juan hernandez | Horse Racing Free Tips

Magic On Tap Holds Off Shooters Shoot In Triple Bend

With his well-fancied stablemate empty a furlong from home, Bob Baffert's Magic On Tap rallied three-deep to take Saturday's Grade 2, $200,000 Triple Bend Stakes by two lengths at Santa Anita in Arcadia, Calif. Ridden for the first time by Juan Hernandez, who collected his second consecutive stakes win on the day, Magic On Tap got seven furlongs in 1:23.54.

As expected, Baffert's Eight Rings, a Grade 1 stakes winner at age 2 and idle since Aug. 1, rocketed out of the gate under Flavien Prat, but was soon headed by Lambeau, who broke from post two with Edwin Maldonado.

This pair raced as a team into and around the far turn, with Magic On Tap sitting third, about a length off the lead a quarter mile out. From there, Lambeau dropped back at the rail and despite the fact he remained on his left lead, Magic On Tap gained the advantage in mid-stretch and went on to an impressive win in his sixth career start.

“My horse, he helped me a lot, he broke really sharp and I was behind the speed all the race then when I hit the quarter pole, I asked him to go and he responded really well,” said Hernandez, who was aboard for the first time today. “It looked like he was playing, he was looking around. He never changed leads. I asked him a couple of times and he didn't want to do it, so I let him alone because he kept running. It didn't matter if he changed leads or not, he just kept going.”

A 5-year-old full horse by Tapit, out of the Street Sense mare Aubby K, Magic On Tap, who is owned and bred in Kentucky by Summer Wind Equine, cut back in distance following a 23 ¾ length defeat in the G2 Californian Stakes going 1 1/8 miles at Santa Anita on April 17 and paid $13.20, $6.00 and $3.00 while off at 5-1 in a field of five older horses.

With his first stakes win in-hand, Magic On Tap banked $120,000 for his efforts and improved his overall mark to 6-3-2-0 while boosting his earnings to $228,800.

“I was afraid of a speed duel, where we would wear each other out,” said Baffert. “Eight Rings was coming off a layoff, so with fractions like that, it was crazy. I threw the other horse (Magic On Tap) in there. I was looking for an allowance race for the horse and then I decided to throw him into the stakes race.

“He is bred to be a good one. It was good to get a stakes win for him after he disappointed in the Californian. He is still a little green, but he has been working really well. I was disappointed for Eight Rings, but you gotta get the trip. I thought we could run one-two today.”

Trained by Peter Eurton and ridden by Umberto Rispoli, Shooters Shoot rallied from last to finish second at odds of 5-1 and paid $5.40 and $2.80 while finishing 1 ¾ lengths in front of Exaulted.

The second choice at 2-1 with Abel Cedillo, Exaulted paid $2.20 and finished 2 ¾ lengths in front of 8-5 favorite Eight Rings.

Fractions on the race were 22.10, 45.03 and 1:10.14.

(Hernandez won the previous race, the Grade II Charles Whittingham Stakes, with the David Hofmans-trained Award Winner).

First post time for a nine-race card on Sunday is at 1 p.m. For additional information, please visit santaanita.com or call (626) 574-RACE.

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Improving Award Winner Posts Charles Whittingham Upset; United Last As Favorite

With heavily favored United in deep water turning for home, Saturday's Grade 2, $200,000 Charles Whittingham Stakes at Santa Anita in Arcadia, Calif., boiled down to a pair of longshots – front-running Acclimate and up-and-coming Award Winner.

With Juan Hernandez at the controls, it was the John and Jerry Amerman homebred Award Winner who gradually overhauled the pacesetter and registered the huge head upset. Trained by David Hofmans, Award Winner got a mile and a quarter over Santa Anita's Camino Real Turf Course in 1:59.27.

Breaking from the rail in a field of four with a hillside start, jockey Ricky Gonzalez sent Acclimate to the lead out of the gate and was running strongly throughout, with a restrained Award Winner about three lengths off the lead heading into the far turn. With United laboring in third position, Award Winner set his sights on Acclimate and he gradually gained the advantage late.

“This was a really big win for us,” said Hernandez. “I knew that horse (Acclimate) had a lot of speed, so I let him go and my horse relaxed. I waited until the quarter pole and asked him one time and he really picked it up and made a huge move in the stretch. I was worried about the other horses, but they never touched us.”

A second condition allowance winner at a mile and one quarter on turf March 27, Award Winner, a 5-year-old gelding by Ghostzapper out of the Theatrical mare Devine Actress, was off at 6-1 and paid $15.40 and $7.80 with no show wagering.

Based in the Midwest through last summer, Award Winner made his first start for Hofmans on Jan. 8, a second place finish in a one mile turf allowance. With two wins from four starts at the current meeting, Award Winner is now 17-4-4-1 and with today's winner's purse of $120,000, he increased his earnings to $328,474.

“When he first got here, I didn't think he was gonna like it here,” said Hofmans. “But apparently, he liked it here better than he did back east. Something with the climate here, maybe he likes the warm weather, I don't know. From day-one, he just started blossoming.

“Each week he got stronger, he got heavier, he ate more and he was enjoying his training. I think it's just a change in location, which was important to him. I was so happy when John asked me to take the horse because I wanted to train (Devine Actress's offspring because they are all wonderful. It's kind of a dream come true.”

The lone California-bred in the lineup, Acclimate, a 7-year-old gelding that is trained by Phil D'Amato, ran a sensational race in defeat, finishing 2 1/2 lengths in front of Red King. Off at 9-1, Acclimate paid $12.40 to place.

The prohibitive 1-5 favorite, United never got untracked and checked in last, beaten five lengths with Flavien Prat up.

Fractions on the race were 23.00, 46.66, 1:10.67 and 1:35.34.

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Juan Hernandez Voted Jockey Of The Week With Seven Victories

With a determined stretch run aboard Neige Blanche (FR), Juan J. Hernandez won the Grade 3 Santa Barbara Stakes to earn Jockey of the Week for May 3 through May 9. The award, which is voted on by a panel of racing experts, is for jockeys who are members of the Jockeys' Guild, the organization which represents more than 950 active riders in the United States as well as retired and permanently disabled jockeys.

Given a leg up by trainer Leonard Powell, Hernandez rode Neige Blanche (FR) for just the second time in the Santa Barbara Stakes after a fourth place finish in the Grade 3 Santa Ana Stakes in March. In a field of seven fillies and mares three-years-old and up, Neige Blanche (FR), which translates to white snow in English, managed to just get up at the wire over Rideforacause in a thrilling renewal of the 1-1/2 mile marathon on the Santa Anita downhill turf course. The final time was 2:28.01.

“It was really close, it could probably go both ways, 50-50, inside or outside and thanks to my filly, we got it,” said Hernandez who chalked up his third win of the day and his seventh stakes win. “It was better, because last time I think we were a little too close to the pace and today, I was a little bit more (relaxed). Two horses in front of me and she relaxed pretty well. Around the quarter pole, when I asked her to go, she responded really well.”

Hernandez, 28 years old, was born in Perote, Veracruz, Mexico where he started his riding career also riding in Puerto Rico. He came to northern California in 2010 and established himself at Golden Gate Fields winning numerous riding titles. He shifted his tack permanently to southern California last summer during the Los Alamitos Thoroughbred meeting. He is currently in second place behind Flavien Prat at the Winter/Spring Santa Anita meeting.

Hernandez's weekly stats were 15-7-1-1 with a 46.6 win percentage and 60 percent in-the-money. His total purse earnings for the week were $256,680.

For Jockey of the Week, Hernandez out polled David Cabrera who was the leading rider by number of wins, Santiago Gonzalez who was second in number of wins, Joel Rosario who was the leading jockey by purses won and John Velazquez who won the Grade 1 Man o' War.

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Neige Blanche Noses Out Rideforthecause In Santa Barbara

All in while three deep a quarter mile from home, French-bred Neige Blanche managed to nip Rideforthecause by a scant nose after a marathon mile and one half on turf in Saturday's Grade 3, $100,000 Santa Barbara Stakes at Santa Anita in Arcadia, Calif. Ridden by Juan Hernandez and trained by native Frenchman Leonard Powell, Neige Blanche, which translates to white snow in English, registered her first North American stakes win while stopping the clock in 2:28.01.

Starting mid-way up Santa Anita's legendary hillside turf course, heavily favored Tapwater, with Flavien Prat up, appeared to be in firm control on the lead as longshot Star of Africa tracked her in second, about one length off the lead as they crossed under the wire for the first time.

Turning up the backside, Tapwater maintained her one length edge, but Hernandez had a handful of horse, about three off the lead heading to the far turn and in a thriller, gained joint command along with Rideforthecause a sixteenth of a mile out as Tapwater faded late to run third.

“It was really close, it could probably go both ways, 50-50, inside or outside and thanks to my filly, we got it,” said Hernandez who chalked up his third win on the day and his seventh stakes win. “It was better, because last time (a fourth place finish in the Grade III Santa Ana Stakes March 27) I think we were a little too close to the pace and today, I was a little bit more (relaxed). Two horses in front of me and she relaxed pretty well. Around the quarter pole, when I asked her to go, she responded really well.”

A Group 3 winner in her final French start on June 6, 2020, but winless in four stateside starts, Neige Blanche was off at 5-1 in a field of seven fillies and mares three and up and paid $13.40, $7.00 and $3.60.

“No, honestly, I thought the inside got it,” said Powell when asked if he thought he had won the tight photo finish, in which Neige Blanche was positioned outside the runner-up. “If we were going to be in front, it was going to have to be a lucky bob and it was a lucky bob. Today, she proved that she belongs and that she was worth the investment. I want to thank the partners, Madaket Stables, Marsha Naify and (Laura) De Seroux for trusting us with her.”

A 4-year-old filly by Anodin out of the Muhtathir mare Bianca Neve, Neige Blanche now has four wins from 11 starts and with the winner's share of $60,000, increased her earnings to $177,112.

In a gut wrenching defeat, Rideforthecause, ridden by Mario Gutierrez, finished 1 ¾ lengths in front of Tapwater and paid $6.20 and $3.40 while off at 6-1.

Trained by Richard Mandella, Tapwater was off at even money and paid $2.40 to show.

Fractions on the race were 23.72, 48.08, 1:13.56, 1:39.27 and 2:03.80.

Racing resumes with a nine-race card on Sunday with first post time at 1 p.m.

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