Tag: keeper ofthe stars

Streaking Charmaine’s Mia Bidding For First Grade 1 In Gamely

Phil D'Amato's streaking Charmaine's Mia, in search of her fourth consecutive graded stakes win, heads a field of nine fillies and mares 3 and up in Monday's Grade 1, $300,000 Gamely Stakes at Santa Anita in Arcadia, Calif.  To be contested at 1 1/8 miles on turf, the Gamely, originally held at Hollywood Park, will be run for the 58th time on Monday.

One of three Grade 1 stakes, the Gamely could be the best betting race on a nine-race Memorial Day program, which kicks off with first post time at 1 p.m. PT.

The Richard Baltas-trained Going to Vegas and Brendan Walsh's French-bred La Signare lend considerable depth to the Gamely, which was won last year by Jonathan Wong's longshot Keeper Ofthe Stars, who will also suit up for this year's renewal.

A 2 ½-length winner of the G3, six-furlong turf Las Cienegas Stakes in her first start for D'Amato three races back on Jan. 9, Charmaine's Mia stretched out to victories going a mile on grass in both the G2 Buena Vista Stakes Feb. 20 and Royal Heroine on April 3.  Off as the 3-5 favorite in the Royal Heroine, Charmaine's Mia was in complete gate to wire control, winning by a half length.

A 5-year-old mare by top sprinter The Factor, Charmaine's Mia, who had been based at Woodbine Race Course prior to joining D'Amato's stable late last year, had only been around two turns once prior to winning the Buena Vista in what was her 26th career start.

Owned by Agave Racing Stable, Medallion Racing and Rockin Robin Racing Stables, Charmaine's Mia, who will be ridden for the third consecutive time by Flavien Prat, has earned three consecutive Beyer Speed Figures of 99, an overall mark of 28-7-4-2 and earnings of $472,976.

Ridden for the first time by Umberto Rispoli and a runaway 3 ¾-length winner of the G3 Santa Ana Stakes at a mile and one quarter on grass March 27, Going to Vegas appears to be in the best form of her career for Baltas and owners Abbondanza Racing, LLC, Medallion Racing and MyRacehorse.

With Rispoli set to ride her back, Going to Vegas, a 4-year-old filly by Goldencents, was claimed for $50,000 nine starts back, seeks her second stakes victory in the Gamely.  With an overall mark of 18-4-8-2, she has earnings of $283,751.

Third, beaten 2 ¼ lengths over a yielding turf in the G1 Jenny Wiley Stakes at Keeneland April 10, 6-year-old La Signare seeks her first graded stakes win since taking a G3 at 1 1/8 miles on grass at Belmont Park on June 7, 2018.  Often close but a winner of just one out of 13 starts since then, La Signare appears to be a dedicated deep closer that would certainly benefit from a lively pace.  Owned by Madaket Stables, LLC, Tim and Anna Cambron and Bradley Thoroughbreds, La Signare, who will be ridden for the first time by Mike Smith, is 17-3-2-4 overall with earnings of $345,576.

GRADE 1 GAMELY STAKES WITH JOCKEYS & WEIGHTS
IN POST POSITION ORDER

Race 9 of 9   Approximate post time 5 p.m. PT

  1. La Signare—Mike Smith—122
  2. Charmaine's Mia—Flavien Prat—124
  3. Raymundos Secret—Mario Gutierrez—124
  4. Going to Vegas—Umberto Rispoli—122
  5. Red Lark—Ricardo Gonzalez—124
  6. Keeper Ofthe Stars—Abel Cedillo—122
  7. Maxim Rate—Juan Hernandez—124
  8. Stela Star—Jose Valdivia, Jr.—122
  9. Bodhicitta—Trevor McCarthy—124

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

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Whisper Not Earns First Graded Victory In San Francisco Mile

Sent away the 7-5 favorite under Geovanni Franco, the 4-year-old Poet's Voice colt Whisper Not scored his first graded stakes victory in Saturday's $250,000, Grade 3 San Francisco Mile Stakes at Golden Gate Fields in Albany, Calif. The Grade 1-winning 5-year-old Midnight Lute mare Keeper Ofthe Stars was a stubborn second while taking on males, with Restrainedvengence third, Brown Storm fourth and Border Town fifth in the field of eight older runners.

Trained by Richard Baltas for  Electric City Racing, Madaket Stables, Christopher Dunn and Jeremy Peskoff, the English-bred Whisper Not paid $4.80 for the win, his fourth in a 10-race career that began in England in 2019. Whisper Not was purchased at a Tattersalls horses in training sale last August prior to being imported to the United States. He ran the mile on firm turf in 1:35.94.

Diamond Blitz, a 70-1 long shot who almost always races to a big early lead, ran to form, opening up a wide advantage from the outset while setting fractions of :23.51,  and :46.58 for the opening  half mile. Whisper Not and Keeper Ofthe Stars, along with Kiwi's Dream, raced in the next group some eight lengths behind in the run down the backstretch.

Rounding the far turn, those three inhaled Diamond Blitz, going six furlongs in 1:11.02, and Keeper Ofthe Stars seized a narrow advantage at the top of the stretch.

Franco kept to his task, drawing on even terms with Keeper Ofthe Stars with a furlong to run and inching past that one in the final yards to secure the win by a head. It was two lengths back to Restrainedvengence, who edged Brown Storm by a nose for third.

Trained in England by Richard Hannon, Whisper Not debuted for Baltas at Del Mar last Nov. 29, losing an optional claiming/allowance race by three-quarters of a length. he then ran a good third to Smooth Like Strait in the G2 Mathis Brothers Mile at Santa Anita Dec. 26. Returned to allowance company, Whisper Not finished second at Santa Anita Feb. 6, then won wire to wire over Rip City at Santa Anita on March 6.

Out of the Dansili mare, Poyle Meg, Whisper Not was bred in England by Cecil and Miss Alison Wiggins.

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Gold Rush Weekend Features $200,000 Guaranteed Late Pick 4 At Golden Gate Fields

Eight stakes races, led by the $250,000 Grade 3 San Francisco Mile, highlight the second annual Gold Rush Weekend this Saturday, April 24, and Sunday, April 25, at Golden Gate Fields. Both race cards have a first post of 12:45 PM PT.

A lengthy list of Southern California trainers sends horses to compete in stakes races throughout the weekend. Those names include Jeff Bonde, Val Brinkerhoff, Simon Callaghan, Neil Drysdale, Paddy Gallagher, Andrew Lerner, Richard Mandella, Michael McCarthy, Doug O'Neill, Peter Miller, Leonard Powell, and John Sadler. Jockeys who travel from Santa Anita to ride: Tyler Baze, Geovanni Franco, Ricky Gonzalez, and Edwin Maldonado.

“We're showcasing the deep and talented group of both horses and riders that play their trade in Northern California year-round, as well as a very strong contingent shipping up from Southern California,” said Vice President of Racing and Racing Secretary Patrick Mackey. “We appreciate and thank the connections for their support at the entry box. Our stakes coordinator Lisa Jones and the entire racing office put together great cards. Gold Rush Weekend will give horseplayers a bevy of wagering opportunities while showcasing our two tremendous racing surfaces.”

The main event of the weekend, the one-mile, $250,000 Grade 3 San Francisco Mile on turf for 3-year-olds and upward, runs as Race 9 this Saturday. Eight horses entered, including Grade 1 winners Ohio and Keeper Ofthe Stars, Grade 2 placed Whisper Not, 2020 All American Stakes winner Restrainedvengence, and Border Town, who ran third behind Grade 1 winner Hit the Road in February. Kiwi's Dream, who finished as the runner up in the San Francisco Mile last year, makes his second start off the year in the 2021 edition, and Brown Storm is one of six entrants on the Saturday program for Southern California conditioner Michael McCarthy. Likely pacesetter Diamond Blitz rounds out the group.

The San Francisco Mile is also the first leg of the Late Pick 4 sequence. The Late Pick 4, a 50-cent minimum wager featuring the last four races on each day's racecard, will have a guaranteed pool of $200,000 on both Saturday and Sunday.

Saturday's stakes action kicks off with Race 7, the Golden Poppy for filly and mare turf routers. 2020 Grade I Del Mar Oaks winner Red Lark searches for her first winners circle appearance since the aforementioned victory last summer. The most appealing local contenders, stake winners Northwest Factor and Sloane Garden, finished behind Keeper ofthe Stars on April 3 and return to stakes company.

Race 8, the $100,000 California Derby, is for 3-year-olds at one mile and a sixteenth on Tapeta. The headliner in the field of eight is Parnelli, exiting the Grade I Santa Anita Derby. On the local front, maiden winners Jimmy Irish and Tesoro have always been well regarded and face stakes competition, while California-bred Stalking Shadow goes against open company after scoring a victory in a local prep for the California Derby.

The $75,000 California Oaks, which goes as Race 10, drew a large field of eleven 3-year-old fillies. Irish import Styledome has won three consecutive races over an all-weather surface overseas and makes her United States debut for trainer Paddy Gallagher. Pizzazz ships north for Hall of Famer Richard Mandella and figures as a legit contender, too, and impressive maiden victors Ida Claire and Miss Peaky Blinder try winners for the first time.

The penultimate race on Saturday, the $75,000 Camilla Urso for filly and mare turf sprinters, was flooded with entries. Local contender Dynasty of Her Own has beaten the best female sprinters in Northern California and will surely get a class test from the Southern California invaders. Among them: Grade 2 placed Bohemian Bourbon and multiple allowance winner Storming Lady.

Saturday's racing action ends with Race 12, the $75,000 Lost in the Fog Stakes for main-track sprinters. Local contender Baja Sur seeks his third career Golden Gate Fields stakes win. Bettor Trip Nick, a multiple stakes winner himself, beat Baja Sur in an April 2 Golden Gate allowance and is also slated to run in the Saturday nightcap.

On Sunday's 11-race card, the co-featured Silky Sullivan and Campanile Stakes shine light on California-bred or sired 3-year-olds. Both races, run at one mile on turf, have a $75,000 purse. The Silky Sullivan is for colts and geldings and the Campanile is for fillies. Entries for the Sunday program will be drawn on Thursday afternoon.

Currently, Golden Gate Fields offers fans the chance to watch races on-site at a limited capacity. Those who wish to attend Gold Rush Weekend, or any live race day, can visit Goldengatefields.com and purchase tickets through the website. General Admission and walk-ups are not permitted at this time.

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Equibase Analysis: Keeper Ofthe Stars Able To Best Male Rivals In San Francisco Mile

This Saturday's Grade 3, $250,000 San Francisco Mile Stakes is a regularly anticipated feature during the Golden Gate Fields spring meeting. Not only is it a graded stakes with a quarter million dollar purse, it's sandwiched between a great trio of races with the California Derby preceding and the California Oaks following this race.

Five of the eight entrants in this year's San Francisco Mile ship up from Santa Anita in anticipation of victory. Among that group, the mare Keeper Ofthe Stars has some of the best credentials, having won the Grade 1 Gamely Stakes last May. She also sports a perfect three-for-three record on the Golden Gate turf course.

Ohio has won 11 races in his career for $639,298 in lifetime earnings, a good portion of that when winning the Grade 1 Frank E. Kilroe Mile in March of 2019. Restrainedvengence has banked $642,182 to lead the field in earnings, his wins including the Downs at Albuquerque Handicap last September.

Kiwi's Dream missed by a head when second in last year's San Francisco Mile and is a horse which has led through the opening half-mile in each of his last seven races. Whisper Not finished third in the Grade 2 Mathis Brothers Mile last December and enters the race off a sharp win at Santa Anita. Border Town finished third in the Grade 3 Thunder Road Stakes in February. Brown Storm is winless in six races since coming to the U.S. from South America and like Kiwi's Dream appears to be a need-the-lead type, as does Diamond Blitz, who is stepping way up in class after facing claiming level horses for the past two years.

Keeper Ofthe Stars checks all the boxes when it comes to predicting which horse has the highest probability to win this year's San Francisco Mile Stakes. A winner of six of 13 career starts on turf, the mare beat some of the top fillies and mares in the U.S. last year twice in a row, first when winning the Buena Vista Stakes in February at this mile trip with a 112 ™ Equibase® Speed Figure and second when taking the Gamely Stakes last May with a career-best 115 figure. After a couple of disappointing efforts in June and August, Keeper Ofthe Stars was given time off, returning in top form following eight months off to win on the Golden Gate turf three weeks ago. Having put together back-to-back wins twice in the last 18 months and with a lot of improving to do physically in her second start back from a layoff, this mare (who gets a five pound weight break versus her male rivals) is the one to beat.

Ohio also enters this race off a sharp effort in victory, winning the Cotton Fitzsimmons Mile Handicap at Turf Paradise for the third year in a row. With that win, Ohio brought his record at one mile on turf to seven for 20, including when victorious in the Frank E. Kilroe Mile at Santa Anita in March, 2019, with a career best 119 figure. In the fall of that year, Ohio finished second in the Berkeley Handicap at Golden Gate. His win in the Fitzsimmons Stakes came in his second start back following 10 months off so like Keeper Ofthe Stars, Ohio can be expected to improve off the 104 figure earned last time out and could give Keeper Ofthe Stars all she can handle in the stretch run.

Restrainedvengence is certainly no slouch, having earned more than any other horse in the field. His best effort may have been when beaten a head in the City of Hope Mile at Santa Anita in the fall of 2019 where he earned a 113 ™ figure, but he also ran just as well when capturing the All American Stakes last May at Golden Gate with a 112 figure. Like the other two top contenders, Restrainedvengence is likely to improve, having returned from five months off in March when sixth then running a much better race last month when second in the Santana Mile Stakes. Although he finished fourth in last year's San Francisco Mile, Restrainedvengence won his only other start on the Golden Gate turf course and must be respected as a contender to win in this year's race.

The rest of the field, with their best representative ™ Equibase® Speed Figures, is Border Town (109), Brown Storm (105), Diamond Blitz (96), Kiwi's Dream (112) and Whisper Not (109).

Win Contenders:
Keeper Ofthe Stars
Ohio (BRZ)
Restrainedvengence

San Francisco Mile Stakes – Grade 3
Race 9 at Golden Gate Fields
Saturday, April 24 – Post Time 7:45 PM E.T.
One Mile on Turf
Three Year Olds and Upward
Purse: $250,000

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