Go Nuts! Macadamia Causes Minor Upset in Gamely

A champion and dual Group 1 winner in her native Brazil pre-import, R Unicorn Stable's Macadamia (Brz) (Hat Trick {Jpn}) consolidated some very solid recent American form to post a first elite-level victory in this country in Monday's GI Gamely S. at Santa Anita.

None of the seven entrants in the nine-furlong test seemed especially keen to lead, but eventually, Flavien Prat allowed School Dance (Animal Kingdom) through to take up the running in advance of Bellamore (Empire Maker), as odds-on Queens Goddess (Empire Maker) took back off that pair with a circuit remaining. Brazilian native Tiago Pereira, whose biggest career victory came in the 2010 G1 Dubai World Cup aboard Brazilian-bred Gloria de Campeao, had Macadmia settled at the back of the field, but not too far away, as the pace was moderate at best. Luis Saez asked Queens Goddess to apply some pressure to the outside of the leaders and hit the front going well with 2 1/2 furlongs to race, but Macadamia was traveling equally strongly in her wake a few lengths in arrears. The chalk went for home in upper stretch, but Macadamia always seemed to have the move covered and surged past late en route to a cozy success. The in-form Quatroelle (Ire) (Mehmas {Ire}) outfinished Queens Goddess for second.

“She is a nice filly,” said winning trainer Phil d'Amato. “I have to give Tiago a lot of credit for just getting on her every week, just breezing her and developing her. She was a quirky kind of backwards filly when we got her.

“She just needed to acclimate to North America. She's taken he time and now she is a Grade I winner. [Tiago] has a great attitude in the morning and I think it translates to the horses.”

Macadamia posted a pair of close third-place efforts from four starts on this circuit in the second half of 2022 and kicked off the new year with a 1 1/2-length allowance tally over Monday's course and distance Feb. 3. A troubled second to Quatroelle in the one-mile GII Buena Vista S. Mar. 4, the bay–still a late-season 4-year-old on Southern Hemisphere time–turned the tables with a one-length victory in the GIII Wilshire S. going eight panels Apr. 30.

Pedigree Notes:

Macadamia is one of 14 worldwide Group 1/Grade I winners for Hat Trick, who passed away in Brazil in August 2020. In the United States, the Sunday Silence stallion has been responsible for 17 stakes winners and nine at the graded level, including the additional Grade I winners King David and Win Win Win.

Macadamia is one of three winners from four to race out of her dam, a stakes-placed daughter of Fares Farm's 1991 GIII Selima S. heroine Ken de Saron, who also produced Brazilian Horse of the Year and champion 3-year-old colt Sal Grosso (Brz) (Our Emblem) and the three-time French group-placed Jipapibaquigrafo (Irish River {Fr}).

Monday, Santa Anita
GAMELY S.-GI, $401,000, Santa Anita, 5-29, 3yo/up, f/m, 1 1/8mT, 1:48.01, fm.
1–MACADAMIA (BRZ), 122, m, 5, by Hat Trick (Jpn)
           1st Dam: Une Autre Etoile (Brz) (SP-Brz), by Northern Afleet
           2nd Dam: Ken de Saron, by Kenmare (Fr)
           3rd Dam: Lyre de Saron (Fr), by Luthier (Fr)
O-R Unicorn Stable; B-Haras Springfield (BRZ); T-Philip D'Amato; J-Tiago Josue Pereira. $240,000. Lifetime Record: Ch. 2yo filly & MG1SW-Brz, 13-5-3-2, $444,413. Werk Nick Rating: B+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree or free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Quattroelle (Ire), 124, m, 5, by Mehmas (Ire)
           1st Dam: Heavenly River (Fr), by Stormy River (Fr)
           2nd Dam: Aaliyah (Ger), by Anabaa
           3rd Dam: Arpista (Ger), by Chief Singer (Ire)
1ST G1 BLACK TYPE. (€10,000 RNA Ylg '19 TIRSEP). O-Red Baron's Barn LLC and Rancho Temescal LLC; B-Rossenarra Bloodstock Ltd (IRE); T-Jeff Mullins. $80,000.
3–Queen Goddess, 122, m, 5, by Empire Maker
           1st Dam: Royal Story (SP), by Lemon Drop Kid
           2nd Dam: Bauble, by Tale of the Cat
           3rd Dam: Just Reward, by Deputy Minister
($285,000 RNA Ylg '19 FTSAUG; $1,525,000 4yo '22 FTKNOV). O-Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Gary Barber; B-Tolo Thoroughbreds (KY); T-Michael W. McCarthy. $48,000.
Margins: 1, NO, 1 3/4. Odds: 6.20, 7.10, 0.80.
Also Ran: Viareggio (Ire), Bellamore, Closing Remarks, School Dance.
Click for the Equibase.com chart or the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

The post Go Nuts! Macadamia Causes Minor Upset in Gamely appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Macadamia Turns the Tables on Quattroelle in Wilshire

Run down late last out in Santa Anita's Mar. 4 GII Buena Vista, Macadamia got the jump on her fellow closers coming into the lane and turned the tables on familiar face Quattroelle to take the GIII Wilshire S. Sunday at Santa Anita and pick up her first graded victory in the United States.

Away smoothly from her rail post, Macadamia was pulling hard while a joint third turning up the backside. About three lengths off pacesetting Canoodling (Pioneerof the Nile) midway on the far turn, Macadamia angled three deep turning for home, collared the pacesetter a furlong out and was never threatened by Quatroelle, who finished a troubled second.

“My filly was really strong today and maybe she's knows I'm Portuguese,” said winning rider Tiago Pereira. “She's Brazilian, so that's a good combination.”

A two-time Group 1 winner in Brazil, Macadamia earned her first U.S. victory in a nine-furlong optional claimer over the Santa Anita lawn Feb. 3 before finishing a half-length adrift of Quattroelle in the Buena Vista last time out.

“These South American fillies, horses in general, they seem to be really hearty horses and I'm lucky to have her,” said winning trainer Phil D'Amato. “We will enjoy the moment, there's a Grade I here in a month, so we will see what our options are and figure out a game plan.”'

Sunday, Santa Anita
WILSHIRE S.-GIII, $100,500, Santa Anita, 4-30, 4yo/up, f/m, 1mT, 1:33.66, fm.
1–MACADAMIA (BRZ), 124, m, 5, by Hat Trick (Jpn)
1st Dam: Une Autre Etoile (Brz) (SP-Brz), by Northern Afleet
                2nd Dam: Ken de Saron, by Kenmare (Fr)
                3rd Dam: Lyre de Saron (Fr), by Luthier (Fr)
O-R Unicorn Stable; B-Haras Springfield (BRZ); T-Philip
D'Amato; J-Tiago Josue Pereira. $60,000. Lifetime Record:
12-4-3-2, $204,413. Werk Nick Rating: B+. Click for the eNicks
   report & 5-cross pedigree or free Equineline.com
   catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Quattroelle (Ire), 124, m, 5, Mehmas (Ire)–Heavenly River
(Fr), by Stormy River (Fr). (€10,000 RNA Ylg '19 TIRSEP). O-Red
Baron's Barn LLC and Rancho Temescal LLC; B-Rossenarra
Bloodstock Ltd (IRE); T-Jeff Mullins. $20,000.
3–Very Scary, 120, f, 4, Connect–Summer Reading, by Hard
Spun. ($40,000 Ylg '20 KEESEP; $80,000 2yo '21 OBSAPR).
O-Walter Luedtke, Robert Oracheff, and Robert Scott Oracheff;
B-Windways Farm (KY); T-Ian Kruljac. $12,000.
Margins: 1, 1 3/4, NK. Odds: 3.10, 2.00, 9.20.
Also Ran: Closing Remarks, Canoodling, Thunder Run. Scratched: Rhea Moon (Ire).Click for the Equibase.com chart or the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

The post Macadamia Turns the Tables on Quattroelle in Wilshire appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Verified by MonsterInsights