John Velazquez | Horse Racing Free Tips

Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint Runner-Up Edgeway Dominates Kalookan Queen

With the outcome never in doubt, heavily favored Edgeway was in complete command from her rail post en route to a 1 ¾-length win in Sunday's $75,000 Kalookan Queen Stakes at Santa Anita in Arcadia, Calif. Trained by John Sadler and ridden to victory by John Velazquez, Edgeway, a 5-year-old mare by Competitive Edge, got 6 ½ furlongs in 1:16.85.

“I watched her run, obviously, she runs really good races,” said Velazquez, who notched his third stakes win of the young meet and who was aboard for the first time on Sunday. “Today, the strategy was to chase them or chase me. I broke (well), let her run to the lead and let them catch me. … When I asked her to run she responded right away, so I'm very proud.”

Most recently second in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint at Del Mar Nov. 6, Edgeway was off at 2-5 in a field of four older fillies and mares and with no show wagering, she paid $2.80 and $2.10.

“That was really good,” said Kosta Hronis, of Hronis Racing, LLC. “She bounced out of the Breeders' Cup really well. I think the plan was to give her a little bit more of a break, but she's been asking to run, John (Sadler) had her all trained up and ready to go. It's an honor to have John (Velazquez). Any time we can have jockeys like this on the West Coast, we're always happy to see that.”

Out of the Stormin Fever mare Magical Solution, Edgeway, who took the Grade 3 Rancho Bernardo Stakes two races back on Aug. 20, is now a two-time stakes winner. With the winner's share from today's win of $47,160, she increased her earnings to $596,360.

Merneith, who had been idle for Bob Baffert since winning the Grade 2 Santa Monica Stakes Feb. 13, stalked the winner to the top of the lane, but was unable to keep up when Edgeway opened up three lengths turning for home. Ridden by Edwin Maldonado, she kept to her task and finished 5 ½ lengths clear of Stellar Sound while paying $2.40 to place.

Fractions on the race were 22.15, 44.96 and 1:09.95.

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Newgrange, Rockefeller Give Baffert 1-2 Finish In Sham, But Neither Horse Earns Kentucky Derby Points

Ho hum.

Another year, another bevy of top-shelf 3-year-old colts for trainer Bob Baffert. That was the storyline at Santa Anita in Arcadia, Calif., on Saturday, as Baffert runners Newgrange and Rockefeller ran one-two throughout in the Grade 3, $100,000 Sham Stakes for 3-year-olds at one mile, giving him three consecutive wins in the Sham and eight overall. Ridden to victory by John Velazquez, who collected his third stakes win on the fourth day of the meet, Newgrange, who slowed things down nicely, prevailed by 2 ¾ lengths and got the distance in 1:38.32 after fractions of :24.46, :48.94, 1:12.84 and 1:25.27.

With post time favorite Rockefeller drawn to his immediate outside, the Baffert pair were hustled from the gate but quickly settled into nice rhythm, with Newgrange maintaining a one-length advantage leaving the three-furlong pole and he was in complete command turning for home.

The third choice at 5-2, Newgrange, who was a first-out maiden winner going six furlongs under Velazquez Nov. 28 at Del Mar, paid $7.40.

No match for his stablemate late, Rockefeller held off a fast finishing Oviatt Class by a nose for second and paid $2.60 and $2.20 as the 3-2 favorite with Flavien Prat.

“There was one speed, the other Bob Baffert horse (Rockefeller) and I'm pretty sure he didn't want them in a head and head,” Velazquez said. “He told me to put my horse on the lead. Once my horse got to the lead he waited. I took a little hold of him and he kind of started waiting for the horses, so I started waiting for the horses to come to him, by the time we got to the backside I kind of let him do his own thing. I let him get in a comfortable rhythm, after that it was pretty easy though.

“He's so green,” the rider added, “he feels like he got on by himself, he was waiting for horses so, I had to give him a little reminder to keep his mind on running and his gallop out was pretty good so it still seems like he's learning.”

In an encouraging performance, Oviatt Class finished well into slow splits and acts like a colt who could improve with added distance for trainer Keith Desormeaux. Ridden by his brother Kent, Oviatt Class was off at 4-1 and paid $2.40 to show.

Although any Baffert runners are not now eligible for Kentucky Derby qualifying points – after Baffert-trained Medina Spirit failed a drug test following his first-place finish in the 2021 Kentucky Derby – the conditions of the race state that the winner is to receive 10 points, with four for second, two for third third, and one point for the fourth-place finisher, MacKinnon. Churchill Downs Inc., which runs the Derby at its flagship track in Louisville, Ky., has excluded Baffert horses from participating at any of its tracks through the end of the 2023 spring meeting at Churchill Downs and further stated the horses are not eligible for qualifying points if Baffert is their trainer.

Updated Kentucky Derby Leaderboard

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Velazquez Latest Hall Of Famer To Make Agent Anderson’s Job ‘Easy’

Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez turned 50 on Nov. 24, but his talent on horseback and dealing with horsemen and the media hasn't diminished one iota due to his age.

Riding regularly now at Santa Anita after being based mainly in New York since 1990, the native of Puerto Rico is well atop the jockey standings after three racing days, with nine wins from 17 mounts, leading in purse earnings as well with $653,900.

It's no surprise to those in the know, particularly his agent, Ron Anderson, whose savvy extends well beyond horse racing.

“He's without a doubt one of the greatest riders we've seen in a very, very long time,” said the 67-year-old Anderson, who became a world-class agent soon after he started in 1973, and also represents future Hall of Famer Joel Rosario.

Anderson's admiration of “Johnny V.,” as Velazquez is known to friends and fans alike, is understandable and deserved.

“John devotes considerable time as president of the Jockeys' Guild, which involves much more than meets the eye,” Anderson said. “Overall, he's in a league by himself, a great rider and a complete professional in every facet of his life.”

Anderson is reticent when it comes to beating the drums on his own behalf, but his record speaks for itself.

“I've won 38 Breeders' Cup races,” Anderson noted sans fanfare. “Nobody's even close.

“I've been doing this long enough that we've got it figured out,” he said, “but the bottom line is these guys make it easy for me, because I get opportunities to put them on good horses.”

He has represented a Who's Who of Hall of Fame jockeys in his nearly 49 years as an agent, namely Velazquez, Jerry Bailey, Garrett Gomez, Gary Stevens, Chris Antley and Kent Desormeaux, with Rosario waiting in the wings.

Ron Anderson may not own up to it, but you could say this: he's been Colonel Parker to all of those jocks.

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‘Other Baffert,’ Kalypso, Takes La Brea As Odds-On Private Mission Fizzles

In a considerable upset, Bob Baffert-trained Kalypso burst upon the scene a furlong from home and motored to an authoritative 4 3/4-length win in Sunday's Grade 1, $300,000 La Brea Stakes, thus providing Baffert and John Velazquez with their third win in combination on Santa Anita's opening day in and for Velazquez, his fourth overall win on the day at the Arcadia, Calif., track.

With Livingmybestlife carving out the early pace from her outside post position, eventual runner-up Brilliant Cut engaged her at the top of the lane but neither were any match for the winner in the final furlong.

Third at the rail, about 1 ½ lengths off the lead at the quarter pole, Kalypso swung three-deep turning for home and seemed to re-break in deep stretch.

With Baffert's heavily favored Private Mission seemingly never getting untracked while finishing sixth at 3-5, Kalypso, idle since well beaten in a Grade II going seven furlongs at Churchill Downs April 30, was off at 8-1 in a field of seven sophomore fillies and paid $19.60, $9.00 and $5.00.

Owned by Rockingham Ranch, David Bernsen, LLC, Gainesway Stable and Chad Littlefield, Kalypso – a Kentucky-bred filly by Brody's Cause out of the Malibu Moon mare Malibu Cove – notched her second Santa Anita graded stakes win of the year and her third stakes victory from an overall mark of 9-3-3-2. With the winner's share of $180,000, she increased her earnings to $480,600.

Off at 20-1 with Jose Ortiz, the Doug O'Neill-trained Brilliant Cut paid $17.80 and $8.00.

Checking in third was the early pacesetter, Livingmybestlife, who finished a half length better than Eddie's New Dream. Off at 5-1 with Juan Hernandez, Livingmybestlife paid $4.80 to show.

Fractions on the race were 22.11, 44.92 and 1:10.92.

“Bob and I talked about it. We thought there was a lot of speed in the race and we knew she had speed but I didn't want to be in a duel and not have anything to finish with,” said Velazquez. “I told Bob that if she has more speed, then I'm just going to let her go let her be in the lead. I wanted to give her a chance the first part of the race and everything was really easy until I got to the three-eighths pole. I kind of got on her a little bit and she bit into the bridle, so I said, 'alright we're going good'. At the quarter pole I pulled her to the clear and from then on it was pretty easy.”

“We turned her out after that Churchill Downs race (G2 Eight Belles in April, when she ran 12^th),” said Baffert. “We brought her back and she was fresh. That is what happens when you have two good fillies in the same race. The other didn't run good (Private Mission). She was not running at all. That's not her. Johnny V. got her (Kalypso) to relax. She has a tendency to go to fast. She was really relaxed today and she was one happy filly.”

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