juan hernandez | Horse Racing Free Tips

Hernandez, D’Amato, Reddam Among Hollywood Meet Leaders

Juan Hernandez, Phil D'Amato and Paul and Zillah Reddam's Reddam Racing emerged as the leaders in the jockey, trainer and owner divisions, respectively, during Santa Anita's Hollywood Meet, which concluded a 28-day run at the Los Angeles area oval Sunday, June 18.

With a Sunday three-timer, emerging talent Hernandez continued his stranglehold on the Southern California jockeys' premiership, as he booted home 42 winners during the meeting. Hernandez, whose closing-day victories included the ride aboard new 'TDN Rising Star' Muth (Good Magic), saluted in 10 added-money events, five more than Hector Berrios.

D'Amato sent out 17 winners at the Hollywood Meet, besting Doug O'Neill (15) and Mark Glatt (14). D'Amato was also the leading conditioner during the Classic meeting at the track and is now the owner of five Santa Anita training titles overall. His five stakes victories were one better than Richard Mandella and Bob Baffert.

Reddam Racing runners posted seven wins from 38 starters–two better than Hronis Racing LLC.

“We certainly want to thank our horseplayers, owners, trainers, jockeys, backstretch workers and the thousands of people that help us put on the show that is live racing,” said Santa Anita Senior Vice President and General Manager Nate Newby. “We are extremely proud of our safety record this year and we want to acknowledge this progress is the result of a true team effort from all stakeholders.”

With the winter and spring meetings in the books, officials at Santa Anita turn their attention to the fall and the Breeders' Cup World Championships, which pay another visit to Arcadia this coming November.

“Looking ahead to the fall, it is indeed a great honor to be able to host the Breeders' Cup for an 11th time and preparations will begin tomorrow,” said Newby. “We'll be offering our on-track fans a number of improvements, including a pair of brand new high resolution big screen televisions in the paddock which among many other things, will help to ensure the Great Race Place continues to look spectacular.”

Racing returns to Santa Anita Friday, Sept. 29.

The post Hernandez, D’Amato, Reddam Among Hollywood Meet Leaders appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Defunded Takes Them Coast To Coast in Gold Cup

Caught late and forced to settle for second when racing for Sean McCarthy in last year's GI Hollywood Gold Cup, Mike Pegram, Karl Watson and Paul Weitman's Defunded (Dialed In) wrested command of the 2023 iteration soon after the start and led past every pole to give trainer Bob Baffert a ninth victory in the event, breaking a tie with the legendary Charlie Whittingham for the most wins in the history of the race.

Favored at 3-5, the chestnut broke well and took his five rivals along at a comfortable gallop, covering the opening four furlongs in :47.59 while being kept company by longshot Piroli (Battle of Midway). Kiss Today Goodbye (Cairo Prince) ranged up three wide turning up the backstretch and there would be no further change in the order in what became very much a merry-go-round race through the six furlongs in 1:11.83. Niggled along by Juan Hernandez nearing the stretch while given no breather by a very stubborn Piroli, Defunded led narrowly into the stretch, turned away the race-long challenge of Piroli at the furlong grounds and maintained a safe margin to the wire. The winner's stablemate and 2021 Gold Cup hero Country Grammer (Tonalist) bobbled a bit at the break from the inside stall, settled and chased from fourth throughout and never offered any sort of winning bid.

“I would have like to seen Country Grammer second and run 1-2, but Defunded is a tough horse,” said Baffert, whose won his first Gold Cup with Pegram's GI Kentucky Derby winner Real Quiet (Quiet American) nearly a quarter-century ago. “This horse today he got the lead and he wasn't going to let anybody pass him. He is just improving and getting better. I was happy to see him get a mile and a quarter.”

The 10 furlongs of the Gold Cup had proved a task too tall for Defunded previously, as he was second after setting a much sharper pace in last year's renewal and met a similar fate in the GI Santa Anita H. this past March, where he couldn't quite last and settled for third. Having made the 2022 GI Awesome Again S. his first graded win last October, he added a facile score in Del Mar's GIII Native Diver S. and was second to Art Collector (Bernardini) in the GI Pegasus World Cup in January. Defunded was a latest winner as the 1-5 mortal of the Apr. 22 GII Calfornian S.

Pedigree Notes:

Defunded's dam, a $31,000 Keeneland September yearling, punched well above her weight in winning five times while placing in a similar number of black-type races and bankrolling nearly $195,000.

Having produced four foals, Wind Caper was not mated in 2016 and fetched $37,000 from Athens Woods at that year's Keeneland November Sale. The stakes-winning second dam Wind Tunnel was a half-sister to Grade III winner Reunited (Dixie Union), the dam of GI Runhappy Travers S. and GI Jockey Club Gold Cup winner and GI Kentucky Derby runner-up Code of Honor (Noble Mission {GB}).

Wind Caper is also the dam of the 3-year-old filly Capital Lights (Lookin At Lucky) and a 2-year-old full-sister to Defunded. That filly, named Ringy Dingy, was a $200,000 purchase by Oracle Bloodstock out of last year's Fasig-Tipton October Sale and breezed a half-mile over the Oklahoma training track at Saratoga in :50.12 (12/30) May 26.

Monday, Santa Anita
HOLLYWOOD GOLD CUP S.-GI, $400,500, Santa Anita, 5-29, 3yo/up, 1 1/4m, 2:02.85, ft.
1–DEFUNDED, 124, g, 5, by Dialed In
                1st Dam: Wind Caper (MSP, $194,286), by Touch Gold
                2nd Dam: Wind Tunnel, by Summer Squall
                3rd Dam: Tivli, by Mt. Livermore
($210,000 Ylg '19 KEESEP). O-Michael E. Pegram, Karl Watson
and Paul Weitman; B-Athens Woods LLC (KY); T-Bob Baffert;
J-Juan J. Hernandez. $240,000. Lifetime Record: 17-7-4-2,
$1,588,100. *1/2 to Lookin At Roses (Lookin At Lucky), SP,
$296,510. Werk Nick Rating: A+++. *Triple Plus*
Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Piroli, 122, g, 4, Battle of Midway–Phonybooksnrecords, by
Tapit. 1ST BLACK TYPE, 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE, 1ST G1
BLACK TYPE. O/B-Don Alberto Corporation (KY); T-Michael W.
McCarthy. $80,000.
3–Kiss Today Goodbye, 122, h, 6, Cairo Prince–Savvy Hester, by
Heatseeker (Ire). 1ST G1 BLACK TYPE. ($150,000 Ylg '18
KEEJAN). O-Sondereker Racing LLC; B-Debmar Stables (KY);
T-J. Eric Kruljac. $48,000.
Margins: 1, 3 1/4, HF. Odds: 0.60, 28.30, 37.30.
Also Ran: Country Grammer, Senor Buscador, Yes This Time.
Click for the Equibase.com chart and the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

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Exaulted Stays Perfect On Turf, Secures BC Mile Berth in Shoemaker Mile

Sent off the 3-1 second favorite to maintain a perfect record in four starts since switching to the grass just after the turn of the calendar, C R K Stable's Exaulted (Twirling Candy) was forwardly placed behind a pair of longshot leaders, got first crack at them into the stretch and kicked home smartly to win the GI Shoemaker Mile Monday at Santa Anita and with it, a fees-paid berth into the GI FanDuel Breeders' Cup Mile over the course and distance in November.

Away smoothly for Juan Hernandez, the $77,000 Keeneland November weanling turned $200,000 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga yearling was taken hold of and sat third as Lamplighter Jack (Fed Biz) came across from his high draw to set the pace while prompted by fellow outside Flavius (War Front). Clocking that pair on the backstretch run, Exaulted was waited with into the final half-mile and was nudged along three wide around the far turn while zeroing in on the leaders. Lamplighter Jack called it a day, leaving Flavius along up front for a stride or two entering the stretch, but Exaulted rolled up to lead approaching the eighth pole and came home gamely to score nicely. Irideo (Arg) (Easing Along) weaved his way through traffic to be second at 41-1, while favored Hong Kong Harry (Ire) (Es Que Love {Ire}) was short of racing room when the real running was about to begin and did well to be third.

“This horse has been improving every race,” said meet-leading rider Hernandez. “He is always in a good position. He broke really sharp today and I took him back. At the three eighths, I asked him to pick it up and it was time to go. I passed a horse to get the lead and he didn't let other horses pass him.”

Having run big numbers in his first three starts, Exaulted broke his maiden in optional claiming company in February 2021, but that proved his lone victory from 11 tries on the dirt to go with third placings in the GII San Carlos S. and GII Triple Bend S. The bay switched to the grass this past January, winning allowance tests at a mile Jan. 2 and Feb. 5 before accounting for Irideo in the GIII American S. Apr. 2.

Pedigree Notes:

Exaulted is an eighth Grade I winner for Lane's End's Twirling Candy and is one of five winners out of a half-sister to GIII Arlington-Washington Lassie S. victress Wonderlandbynight (Sky Mesa). The latter's half-sister Ada Clare (Forest Wildcat) is the dam of five winners–four of which are by Twirling Candy–including the stakes-placed Big Boy Candy. Gilded Time, who was represented by GII Triple Bend S. winner Spirit of Makena (Ghostzapper) May 27, is now the broodmare sire of nine worldwide Grade I/Group 1 winners. Gilded Miracle passed away in 2019 at the age of 15.

Monday, Santa Anita
SHOEMAKER MILE S.-GI, $503,000, Santa Anita, 5-29, 3yo/up, 1mT, 1:34.08, fm.
1–EXAULTED, 122, h, 6, by Twirling Candy
1st Dam: Gilded Miracle, by Gilded Time
2nd Dam: Onemiracleatatime, by Gulch
3rd Dam: Katie Love, by Manila
1ST GRADE I WIN. ($77,000 Wlg '17 KEENOV; $200,000 Ylg '18
FTSAUG). O-C R K Stable LLC; B-Jack Swain (KY); T-Peter
Eurton; J-Juan J. Hernandez. $300,000. Lifetime Record:
15-5-3-4, $603,660. Werk Nick Rating: F.
Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Irideo (Arg), 122, g, 7, Easing Along–Infiltrada (Arg), by
Footstepsinthesand (GB). O/B-Pozo de Luna (Arg); T-Marcelo
Polanco. $100,000.
3–Hong Kong Harry (Ire), 124, g, 6, Es Que Love (Ire)–Vital Body
(Fr), by Gold Away (Ire). (£185,000 RNA 4yo '21 GOFFLN;
85,000gns 4yo '21 TATAHI). O-Scott Anastasi, Jimmy Ukegawa
and Tony Valazza; B-Amarath Business Management (Ire);
T-Philip D'Amato. $60,000.
Margins: HF, 1, 1. Odds: 3.10, 41.70, 1.60.
Also Ran: Il Bellator, Cabo Spirit, Du Jour, Gold Phoenix (Ire), Balnikhov (Ire), Salesman (Ire), Flavius, Lamplighter Jack.
Click for the Equibase.com chart and the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

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Hernandez, D’Amato Top Santa Anita Standings

Juan Hernandez was the leading rider and Phil D'Amato topped the trainer's list at Santa Anita's 43-day Classic Meet, which concluded Sunday. Tim and Mark Cohen's Rancho Temescal and Red Baron's Barn were the meet's leading owners.

Hernandez, a 31-year-old native of Veracruz, Mexico won four races on opening day and never slowed down, adding two races on closing day Sunday to give him 63 victories for the meet, more than double that of runner-up Flavien Prat's 31.

In the all-important stakes-won category, it was Hernandez leading Prat 13 to 11, helping him to top all riders by purse money-won with $4,672,374.

D'Amato won 32 races, five better than Bob Baffert and D'Amato finished with 11 stakes wins, second to Baffert's 12.

A 57-year-old native of San Pedro, CA, D'Amato earned his third consecutive Classic Meet (formerly Winter/Spring) title and his fourth overall at Santa Anita.

The Cohen family's Rancho Temescal and Red Baron's Barn won 13 races, five of them stakes.

Santa Anita's first-ever Hollywood Meet will open Apr. 21 and run through June 18.

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