One of the most popular races among fans and horsemen since December, 1953, the Camino Real hillside is a European style course with a panoramic start on Santa Anita's northern perimeter, hard by Colorado Place, an iconic stretch of roadway that was a part of America's original Route 66.

Once the horses are underway, they will negotiate a slight right-hand turn followed by a run “down the dip,” as Joe Hernandez, the original Voice of Santa Anita, used to describe horses as they ran down an undulating swale before emerging from behind a stand of trees en route to the quarter pole. From there, the field will cross the main track and then reunite with the “course proper” for what is often a thrilling stretch run.

Snapper Sinclair, a 6-year-old full horse by City Zip, comes off a three quarter length victory in a one-turn restricted stakes going a mile and 70 yards on turf at Kentucky Downs Sept. 8. Owned by Bloom Racing Stables, LLC, Snapper Sinclair, who ran fourth in 2019 Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile at Santa Anita, will be shipping in from his Churchill Downs base and be trying the Santa Anita turf for the first time and will be making his fifth start of the year.

Primarily campaigned at one mile on turf and dirt, Snapper Sinclair was a seven furlong turf stakes winner in his third career start on Sept. 6, 2017 at Churchill and he has not sprinted on turf or dirt since October 17, 2018 at Keeneland. With two wins from four starts this year, he's now banked $1,793,340 from an overall mark of 33-7-8-4.

Originally pegged as a long-fused turf runner, D'Amato's Gregorian Chant found a new lease on life sprinting out of Santa Anita's newly constructed turf chute this past winter. A winner of three consecutive six furlong turf stakes, including the Grade 3 San Simeon four starts back on March 13, Gregorian Chant, a 5-year-old English-bred gelding, was too close to the early pace in Belmont Park's Grade 1 Jaipur Stakes on June 5, finishing seventh, beaten 4 ¼ lengths at 5-1 going six furlongs over a turf that was listed as good.

In his most recent start, Gregorian Chant finished third, beaten 2 ½ lengths in Del Mar's five furlong turf Green Flash Handicap Aug. 22, a race that appeared a bit short for his late running style. Owned by Slam Dunk Racing, Old Bones Racing Stable, LLC and Michael Nentwig, Gregorian Chant will be trying Santa Anita's hillside turf for the first time with high expectations.

D'Amato will also be represented by the talented multiple stakes winning mare Charmaine's Mia, the lone distaffer in the field. A three-time graded stakes winner at six furlongs and one mile (twice) over the Santa Anita lawn, she too will be trying the hillside course for the first time. Owned by Agave Racing Stable, Medallion Racing and Rockin Robin Racing Stables, Charmaine's Mia, who had been campaigned primarily at Woodbine Racecourse in Toronto, joined D'Amato's stable late last year.

Idle since finishing sixth in the Grade 2 Yellow Ribbon Handicap at a mile and one sixteenth at Del Mar Aug. 7, Charmaine's Mia, a 5-year-old Kentucky-bred mare by The Factor, has not sprinted since winning her first start for D'Amato five starts back in the Grade 3 Las Cienegas Stakes at six furlongs on turf here on Jan. 9.

Although a bit long in tooth at age seven, trainer Mark Glatt's Law Abidin Citizen, idle since a close fourth on dirt in the Grade 1 Bing Crosby Stakes July 31 at Del Mar, is fresh, dangerous and has the distinction of having won the last race down the hill—the Grade 3 San Simeon Stakes on March 31, 2019. A winner of four of eight starts over the hillside turf, this Twirling Candy gelding will be making his fourth start of the year as Glatt eyes the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint in November. Owned by Dan Agnew, Gerry Schneider and John Xitco, Law Abidin Citizen rates a huge chance on Friday.

Glen Hill Farm's homebred Caribou Club, another 7-year-old gelding, has won two of his three starts down the hill, including his most recent, the Grade 3 Joe Hernandez Stakes on Jan. 1, 2019 when conditioned by Tom Proctor. Idle since a close fourth in an ungraded stakes at 1 1/16 miles on turf July 17 at Gulfstream Park, Caribou Club will be making his fourth start of the year and his first for trainer Michael McCarthy. Caribou Club will be reunited for the first since 2017 with Drayden Van Dyke, who at that time guided him to a pair of wins from four starts.

Originally run as the Morvich Handicap in 1974, the Eddie D was renamed in 2012 to honor legendary retired Hall of Fame jockey Eddie Delahoussaye.

THE GRADE 2 EDDIE D STAKES WITH JOCKEY & WEIGHTS IN POST POSITION ORDER

Race 7 of 9 Approximate post time 4 p.m. PT

1. Gregorian Chant—Juan Hernandez–126
2. Caribou Club—Drayden Van Dyke—126
3. Mesut—Umberto Rispoli—122
4. Charmaine's Mia—Flavien Prat—123
5. Law Abidin Citizen—Abel Cedillo—126
6. Chaos Theory—Kent Desormeaux—126
7. Lieutenant Dan—Geovanni Franco—126
8. Whisper Not—John Velazquez—126
9. Snapper Sinclair—Joel Rosario–124

The post Snapper Sinclair To Try Down The Hill In Friday’s Eddie D Stakes appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

It's the first time one trainer has won the premier sprint stake of the meeting back-to-back with 3-year-olds tackling older rivals. And, as Glatt states it, there's no secret or trick to pulling off the unprecedented.

“When you have a really good 3-year-old, like this horse and Collusion Illusion last year, going against older is not that big a factor,” Glatt said. “When you have just an average horse, I think (age) comes into play a lot more.”

Dr. Schivel, a Kentucky-bred son of Violence, broke his maiden here in his third career start last August and came back a month later to win the Grade 1 Del Mar Futurity for trainer Luis Mendez in early September.

Transferred to Glatt's barn, the colt was given a nine-month layoff, then overcame some bumping to win his 2021 debut in a June allowance race at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, Calif., that signaled stakes readiness.

“After he won his comeback race, we were eyeballing a race in New York (Sunday's 6 ½-furlong, $200,000 Amsterdam) at Saratoga that was a straight 3-year-old race,” Glatt said. “As we got further removed from his comeback race we (considered) how difficult it is to ship in to Saratoga and how he loves this track.

“Several of the owners live around here and want to watch the horse run, so I thought it was best to stay here and give it a try.”

The $180,000 winner's share of the purse pushed Dr. Schivel's career earnings to $416,000 from six career starts. The Bing Crosby was a “Win and You're In” qualifier for the $2 million Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Sprint over the same course on November 6.

Glatt said Sunday morning that Dr. Schivel and Law Abidin Citizen – third in the 2020 Crosby, fourth Saturday beaten less than a length – both came out of the race in good health. A third Glatt entrant in the Crosby, defending champion Collusion Illusion, was scratched due to a minor injury incurred in a training run Friday.

“It probably would have been safe to run him but the ownership group and I thought it was best to err on the conservative side and have him run another day,” Glatt said. “I don't know when, but I don't think that day will be very far off.”

Trainer Bob Baffert said that Eight Rings, the Crosby runner-up beaten a neck at odds of 16-1, came out of the race with a shoe on one hoof that was bent nearly in half, but was otherwise fine.

“We were happy with him and thought he showed a lot of heart,” Baffert said. His next assignment remains to be determined.

Trainer Peter Miller reported that third-place finisher and 3-2 favorite C Z Rocket, beat only a half-length, exited the effort well. “He ran great, but you can't make up as much ground as he needed to on this track the way it's playing,” Miller said.

C Z Rocket will not defend his title in the $200,000 Grade 2 Pat O'Brien Stakes on August 28. “We'll wait for Santa Anita,” Miller said.

The post Glatt Says Dr. Schivel Exited Bing Crosby In Good Health appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

And the resultant victory celebration was, as Glatt mildly puts it: “Kind of subdued, with no one around.

“We couldn't go out to dinner or anything, there weren't many restaurants even open, and we had to wake up early the next day.”

Blame COVID which, although racing went on, precluded crowds, winner's circle presentations or even close-contact celebrations by the connections of the victorious horses. So Glatt was relegated to socially distanced media interviews and loosely-posed pictures with family members and stable employees.

Not that it mattered all that much.

“A Grade 1 is a Grade 1, no matter where (or under what circumstances), you win,” Glatt said.

On Saturday, Glatt will be back for another Bing Crosby seeking the second Grade 1 score of his career. He entered the same two horses, Collusion Illusion and Law Abidin Citizen, from 2020 and one more, 3-year-old Dr. Schivel, to boot.

Late in the week he was still giving all three consideration. But Glatt indicated the most likely scenario would be that Collusion Illusion and Dr. Schivel would start and Law Abidin Citizen would be held out for another assignment.

Collusion Illusion and Law Abidin Citizen are both sons of Twirling Candy that Glatt picked out for clients from Kentucky sales.

“I was stabled next to John Sadler when Twirling Candy was running and just thought he was an amazing looking animal and certainly a very good racehorse,” Glatt said. “I thought that maybe when he went to stud I'd have an opportunity to pick up one or two of (Twirling Candy's progeny).”

He picked both Law Abidin Citizen and “Collusion” for a group based in his native state of Washington – Dan Agnew, Jerry Schneider, John Xitco and Dr. Rodney Orr.

In the 2020 Crosby, 6-year-old Law Abidin Citizen, ridden by Abel Cedillo, didn't wilt after being close to a fast early pace and held on for third as 3-year-old Collusion Illusion, given a heady ride by leading jockey Flavien Pratt, rallied along the rail in the final furlong to edge Lexitonian on the wire.

The horses are a year older. The riders are different. And there was not an ounce of nostalgia involved in Glatt's thoughts of doubling back to the cast of 2020.

“The race is different from one year to the next, the horses and the way they're coming into the race is different. That's what you base it on,” Glatt said.

Collusion Illusion earned an automatic berth into the $2 million Breeders' Cup Sprint via last year's Bing Crosby victory. A traffic-troubled 12th of 14 result in the BC Sprint at Keeneland in November was sandwiched between a second in the Santa Anita Sprint Championship in September and third in the Grade 1 Malibu in December.

Collusion Illusion's six-race 2020 campaign ended with earnings of $317,800, boosting his career total to $474,751. The Bing Crosby will be his 2021 debut.

Law Abidin Citizen followed the Bing Crosby with a start in the seven-furlong Pat O'Brien, the second in Del Mar's summer sprint stakes series, and was third to C Z Rocket. He made his 2021 debut with a fourth-place result in the Grade 3 Daytona at Santa Anita on May 29 then won the Oak Tree Sprint at Pleasanton on July 3.

“He's a hard-trying horse and maybe he can pull a little bit of an upset,” Glatt said.

Dr. Schivel won the Del Mar Futurity last September for trainer Luis Mendez after it had been reported that the ownership partners — Red Barons Barn and Rancho Temescal — were soon to turn the Violence colt over to Glatt.

The media voted Dr. Schivel the top 2-year-old of the meeting and Collusion Illusion the top sprinter, giving Glatt two returning division champions to saddle in the Crosby.

Dr. Schivel started his 3-year-old campaign with a neck victory in an allowance sprint at Santa Anita in June. Prat, who has won five of the last six runnings of the Bing Crosby – missing only in 2019 – will be aboard.

“He had a very good comeback race and he has trained very well since,” Glatt said.

Collusion Illusion became Glatt's fifth Breeders' Cup starter and a Crosby victory with any of the horses would put him in the enviable position of “home track” advantage when the BC Sprint is held at Del Mar as part of the 14-race, $28 million, two-day fall championships on November 5-6.

Collusion Illusion joined Eddie Haskell (11th, 2019 Turf Sprint) and La Tee (10th, 2008 Filly & Mare Sprint) as short-distance race Breeders' Cup starters for Glatt. He also had Blackjackcat (3rd, 2017 Mile on turf) and Sharp Samurai (3rd, 2020 Dirt Mile).

The performances of Blackjackcat and Sharp Samurai should serve as a shield for Glatt, a 48-year-old native of Washington, from being typecast as a “sprint” trainer. Not that he's worried about that either.

“If that's the worst thing they call me, I'm doing all right,” Glatt said.

Equibase statistics show Glatt is No. 42 in North America for earnings in 2021. Entering the third week of Del Mar racing on Thursday, July 29, he had 34 wins from 160 starters with stable purse earnings of $1,739,366. His career numbers: 6,774 starters, 1,039 wins (No. 1,000 was recorded last November 20 at the Bing Crosby fall meeting with Zestful) and earnings of more than $34 million.

With one Grade 1 victory on the record, he has loaded up for another on Saturday.

And this one, if it happens, won't be so quiet.

The post Glatt Goes Big Gunning For Back-To-Back Bings appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Trainer Mark Glatt finished first and third in the 2020 Crosby with Collusion Illusion and Law Abidin Citizen. He has those two plus Dr. Schivel nominated and said Sunday he might run all three.

Other marquee speedsters on the nomination list include 2020 Pat O'Brien winner C Z Rocket for Peter Miller; the trio of Ax Man, Eight Rings, and Gamine from the Bob Baffert barn; graded stakes winner Flagstaff from the John Sadler stable; and the double-quick Cal-bred Brickyard Ride out of the Craig Lewis barn.

Sadler said Flagstaff will skip the Bing Crosby and instead go in the seven-furlong Pat O'Brien here on August 28.

Baffert said the 4-year-old filly Gamine, a winner of six graded stakes in her last seven starts – four of them Grade 1s – is more likely to continue competing against her own gender elsewhere than take on males in the Bing Crosby.

But Gamine is one of 11 older fillies and mares nominated to next Sunday's Clement L. Hirsch, as is stablemate As Time Goes By. A 4-year-old daughter of Baffert-trained Triple Crown winner American Pharoah, As Time Goes By is one of three stakes winners at Santa Anita that are possibles for the Hirsch, a 1 1/16-mile main track event that usually determines the top older filly or mare of the meeting.

The others are Venetian Harbor and Warren's Showtime.

The 6-furlong Bing Crosby is a “Win & You're In” qualifier for the $2 million Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Sprint at Del Mar on November 6. The Clement L. Hirsch is likewise designated for the $2 million Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Distaff that same day.

The post Bing Crosby Nominations Promises Deep Field Of Sprinters At Del Mar appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

A lightly raced 8-year-old gelding by War Front, Bombard led turning for home, but was collared by a razor sharp Gregorian Chant late when second, beaten a half length in a six furlong turf classified allowance here on April 25.

Owned by Perry Bass, Ramona Bass, Adele Dilschneider and Waddell Hancock II, Bombard, although winless in four starts last year, was nonetheless in top form for Mandella, evidenced by a narrow second place finish, beaten a neck, in a Grade III turf sprint at Kentucky Downs Sept. 12 and subsequent 3 ¼ length defeat in the Grade I Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint at Keeneland two starts back on Nov. 7.

With regular rider Flavien Prat back aboard Saturday, Bombard, who is four for nine over the Santa Anita turf, brings an overall mark of 17-5-6-2 and earnings of $399,771.

A graded stakes winner on both turf and dirt, Law Abidin Citizen has been idle since running a close third to top sprinter C Z Rocket in the Grade 2 Pat O'Brien Stakes at Del Mar Aug. 29 and with four wins from nine lifetime starts over the Santa Anita lawn, rates a huge chance with Abel Cedillo back aboard.

A 7-year-old gelding by Twirling Candy, Law Abidin Citizen has tremendous early speed and can be counted upon to press or make the early pace on Saturday. Owned by Dan Agnew, Gerry Schneider and John Xitco, Law Abidin Citizen is 28-7-4-6 overall with earnings of $519,167.

THE GRADE 3 DAYTONA STAKES WITH JOCKEYS & WEIGHTS IN POST POSITION ORDER

Race 5 of 9 Approximate post time 3 p.m. PT

1. Majestic Eagle—Mario Gutierrez—122
2. Bombard—Flavien Prat—122
3. Jamming Eddy—Tyler Baze—120
4. Law Abidin Citizen—Abel Cedillo—122
5. Commander—Juan Hernandez—120

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

The post Bombard Rates Slight Advantage For Saturday’s Daytona Stakes appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Favored at 5-2 on the morning line is Flagstaff (Speightstown) for the powerful John Sadler barn. The 6-year-old’s 2020 campaign has included a victory in the GII San Carlos S. over this trip in March and a narrow second to Whitmore (Pleasantly Perfect) in the GIII Count Fleet Sprint H. in April. He’s been off since finishing fourth in the GII Triple Bend S. in June, but has been working swiftly in preparation for this (See XBTV video of Aug.  22 breeze in which he finished clear of stablemate Shortlist {Congrats}, an optional claiming winner at the beginning of the month).

Seven-year-old Giant Expectations (Giant Surprise) hasn’t won since 2017, but his best effort would make him tough to beat. He took this event in the same year as his last victory, and was second by a head in it last term. He was last seen being eased after a slow start in the Dirt Mile Nov. 2.

The post Vertical Threat Takes on Elders in Pat O’Brien appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

It's not a coincidence.

“I was stabled next to John Sadler when Twirling Candy was running and just thought he was an amazing-looking animal and certainly a very good racehorse,” Glatt said. “I thought that when he goes to stud maybe I'll have an opportunity to pick up one or two of (Twirling Candy's progeny).”

He picked both Law Abidin Citizen and Collusion Illusion for a group based in his native state of Washington – Dan Agnew, Jerry Schneider, John Xitco and Dr. Rodney Orr.

Six-year-old Law Abidin Citizen didn't wilt after being close to a fast early pace and held on to secure a third-place award of $30,000 and go over the $500,000 mark in career earnings. Three-year-old Collusion Illusion, given a heady ride by leading jockey Flavien Prat, rallied along the rail in the final furlong to edge Lexitonian on the wire.

Twirling Candy stands at Lane's End in Versailles, Ky., where his fee was $40,000 for the 2020 breeding season.

It was Collusion Illusion's fifth win in six lifetime starts. The $150,000 winner's share of the purse increased his career earnings to $398,751.

But, more importantly, as a “Win and You're In” qualifier for the $2-million Breeders' Cup Sprint, it secured entry fees and travel expenses for the shortest and fastest of the events at the championships at Keeneland in November.

It also was the first Grade 1 stakes victory for Glatt, 47, who obtained his training license after graduation from Western Washington in 1994 and made a gradual southward move that brought him to Southern California in 2000.

“We're going to enjoy the win,” Glatt said.  “November is a long time away in this game, but I'm sure we'll figure out a way to get him there one way or another.”

The post Glatt’s Belief In Twirling Candy And Offspring Paid Off With 1-3 Bing Crosby Finish appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

The colt by Twirling Candy just nosed out Calumet Farm's Lexitonian and rider Drayden Van Dyke who lagged far behind early, looped the field on the turn for home and fired in the lane to just miss in the six-furlong headliner. Final time for the dash was 1:10.41 after early splits of  :21.58 and :44.73.

Prat was winning his sixth stakes of the nine-day old meet and his second victory of the day to assume command in the local jockeys' race with 16 firsts. He now has 50 stakes wins at Del Mar. For Collusion Illusion's trainer, Mark Glatt, it was his first Grade I stakes victory.

Lexitonian's trainer, Jack Sisterson, won his first G1 earlier in the day at Saratoga when Vexatious upset champion Midnight Bisou in the Personal Ensign Stakes.

“It set up nicely for me,” said Prat. “They were going fast up front; I could feel it. My horse was handling the dirt well today, too. Better than he usually does. When we turned for home I had horses in front of me and I was aware the inside was playing fast today so I went down there. I got through and at the eighth pole I thought I was going to be an easy winner. Then I saw that horse on the outside (Lexitonian) coming and I wasn't so sure. But we got there.”

Collusion Illusion is owned by a quartet of Washington State partners — Dan Agnew, Jerry Schneider, John Xitco and Dr. Rodney Orr.

Running third in the $250,000 Crosby was Law Abidin Citizen, who races for the same group that owns Collusion Illusion and also is trained by Glatt.

As the favorite, the Florida-bred winner paid $5.80, $3.60 and $2.80. He earned a check for $150,000 and moved his bankroll up to $398,751. He now has won five of his six lifetime starts. Collusion Illusion was bred by Don Dizney.

“We thought, looking on paper, they were going to go pretty fast,” said Glatt. “I didn't think my other horse (Law Abidin Citizen, 3rd) would be that close (early) but he hung in there very tough. He's a bit of an overachiever and I'm almost as proud of him as I am of Collusion Illusion. (Collusion Illusion) doesn't like dirt in his face and the way it set up he was going to have to go extremely wide to stay away from it. But the past couple days the rail has been getting better as a place to be and when he darted to the rail I knew he was going to be coming. I got a little worried if he was going to find a place to go, but he was able to and came through in the end.”

The Crosby was a Breeders' Cup “Win and You're In” Challenge Race meaning Collusion Illusion has won a guaranteed starting spot – with all fees paid – to the 2020 Breeders' Cup Sprint, which will be held at Keeneland in Lexington, KY, on Saturday, November 7.

Earlier on the card, the 2-year-old Governor Goteven scampered to a three and one-half length victory in the $100,000 CTBA Stakes for California-bred juvenile fillies.

She was ridden by Tiago Pereira and trained by Lisa Bernard, who was winning her first stakes race, as well as first race at Del Mar. Late last year the conditioner took over the horses of now-retired trainer Walther Solis and trains out of San Luis Rey Training Center.

The homebred daughter of Governor Charlie covered five and one half furlongs in 1:05.55 and earned a first prize of $57,000 to increase her earnings to $87,000 for her two wins in two starts. She paid $8.80, $3.00 and $2.20 across the board. Final time for the five and one-half furlong test was 1:05.55.

The winner is owned by her breeder – Templeton Horses – which is the nom du course of Linda Templeton of Warner Srpings, CA.

Finishing second was LeucadiaLand Stable's race favorite Big Andy and third went to C T R Stables Reign of Fire.

Prior to that race, Thousand Words beat favored Honor A.P. in the $100,000 Shared Belief Stakes, thus earning himself a starting spot in the Kentucky Derby if his connection choose to go.

Racing at Del Mar returns tomorrow with a first post of 2 p.m. PT

The post Collusion Illusion Noses Out Lexitonian In ‘Win And You’re In’ Bing Crosby appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Fashionably Fast (Lucky Pulpit) won six straight races, including four Cal-bred stakes over the winter. The chestnut enters this off a second-place finish behind MGISW McKinzie (Street Sense) in the GII Triple Bend S. last time June 7. McKinzie was the morning-line favorite in this event at entries, but it was announced he would be scratched Wednesday.

Dual Grade III winner Law Abidin Citizen (Twirling Candy) takes a crack at the highest level here. Victorious in the GIII Longacres Mile H. last August, he was fourth I the GII San Carlos S. Mar. 7 at Santa Anita and missed by a hand behind stakes winner Ax Man (Misremembered) in an Arcadia optional claimer May 16 and won a 6 1/2-panel event there last time June 14.

The post Collusion Illusion Takes on Elders in Bing Crosby appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post