Santa Anita’s Friday Program Canceled

With training suspended since Sunday due to historic rainfall from a series of storms, Santa Anita Park, in consultation with its horsemen, postponed Friday's nine-race card to give time for horses to return to a normal routine before this weekend's races. The Friday races will be offered back next Thursday. Per CHRB rules, they will be re-drawn when entries are taken this Saturday.

“With training suspended for the last four days, per the CHRB protocols only joggers will be allowed on Thursday and we return to regular training Friday morning,” said Nate Newby, Santa Anita Senior Vice President and General Manager. “Many of our trainers and horse owners have conveyed they would prefer an extra day for their horses to resume training before we race this weekend.

“Dennis Moore and his maintenance team have done a terrific job taking care of the track. We got over 10 inches of rain since Sunday afternoon, but the forecast looking forward is very good. We're confident that the main track and the turf course, especially with the improved drainage that was installed last year, will be in excellent condition ready when racing resumes on Saturday.”

With a favorable weather forecast, Saturday's races, which are being drawn Wednesday morning, will include a trio of Grade III stakes: the $100,000 Las Virgenes S., the $100,000 San Marcos S. and the $100,000 Palos Verdes S.

The post Santa Anita’s Friday Program Canceled appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Girvin’s Faiza Stays Perfect in Las Virgenes

A $725,000 Fasig-Tipton Midlantic grad, Faiza (Girvin) already had lofty expectations by the time she entered the starting gate for the first time Nov. 12. A popular choice at the betting windows, she put on a 3 1/2-length winning performance that day worthy of a 'TDN Rising Star' tag and immediately backed that form up with a narrow win next time out over familiar foe Pride of the Nile (Pioneerof the Nile) in the GI Starlet S. at Los Alamitos Dec. 10.

In a field that included the top three out of that Starlet S., as well as fellow 'Rising Star' Justique (Justify), Faiza drew the inside gate but was out-sprinted into the first turn by a pair of rivals to her outside in Sweet Trouble (Into Mischief) and Broadway Girls (Army Mule). Taken back third off that duo as the field strung out down the backstretch, Faiza stayed in contention before shifting to the outside to steadily gain until she was on even terms with Broadway Girls. Still making progress as the top trio came around the far turn, she came within a neck of Sweet Trouble at the head of the lane despite drifting out a bit and dug in gamely down the stretch to keep a closing Pride of the Nile at bay in a repeat of the Starlet exacta.

“I'd like to thank Bob Baffert and the owner for the opportunity and support,” said winning jockey Ramon Vazquez, who was aboard Faiza for the first time today with regular rider Flavien Prat away to ride today at Oaklawn Park. “I wanted to get out in the clear and put my filly in a good position.  She's a nice filly, when I asked her, she responded really well.  She's amazing.”

Pedigree Notes:

By top-five freshman sire Girvin–also the sire of fellow 'Rising Star' Damon's Mound–Faiza was her sire's first Grade I winner. Her second dam, MGSW & GISP Pomeroys Pistol (Pomeroy), is also responsible for MGSW and Spendthrift stallion Thousand Words (Pioneerof the Nile). Sweet Pistol saw her 2-year-old by Cairo Prince realize $160,000 at last year's Keeneland September Sale and she has a yearling filly by Complexity still to race as well.

Saturday, Santa Anita
LAS VIRGENES S.-GIII, $200,500, Santa Anita, 1-28, 3yo, f, 1m,
1:38.46, ft.
1–FAIZA, 124, f, 3, by Girvin
          1st Dam: Sweet Pistol, by Smart Strike
          2nd Dam: Pomeroys Pistol, by Pomeroy
          3rd Dam: Prettyatthetable, by Point Given
'TDN Rising Star'. ($90,000 Ylg '21 FTKJUL; $725,000 2yo '22 EASMAY).
O-Michael Lund Petersen; B-Brereton C. Jones (KY); T-Bob
Baffert; J-Ramon A. Vazquez. $120,000. Lifetime Record:
GISW, 3-3-0-0, $342,000. Werk Nick Rating: B+. Click for the
eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree or free Equineline.com
catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Pride of the Nile, 122, f, 3, Pioneerof the Nile–Inny Minnie,
by Hard Spun. ($140,000 Ylg '21 KEESEP). O-West Coast
Stables, LLC; B-Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings LLC (KY);
T-Doug F. O'Neill. $40,000.
3–Justique, 120, f, 3, Justify–Grazie Mille, by Bernardini.
($725,000 Ylg '21 KEESEP). O-C R K Stable LLC; B-John D.
Gunther & Eurowest Bloodstock (KY); T-John A. Shirreffs.
$24,000. 'TDN Rising Star'.
Margins: HF, 2HF, HF. Odds: 1.00, 3.60, 2.40.
Also Ran: Sweet Trouble, Uncontrollable, Broadway Girls.
Click for the Equibase.com chart or the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO,
sponsored by TVG.
 

The post Girvin’s Faiza Stays Perfect in Las Virgenes appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Baffert Stablemates Top Field For Sunday’s Las Virgenes

A rousing 12 length maiden special weight winner going a flat mile in her most recent start, Michael Lund Petersen's Adare Manor looms a short price favorite versus four sophomore fillies at the same distance in Sunday's Grade 3, $200,000 Las Virgenes Stakes at Santa Anita.

An important steppingstone to both the G2 Santa Anita Oaks on April 9 and the Kentucky Oaks May 7, the Las Virgenes winner will be awarded 10 Kentucky Oaks qualifying points, with four, two and one point awarded to the next three finishers. However, fillies trained by Bob Baffert (Adare Manor and Eda) are not eligible for Oaks points due to Churchill Downs' ban of the Hall of Fame trainer.

A disappointing fourth as the 3-5 favorite in her second start going 6 ½ furlongs two starts back on Nov. 20 at Del Mar, Adare Manor, a filly by Uncle Mo, put it all together when she stretched out for the first time in a thoroughly dominant gate to wire performance here on Jan. 7.

Trained by Bob Baffert, Adare Manor, who earned a Las Virgenes best last-out Beyer Speed Figure of 92, will be ridden back by John Velazquez in what will be her fourth career start.

Owned by Baoma Corporation, Baffert will also send out Eda, who pressed the pace throughout en route to a hard fought half length win in the G1 Starlet Stakes at Los Alamitos Dec. 4. A winner of a pair of ungraded sprint stakes, the Anoakia on Oct. 24 at Santa Anita and the Desi Arnaz on Nov. 13 at Del Mar, Eda tried two turns for the first time in the Starlet and earned a 76 Beyer with Juan Hernandez up, who will ride back on Sunday.

The leading money earner in the field with $370,000 and a winner of four out of her six starts, Eda will likely stalk her well fancied stablemate Adare Manor and hope that she can run her down late.

Off as the 4-5 favorite in her first start here on Jan. 1, Peter Eurton's Queen of Thorns ran to the betting, as she galloped by eight lengths going six furlongs while earning a 73 Beyer. A bay filly by Violence, Queen of Thorns, who is owned by Exline-Border Racing, LLC, Richard Hausman, William Hudock and Susanna Wilson, was purchased for $300,000 out of a Florida 2-year-old in training sale last April. With leading man Flavien Prat back aboard, Queen of Thorns should be well supported in her second career start.

Unbeaten in two starts on dirt by a combined 37 ¼ lengths in Lethbridge, Alberta Canada, Gracelund Gray made a favorable impression in her U.S. debut for veteran trainer Howard Zucker, as she rallied to finish second, beaten one length in a six furlong turf allowance here on Jan. 16. Although she raced very greenly, Gracelund Gray more than tipped her hand and with Tyler Baze back aboard, she looms a live longshot in a short field.

Owned by John and Kelley Gravenslund, this Kentucky-bred daughter of Goldencents elicited this pre-race comment from Zucker on Jan. 16: “Santa Anita is a long way from Lethbridge, and I'm not just referring to the mileage (1,423 mi)!”

Although she gave a good account of herself, Gracelund Gray will no doubt be getting a major class test in the Las Virgenes.

THE GRADE 3 LAS VIRGENES WITH JOCKEYS & WEIGHTS IN POST POSITION ORDER

Race 3 of 9 Approximate post time 1:30 p.m. PT

  1. Miss Everything—Drayden Van Dyke—120
  2. Gracelund Gray—Tyler Baze—120
  3. Adare Manor—John Velazquez—120
  4. Queen of Thorns—Flavien Prat—120
  5. Eda–Juan Hernandez–124

First post time for a nine-race card on Sunday, which will also include the Grade III, $200,000 Robert B. Lewis Stakes, is at 12:30 p.m. with admission gates opening at 10:30 a.m.

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Moonlight D’Oro, Charlie’s Penny Both Off Oaks Trail Due To Injury

Recent stakes winners Moonlight d'Oro and Charlie's Penny have both been taken out of consideration for the 2021 Kentucky Oaks due to injury.

According to bloodhorse.com, G3 Las Virgenes Stakes winner Moonlight d'Oro was diagnosed with a chip in her right knee. The Spendthrift Farm and MyRacehorse-owned filly will undergo arthroscopic surgery to remove the chip, and is expected to require 60-90 days off after the procedure.

“There was a little bit of heat, they took an X-ray, and found a small chip,” Michael Behrens, founder and CEO of co-owner MyRacehorse, told bloodhorse.com. “This is why we're with (trainer Richard) Mandella's team; he always does right by the horse and cares about what is best for the horse. He thinks it's best for the horse to do the surgery now and shut her down, and we're going to do what's best for her. We're hopeful this will be just a small setback.”

Lothenbach Stables' homebred Charlie's Penny, easy winner of the Silverbulletday Stakes, has been diagnosed with a hairline fracture to her shin, reports the Daily Racing Form. Trainer Chris Block reported that x-rays were taken after a small bump on her shin was found, but it took a second round of x-rays to uncover the small fracture. The Race Day filly will head to Florida for 90 days off.

“It's a tiny fissure line but it's there, and I'm glad we caught it when we did,” Block told drf.com.

Read more at bloodhorse.com and drf.com.

The post Moonlight D’Oro, Charlie’s Penny Both Off Oaks Trail Due To Injury appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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