juan hernandez | Horse Racing Free Tips

Pharoah Colt Forbidden Kingdom Denies Baffert Trio In San Vicente; San Felipe Next

In a thoroughly dominant performance, trainer Richard Mandella's Forbidden Kingdom blasted off from the gate and never looked back en route to a 2 ¼ length victory in Saturday's Grade 2, $200,000 San Vicente Stakes at Santa Anita. Ridden by Juan Hernandez, the chestnut son of American Pharoah got seven furlongs in 1:22.75 and stamped himself a candidate for the Grade 1, $750,000 Santa Anita Derby on April 9.

Fresh off a troubled second place finish going seven furlongs in the G3 Bob Hope Stakes Nov. 14 at Del Mar, Forbidden Kingdom made no mistakes today from his rail post position as he carved out sizzling splits of 21.86, 44.49 and 1:09.31.

“He's as quick as they come,” said Mandella, who indicated he would stretch Forbidden Kingdom out to a mile and one sixteenth in the Grade 2, $400,000 San Felipe Stakes here on March 5. “In his last race, he tore a piece of his foot off (after stumbling at the start) and then we had a quarter crack. We had to fix it up and it is good and we hope it stays good.

“We'll have to try two turns down the road here. He's gotten better about everything. He was so professional today, everything went well. He used to get a little antsy in the gate. He's stumbled a few times.”

With odds-on favorite Doppelganger running a disappointing fourth, Forbidden Kingdom was never at any point challenged. Off at 7-2, he paid $9.80, $4.00 and $4.40.

“He has a lot of speed and sometimes he just runs off, but today he was a little different horse,” said Hernandez, who has ridden Forbidden Kingdom in all four of his starts. “It looked like he settled down a little bit more, so that helped a lot…He was really happy and comfortable there, so I just let him run.

“I felt at the quarter pole the other horses were coming from behind, so I just tapped him on the shoulder and I felt how he responded back, he never stopped.”

Owned by MyRacehorse and Spendthrift Farm, LLC, Forbidden Kingdom, who is out of the Five Star Day mare Just Louise, picked up $120,000 for the win, increasing his earnings to $194,000 while notching his second win.

Bob Baffert stablemates Pinehurst and McLaren Vale ran two-three, separated by neck. Pinehurst, who sat second the entire trip, was off at 9-5 and paid $3.00 and $3.60 with Mike Smith up.

Ridden by Abel Cedillo, McLaren Vale, who sat third throughout, finished a neck clear of stablemate Doppelganger and paid $4.80 to show while off at 8-1.

Ridden by Flavien Prat, Doppelganger, an impressive first-out maiden winner going six furlongs at Los Alamitos Dec. 11, never threatened for the win but hit his best stride late while finishing 20 lengths clear of longshot What in Blazes.

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Juan Hernandez Voted Jockey Of The Week After Santa Anita Stakes Double

Two stakes victories at Santa Anita including the only graded stakes of the week nationally earned the honor of Jockey of the Week for Juan Hernandez. The honor, 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 1050 active, retired and permanently disabled jockeys in the United States.

On Saturday, Juan Hernandez had the mount on Brickyard Ride for trainer Craig Lewis in the Don Valpredo California Cup Sprint for 4-year-olds and up, one of five Cal-bred stakes on Cal Cup Day. With Hernandez putting Brickyard Ride's speed to good use from post position three in the field of eight, they showed the way up the backstretch and drew away in upper stretch to a 1 3/4-length win in 1:09.54 for six furlongs. It was Hernandez's second win of the day. Off as the favorite, Brickyard Ride paid $5.40, $3.80 and $2.60.

“Craig told me to just let him run,” said Hernandez speaking to the Santa Anita publicity team. “He broke really sharp and he was ready today. Once I was on the lead that was it, I just let him run. I felt the pace was a little fast, but that is fine for a horse like him.”

Monday's holiday card featured the Grade 3 Astra Stakes with Hernandez riding the French-bred Neige Blanche for trainer Leonard Powell. The race was transferred from the hillside turf course to a flat start on the backstretch. Sent off as the heavy favorite in the field of five, Neige Blanche found herself bottled up on the rail with her four rivals in front of her. Hernandez called on Neige Blanche once a seam opened up turning for home and overtook Disappearing Act with Flavien Prat in the stretch to win the one and one-half mile marathon in 2:32.27. She paid $2.60 to win.

“The trip worked out pretty good for her because she likes to run like that,” said Hernandez, who has now ridden Neige Blanche in her last seven races, winning four of them. “I put a lot of trust in her and in Leonard to have her ready. I felt like I had a lot of horse. We were waiting for something to open up. She's a nice filly, she was ready today.”

Weekly statistics for Hernandez were 17-5-2-3 and total purse earnings of $338,560. He currently is in third place in the Santa Anita jockey standings with 13 win and just over $1 million in purse earnings.

Hernandez outpolled fellow riders Armando Ayuso with a 40 percent win rate, Arnaldo Bocachica also with a 40 percent win rate, Flavien Prat who was leading jockey with total and stakes purse earnings, and Luis Saez with a stakes win at Gulfstream Park.

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Neige Blanche Rallies For Astra Stakes Win As Trainer Powell Mourns Loss Of His Father

Bottled up at the rail as the 1-5 favorite, French-bred Neige Blanche and jockey Juan Hernandez had but one option – wait out the storm. And wait they did, as the 5-year-old mare was able to finally split horses two from the rail turning for home and then overcome a 2 ½-length deficit a furlong out to run down Flavien Prat and Disappearing Act by one length in Monday's Grade 3, $125,000 Astra Stakes at Santa Anita in Arcadia, Calif.

Trained by French native Leonard Powell, Neige Blanche (White Snow) got a marathon mile and one half on firm turf in 2:32.27.

With the Astra start transferred earlier in the day because of rain from the hillside course to a flat start on the backstretch, Frose bounded out to an early lead with Disappearing Act and Neige Blanche in close attendance. With nowhere to go with five sixteenths of a mile remaining, Neige Blanche had to bide her time while the back markers, Reiwa and Scherzo actually passed her approaching the quarter pole.

“The trip worked out pretty good for her because she likes to run like that,” said Hernandez, who has now ridden Neige Blanche in her last seven races, winning four of them. “Just put her behind horses and she was happy the whole race. I was just waiting for some space to come through and make her run, because as soon as she finds (room), you just put her in there and she just comes right through like she did today.

“I put a lot of trust in her and in Leonard to have her ready. I felt like I had a lot of horse. We were just waiting for something to open up. She's a nice filly, she was ready today.”

A winner of the G3 Red Carpet Handicap going 1 3/8 miles on turf at Del Mar Nov. 25, Neige Blanche, heavily favored in a field of five older mares, paid $2.60, $2.10 and $2.10.

Owned by Madaket Stables, LLC, Laura De Seroux, Marsha Naify and Mathilde Powell, Neige Blanche registered her third graded stakes win and fourth overall added money win, running her overall mark to 16-7-0-3. With the winner's share of $75,000, she increased her earnings to $390,280.

“I was cursing my country and (fellow Frenchman) Flavien a little bit to open the hole, but she was there when Juan asked her and she's a very game filly, she's all-out,” said Powell, who suffered the recent loss of his father, a prominent bloodstock agent in France. “In the first of the spring, we have races here (at Santa Anita) that are spaced apart four or five weeks, so we will do that and if she does well, maybe we will try to look at a Grade 1 somewhere down the road.

When asked by TVG's Joaquin Jaime about the death of his father, Powell responded, “My father has done a lot for racing in France, and me being here is part of him. And my daughter (Mathilde) being here, that's another part of him. My brothers and stepbrother back in France, we all live on with all that he told us. He was a great man to all and I hope we make him proud.”

The second choice with Prat at 3-1, Disappearing Act nearly pulled off the upset, finishing six lengths clear of English-bred Scherzo and paid $2.80 and $2.10.

Last early, Scherzo, who shipped in from Golden Gate Fields for trainer Manny Badilla, was off at 22-1 with Kyle Frey up and paid $3.60 to show while finishing 2 ¼ lengths in front of early pacesetter Frose.

Fractions on the race were 25.99, 51.35, 1:16.99, 1:42.70 and 2:08.06.

Live racing resumes with first post time for an eight-race card on Friday at 12:30 p.m.

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Brickyard Ride Returns A Winner In Don Valpredo California Cup Sprint

Perhaps the fastest horse on the grounds, the Alfred Pais-homebred Brickyard Ride blasted off from his number three post position and never looked back as he marched to a 1 ¾ length score in Saturday's $150,000 Don Valpredo California Cup Sprint at Santa Anita. Ridden by Juan Hernandez, Brickyard Ride, idle since well beaten going seven furlongs in the Grade 2 Pat O'Brien Stakes at Del Mar on Aug. 28, got six furlongs in 1:09.54 while successfully defending his Cal Cup Sprint title.

Although a well-meant Letsgetlucky applied serious pressure into and around the far turn, Brickyard Ride got the separation he needed leaving the quarter pole and he enjoyed a three length advantage a furlong from home in a dominant performance.

“Craig told me to just let him run,” said Hernandez, who picked up his second win on the day. “He broke really sharp and he was ready today. I could tell he came to run because at the (break) he was trying to get the lead. Once I was on the lead that was it, I just let him run. I felt the pace was a little fast, but that is fine for a horse like him.”

The defending champ in the Cal Cup Sprint, Brickyard Ride, a 5-year-old chestnut horse by Clubhouse Ride, notched his fourth stakes victory and ninth overall from 19 starts. Off as the 8-5 favorite in a field of eight older horses bred or sired in California, Brickyard Ride paid $5.40, $3.80 and $2.60.

“I thought he ran great off the layoff,” said Lewis. “He's an extremely talented horse. He's very fast and I'm very happy with the result. We hope we're on to bigger and better things…Clubhouse Ride is really making a name for himself as a stud in California and we just hope there's some more coming. We are anxiously awaiting the arrival of some Clubhouse Ride 2-year-olds. This may be a lot to ask for, but we hope there's another Brickyard Ride in there.”

Out of the Southern Image mare Brickyard Helen, Brickyard Ride banked $90,000 on the day, increasing his earnings to $560,977.

Mid-pack early, Positivity finished well to be second, 1 ¾ lengths better than Letsgetlucky. Off at 4-1 with Flavien Prat, Positivity paid $4.40 and $3.00.

The second choice at 5-2 with Drayden Van Dyke, Letsgetlucky, in a big effort, finished third by three quarters of length over Principe Carlo and paid $2.80 to show.

Fractions on the race were 21.71, 44.15 and 56.58.

The Don Valpredo Cal Cup Sprint was carded as race nine and was the fourth of five stakes for California-bred of sired horses on a 10-race Cal Cup day program.

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