los alamitos | Horse Racing Free Tips

Baffert Trio Faces Undefeated Astute In Starlet Stakes

Hall of Fame trainer Richard Mandella will seek his first win in the $300,000 Starlet Saturday at Los Alamitos when he sends out the undefeated Astute in the final Grade 1 of 2020 for 2-year-old fillies. The race at 1 1/16 miles is being offered at Los Alamitos for the seventh time after 33 renewals as the Hollywood Starlet (1981-2013) at Hollywood Park. Post time is 12:30 p.m. The Starlet is the fifth of nine races and has an approximate post time of 2:30 p.m.

Owned by LNJ Foxwoods, Astute, a daughter of Speightstown and the Langfuhr mare Discerning, went gate-to-wire in her Oct. 12 debut on turf, then moved to dirt and stretched out an extra eighth of a mile to win the 6 1/2 furlong Desi Arnaz Stakes by 7 1/2 lengths Nov. 14 at Del Mar. Hall of Famer Mike Smith, who won the 2015 Starlet with Street Fancy, retains the mount on Astute, who has banked $93,000.

Seeking his fourth consecutive victory in the Starlet, Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert entered a trio – Princess Noor, Kalypso and Varda. Baffert's three Starlet wins in succession – all in tandem with jockey Drayden Van Dyke, who will ride Varda Saturday – have been provided by Dream Tree (2017), Chasing Yesterday (2018) and Bast (2019).

A $1.35 million purchase at the OBS sale in April by Zedan Racing Stables Inc., Princess Noor suffered her first loss in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Nov. 6 at Keeneland after beginning her career with three easy wins in California. A Not This Time filly out of the Wilko mare Sheza Smoke Show, Princess Noor broke her maiden Aug. 22 at Del Mar, then won back-to-back graded races in a span of 20 days, taking the Grade 1 Del Mar Debutante Sept. 6 and the Grade 2 Chandelier Sept. 26 at Santa Anita.The 19-10 favorite in the Breeder's Cup Juvenile Fillies, Princess Noor wound up fifth, beaten a bit more than four lengths by Vequist. She's earned $363,000.

Owned by Rockingham Ranch and David Bernsen, Kalypso, a daughter of Brody's Cause and the Malibu Moon mare Malibu Cove has one win in three tries and has banked $64,100. The $240,000 yearling purchase earned her victory in a stakes, leading throughout in the Anoakia Oct. 18. The Starlet will be her first venture beyond six furlongs.

A Distorted Humor filly out of the Sky Mesa mare She'll Be Right owned by Baoma Corporation, Varda has been away since finishing a distant second in the Chandelier. She graduated first time out by 3 1/4 lengths Aug. 30 at Del Mar and has banked $73,000 in her two races.

Completing the field is Nasreddine, a $10,000 supplement by owners Andrew and Rania Warren. Trained by Michael McCarthy, the daughter of Nyquist and the Sky Mesa mare Appreciating, Nasreddine has a win in two starts and earnings of $45,200. The $360,000 yearling purchase scored a 7-1 upset over maidens at six furlongs Nov. 7.

From inside out, the field for the Starlet: Kalypso, Abel Cedillo rides, 120 pounds; Nasreddine, Tiago Pereira, 120; Princess Noor, Victor Espinoza, 120; Astute, Mike Smith, 120 and Varda, Drayden Van Dyke, 120.

The post Baffert Trio Faces Undefeated Astute In Starlet Stakes appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Los Al to Allow Owners at Winter Meet

CHRB licensed owners with horses entered to race will be permitted to attend the races at the Los Alamitos winter meet, which begins Friday, Dec. 4. Owners will also be permitted to bring up to two adult guests. Owners wishing to attend the races should email or call Elsa Peron, Administrative Assistant of TOC (eperon@toconline.com) to secure access, and reservations can be made up until 24 hours before race day.

On race days, owners must show their license when entering Los Alamitos Racecourse and park in the designated area. Owners will enter through the main entrance gate, where they will be required to be on the owner reservation list, provide their CHRB owners license, and undergo a Covid-19 health screening including a temperature check. Masks will be required to be worn at all times, and owners must respect social distancing guidelines.

The first come, first served seating is located in the outdoor area of the Vessels Club. There will be food and beverage service available, as well as parimutuel machines. At this time, owners may not enter the paddock or the winners circle. Any violation of this strict policy will result in a forfeiture of racetrack privileges.

The post Los Al to Allow Owners at Winter Meet appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Starlet, Futurity Highlight Winter Thoroughbred Meet At Los Alamitos

The Los Angeles County Fair Winter Thoroughbred meet at Los Alamitos in Cypress, Calif. will begin Friday, Dec. 4.

Racing will be conducted Friday-Sunday (Dec. 4-6) this week and is scheduled for Thursday-Sunday (Dec. 10-13 and 17-20) the final two weeks. Post time will be 1 p.m on weekdays and 12:30 p.m. on weekends.

The LACF Winter meet will be highlighted by a pair of graded events for 2-year-olds – the Grade 1, $300,000-guaranteed Starlet for fillies Saturday, Dec. 5 and the Grade 2, $200,000-guaranteed Los Alamitos Futurity Saturday, Dec. 19.

The Starlet is one of the races on the “Road to the Kentucky Oaks'' with the winner receiving 10 points towards a berth in the Kentucky Oaks April 30, 2021 at Churchill Downs.

Among the leading candidates for the Starlet are Astute, winner of her last two starts for Hall of Fame trainer Richard Mandella, and Princess Noor, who suffered her first career loss in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies after three wins, including successes in two Grade 1 events – the Del Mar Debutante and Chandelier at Santa Anita. Princess Noor is trained by Hall of Famer Bob Baffert, who will be seeking his fourth consecutive Starlet win after victories by Dream Tree (2017), Chasing Yesterday (2018) and Bast (2019).

The Futurity is one of the events on the “Road to the Kentucky Derby.'' The winner earns 10 points towards a spot in the Kentucky Derby May 1, 2021.

Among the nominees to the Futurity are Classier, an impressive debut winner for Baffert Oct. 24, Del Mar Futurity runner-up Spielberg, Best Pal Stakes winner Weston and Hot Rod Charlie, second behind Essential Quality in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Nov. 6 at Keeneland.

Baffert has won all six renewals of the Futurity – Dortmund (2014), Mor Spirit (2015), Mastery (2016), McKinzie (2017), Improbable (2018) and Thousand Words (2019) – since the race was moved to Los Alamitos from Hollywood Park.

Baffert has won the Futurity, which was run in Inglewood from 1981-2013, a record 12 times.

Both the Futurity and the Starlet will be run at 1 1/16 miles.

The LACF Winter meet will also feature one other graded stakes – the Grade 3, $100,000 Bayakoa. Restricted to fillies and mares (3-year-olds & up) at 1 1/16 miles, the Bayakoa will be run Sunday, Dec. 6.

Completing the stakes program are a pair of one-mile races for 2-year-olds bred or sired in California – the $100,000-guaranteed Soviet Problem for fillies and the $100,000-guaranteed King Glorious.

The Soviet Problem will be run Saturday, Dec. 12 while the King Glorious will be offered Sunday, Dec. 20.

Live racing will continue to be run with no spectators and only essential personnel allowed inside the facility to conduct the program.

The wagering menu includes the Pick Six – with the traditional 70/30 split and no jackpot provision – a pair of $1 Pick 4's – races 2-5 and the final four races – as well as the popular Players' Pick 5 – a 50-cent minimum wager with a reduced 14% takeout rate which is offered on the first five races.

Entries – which were taken Tuesday for the opening day program – were strong. A total of 85 horses were entered in eight races.

The post Starlet, Futurity Highlight Winter Thoroughbred Meet At Los Alamitos appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Grade 1 Starlet, Grade 2 Futurity Highlight Dec. 4-20 Winter Meet At Los Alamitos

Five stakes races – three of which are graded – highlight the 2020 Los Angeles County Fair Winter Thoroughbred meet at Los Alamitos race course in Cypress, Calif.

The season will begin Friday, Dec. 4 and continue through Sunday, Dec. 20.

Racing is scheduled to be conducted Friday-Sunday the first week (Dec. 4-6) and Thursday-Sunday the final two weeks (Dec. 10-13 and Dec. 17-20). Post time will be 1 p.m. on weekdays and 12:30 p.m. on weekends.

The Grade 1, $300,000-guaranteed Starlet for fillies and the Grade 2, $200,000-guaranteed Los Alamitos Futurity will be run, respectively, Saturday, Dec. 5, and Saturday, Dec. 19. Both races are at 1 1/16 miles and being offered at Los Alamitos for the seventh time. The two significant races were run previously at Hollywood Park (1981-2013).

Hall of Famer Bob Baffert won both the Starlet and Futurity for a third consecutive year in 2019, taking the former with Bast and the latter with Thousand Words.

Baffert has won all six runnings of the Futurity at Los Alamitos, taking the 2014 renewal with Dortmund, then scoring with Mor Spirit (2015), Mastery (2016), McKinzie (2017) and Improbable (2018) prior to Thousand Words' success.

The other graded stakes is the Grade 3, $100,000 Bayakoa Stakes, which will be offered Sunday, Dec. 6. The race at 1 1/16 miles for fillies and mares (3-year-olds & up) returned to the schedule in 2019 after a one-year absence.

The remaining two stakes are at one mile and for 2-year-olds bred or sired in California. The $100,000-guaranteed Soviet Problem for fillies will be run Saturday, Dec. 12 while the $100,000 King Glorious for colts & geldings will be contested Sunday, Dec. 20.

Live racing will continue to be run with no spectators and only essential personnel allowed inside the facility to conduct the program.

The wagering menu includes the $2 Pick Six, a pair of $1 Pick 4's – races 2-5 and the final four – as well as the popular Players' Pick 5 – a 50-cent mimimum wager with a low takeout rate of 14% – on the first five races.

The Pick Six will have the standard 70-30 split with 70% of the pool going to those tickets with six winners and the remaining 30% going to tickets with five of six winners.

Entries for the opening day program will be taken Tuesday, Dec. 1.

The post Grade 1 Starlet, Grade 2 Futurity Highlight Dec. 4-20 Winter Meet At Los Alamitos appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post