

The winning owners are Kosta and Pete Hronis of Delano, CA.

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Tripoli Works At Santa Anita Ahead Of BC Classic Try

Tripoli, hindered by a wide trip and a moderate pace when fourth by 8 ¼ lengths in the Grade 1 Awesome Again Stakes at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, Calif., on Oct. 2, could improve Saturday in the $6 million Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Classic at Del Mar Thoroughbred Club in Del Mar, Calif., where he won the “Win and You're In” TVG Pacific Classic by a length and a quarter at 6-1 on Aug. 21

“He's trained well,” John Sadler said of the four-year-old Kitten's Joy colt owned by principal client Hronis Racing, LLC. “He worked at 6:30 this morning at Santa Anita under heavy fog and he'll go to Del Mar very early Monday.

“The rider (Juan Leyva) had him in 59 (for five furlongs) and out in (one) 11 and four (for six furlongs). He has a little watch that he can tap during the work.

“There will be no recorded times for anything that worked at 6:30. It was as heavy a fog as anything we've seen.”

Santa Anita clockers did give Tripoli an official five-furlong clocking of 59 flat.

As for strategy in the Classic, Sadler said with a chuckle,

“It doesn't look like there will be any lack of pace.”

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Rock Your World Returns To Turf For Twilight Derby

Rock Your World, unbeaten and untested in his first three races, the first two on turf and the third a front-running score in the Runhappy Santa Anita Derby on April 3 in his main track debut, returns to grass in Sunday's Grade 2 Twilight Derby, closing-day feature at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, Calif.

“We think he's a horse that can run on either surface,”

John Sadler said of the three-year-old Candy Ride colt owned by Hronis Racing LLC and Talia Racing LLC, who in his seventh career race wears blinkers for the first time in the Twilight Derby.

“He'll run with a small blinker just to keep him a little more focused,” Sadler said. “It won't be a big cup, just what we call French blinkers.

“We want to put him back on turf for this race; he's trained really well. There have been no blips, (Umberto) Rispoli stays on him and we're looking forward to it.”

Rispoli has ridden Rock Your World in four of his six races, winning three and finishing second once. Joel Rosario was aboard for the other two races, in the Kentucky Derby when Rock Your World was sandwiched at the start and lost all chance, and in the Belmont Stakes when he prompted the pace early in the mile-and-a-half marathon but tired to finish sixth.

Rock Your World, winner of the restricted Pasadena Stakes on Santa Anita's turf course Feb. 27 before capturing the Santa Anita Derby, was second to Kentucky Derby winner and Breeders' Cup Classic-bound Medina Spirit last out in the Shared Belief Stakes on dirt at Del Mar Thoroughbred Club in Del Mar, Calif., Aug. 29.

A $650,000 purchase at the September 2019 Keeneland Sales, Rock Your World, who was bred in Kentucky by HOF trainer Ron McAnally and his wife Debbie, has earned $611,600 but would exceed that with a Twilight Derby victory, worth $120,000 to the winner.

The $200,000 Twilight Derby at 1 1/8 miles is the 10th and final of 10 races with a 12:30 p.m. first post time: Flashiest, Abel Cedillo, 6-1; Subconscious, Juan Hernandez, 6-1; Zoffarelli, Drayden Van Dyke, 8-1; Hudson Ridge, Flavien Prat, 5-1; None Above the Law, Joe Bravo, 6-1; Wootton Asset, Mike Smith, 12-1; Cathkin Peak, Jose Valdivia Jr., 8-1; Rock Your World, Umberto Rispoli, 5-2; Jungle Cry, Kyle Frey, 12-1; and Beyond Brilliant, Kent Desormeaux, 15-1.

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