Manhattan Up | Horse Racing Free Tips

Jockey Abel Cedillo earned his second Los Alamitos riding title while trainer Peter Miller topped the trainer standings as the Los Angeles County Fair meet concluded Sunday.

The nine-day season was highlighted by stakes victories by talented 2-year-old Enbarr, a first off the claim score by Manhattan Up, and a gate-to-wire victory by Livingmybestlife, a $50,000 claim earlier in the year at Oaklawn Park.

The 32-year-old Cedillo finished the LACF meet with 18 victories, eight more than closest pursuer Kyle Frey. Cedillo also led the standings during the 2020 LACF Winter season.

Cedillo became the first jockey to win four races in a day twice at Los Alamitos. He first accomplished the feat Sept. 15, 2019, then matched it with a quadruple Sept. 25.

The other riders who have won four races in a day since daytime thoroughbred racing returned to Los Alamitos in 2014 are Drayden Van Dyke (July 6, 2014), Edwin Maldonado (Dec. 13, 2015), Kent Desormeaux (April 23, 2016), Assael Espinoza (Sept. 15, 2018), and Jorge I. Velez (Sept. 22, 2019).

Miller finished the LACF season with seven wins, one more than Steve Miyadi. Hall of Famer Bob Baffert was third with five. The title was the sixth Miller has either shared or won outright at Los Alamitos since daytime thoroughbred racing returned in 2014.

A son of Brody's Cause owned by Baoma Corporation, Enbarr rallied past stablemate Montebello in the final sixteenth of a mile to win the $75,000 Capote Sept. 18 under Van Dyke, giving Baffert a 1-2 finish.

Taken for $80,000 by trainer Jonathan Wong for Brent Malmstrom's KAM Racing Stable, Manhattan Up, a 5-year-old Street Boss gelding, responded to the addition of blinkers in capturing the $100,000 Los Alamitos Special Sept. 19. He was ridden by Tiago Pereira.

Livingmybestlife, a 3-year-old daughter of The Big Beast, has now won three of five since being claimed by John Sadler for Hronis Racing out of her April 8 debut, when she finished second. She was never seriously challenged in her local debut, defeating Stella Noir and three others in the $75,000 Lucky Spell Sept. 24.

The meet's other stakes winners were Loud Mouth – via disqualification – in the E.B. Johnston, and Samurai Charm, who earned her fifth consecutive victory leading throughout in the Dark Mirage.

In terms of business, all-sources handle for the LACF season showed a gain of 18% over comparable days in 2019. There was no September meet at Los Alamitos in 2020.

“While participation as the entry box could have been better, we very much appreciate those owners and trainers who did participate,'' said F. Jack Liebau, vice president of the Los Alamitos Racing Association. “The (handle) increase was more than 10% of what we had aggressively estimated and was attributable to an incredible 65% increase in advance deposit wagering in Southern California.

“We're looking forward to our upcoming Winter meet where purses will be substantially higher.''

Daytime thoroughbred racing will return to Los Alamitos for the seven-day Winter season Friday, Dec. 3.

Racing will be conducted through Sunday, Dec. 12. The Winter meet will be highlighted by a pair of graded races for 2-year-olds – the $300,000 Grade 1 Starlet for fillies Saturday, Dec. 4, and the $200,000 Grade 2 Los Alamitos Futurity Saturday, Dec. 11. Both will be run at 1 1/16 miles.

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Manhattan Up, an $80,000 claim Aug. 22 at Del Mar Thoroughbred Club in Del Mar, Calif., paid immediate dividends for KAM Racing Stable and trainer Jonathan Wong Sunday at Los Alamitos Race Course in Cypress, Calif.

Adding blinkers for his new connections, the 5-year-old Street Boss gelding responded with a 1 ½ length victory over 14-1 shot Sash and four others in the $100,000 Los Alamitos Special.

Well placed throughout by jockey Tiago Pereira, Manhattan Up, who is out of the Service Stripe mare In the Frame, ranged up alongside Sash, who showed the way under Kyle Frey, and went on to prevail in 1:42.87 for the 1 1/16 miles.

The $60,000 payday increased Manhattan Up's earnings to $246,467 and it was his fourth win in 22 starts. He paid $10.80, $6.40, and $3.60 as the 4-1 fourth choice.

Sash, who was seeking his first win of 2021 for trainer Mark Glatt, returned $13.60 and $5 while finishing 2 ½ lengths clear of stablemate and 5-2 second choice Bold Endeavor. The show price on Bold Endeavor was $2.60.

Magic On Tap, the 17-10 favorite, Leading Score, and Border Town completed the order of finish.

“The owner (Brent Malmstrom's KAM Racing Stables) picked (Manhattan Up) with this race in mind,'' said Wong. “They wanted to run him here. They thought he would fit well and would stretch out.

“We put some blinkers on him and sent him up north and he trained very well over the (Tapeta surface at Golden Gate Fields). He came into the race really good and Tiago gave him a perfect ride.''

This wasn't Pereira's first victory aboard the Kentucky bred. He won an optional claimer going seven furlongs Feb. 8, 2020, at Santa Anita for former trainer Phil Oviedo.

“He's a very nice horse,'' said Pereira. “He raced between horses and relaxed nicely. When I asked him in the stretch he gave me a really strong finish.''

Later in the afternoon, Samurai Charm, the 2-1 second choice, led throughout, holding off 3-1 third choice Velvet Slippers by a head to win the $75,000 Dark Mirage Stakes.

A 4-year-old First Samurai filly out of the Silver Charm mare Back Seat Charm owned by Downstream Racing LLC and trained by Peter Miller, Samurai Charm is now 5-for-6 lifetime with four of those wins coming in succession in 2021. She hasn't lost since finishing third in her career debut Aug. 17, 2019. Her bankroll is $146,760.

She's also 3-for-3 at Los Alamitos after her third consecutive victory at one mile, prevailing despite doing some zig-zagging in the stretch under jockey Kyle Frey.

“She relaxed perfectly up front, and then I angled her out a bit coming into the stretch because she had a habit of lugging in,'' said Frey, who tripled Sunday, also taking the second – for Miller – aboard Finglas Lad and the seventh with Cowboys Daughter.

“She's never done anything like that in and out, though, and I just kept trying to straighten her. When she saw (Velvet Slippers) come to her inside the sixteenth pole, she dug back in and was real game.''

Samurai Charm, who completed the distance in 1:36.67, paid $6.40, $3.60, and $2.40. Velvet Slippers, who trailed early, rallied strongly along the inside to just miss while finishing two lengths in front of 7-5 favorite Paige Anne. Velvet Slippers returned $4.40 and $2.40 while the show price on Paige Anne was $2.20. Harper's Gallop and Candura completed the order of finish. Big Sweep was scratched earlier in the day.

The Dark Mirage win capped a triple for Miller. In addition to the victory with Finglas Lad, he also won the first with Miss Reno.

Racing resumes Friday at Los Alamitos. Post time is 1 p.m.

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