Mathis Brothers Mile | Horse Racing Free Tips

Plush Horse Donations on Santa Anita Opening Day Net $25K for Aftercare

Mathis plush toy horses, which were available for a $20 donation at Santa Anita Park on last Sunday's opening day, generated a total of $25,000 for the California Retirement Management Account (CARMA) and Thoroughbred aftercare. Opening day attendees also received water bottles or Mathis Mile hats. Mathis and Santa Anita Park have already committed to doing the same promotion next year.

“We're thrilled to have raised $25,000 for CARMA, a non-profit organization that will ensure each racehorse has a bright future after racing,” said Bill Mathis, President of Mathis Brothers. “Together with the thousands of fans who participated on Santa Anita's Opening Day, Mathis Brothers is proud to have helped put the horse first.”

“We can't thank our fans and Mathis Brothers enough for their tremendous support of Thoroughbred aftercare,” said Santa Anita Senior Vice President and General Manager Nate Newby. “Each dollar raised from this promotion is going directly to CARMA to support the rehabilitation, retraining and retirement of California-raced Thoroughbreds.”

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Santa Anita Releases Winter/Spring Meet Stakes Schedule Highlighted By 10 Grade 1 Races

A comprehensive stakes schedule spanning six months will be keynoted by six graded stakes, three of them Grade 1 events, when Santa Anita's Winter/Spring Meet opens on Sunday, Dec. 26.

Three Grade 1, $300,000 stakes, the Runhappy Malibu, the La Brea and American Oaks, along with three Grade 2, $200,000 Stakes, the Mathis Brothers Mile, the San Antonio and the San Gabriel, will highlight a blockbuster opening day program that will begin at 12 noon PT.

Santa Anita's Winter/Spring Meet will run through June 19 and will include a total of 94 stakes, 59 of them graded, with 10 Grade 1 offerings including the $750,000 Santa Anita Derby on April 9.

“We have added a significant amount of money to our stakes program along with some minor changes that I think trainers and owners, not only in California, but around the country, will appreciate,” said Chris Merz, Santa Anita Director of Racing and Racing Secretary. “We have a lot of positive momentum going in California right now and these enhancements to the stakes schedule add to it. We would like to thank our partners at the TOC for getting behind this to help make California racing all that it can and should be.”

America's longest continually run “hundred grander,” the Grade 1, $650,000 Santa Anita Handicap, which will be contested for the 85th time, along with the Grade 1, $500,000 Beholder Mile and the Grade 1, $500,000 Frank E. Kilroe Mile, will headline another tremendous card on March 5.

Along with those three Grade 1 stakes, one of the nation's most important Derby preps, the Grade 2, $400,000 San Felipe, the Grade 2, $200,000 Buena Vista and the Grade 2, $200,000 San Carlos Stakes will all be run on March 5 as well.

The Santa Anita Derby, which has now produced 20 winners of the Kentucky Derby, will be complemented by the Grade 2, $400,000 Santa Anita Oaks and a pair of $150,000 California-bred stakes, the Echo Eddie and the Evening Jewel, on April 9.

Three Grade 1 stakes, the $400,000 Gamely, the $400,000 Hollywood Gold Cup and the $500,000 Shoemaker Mile, will highlight a festive Memorial Day card on May 30 as the Winter/Spring meet “turns for home,” with three racing weeks remaining.

Closing weekend, June 18 and 19, will offer a wide variety of six stakes, with a pair of $100,000 sprints for 2-year-olds, the Fasig-Tipton Futurity and Fasig Tipton Debutante being run on June 18 along with the Grade 2, $200,000 Santa Maria for fillies and mares.

On closing day, June 19, the iconic Grade 3, $125,000 San Juan Capistrano, for 3-year-olds and up at a mile and three quarters on turf, along with the Grade 3, $100,000 American at one mile on grass and the $100,000 Possibly Perfect, at a mile and one half on turf, figure to bring a dynamic ending to the meet.

For additional information, including Santa Anita's complete 2021-22 Winter/Spring Stakes Schedule, please visit santaanita.com or call (626) 574-RACE.

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McCarthy: Kilroe Mile Next For Smooth Like Strait

Smooth Like Strait, efficient winner of Saturday's Grade 2 Mathis Brothers Mile on turf as the 4-5 favorite, likely will make his next start in the G1 Frank E. Kilroe Mile on grass March 6 at Santa Anita in Arcadia, Calif.

“That's the plan,” trainer Michael McCarthy said for the Midnight Lute colt, now winner of six of 12 starts with earnings of $577,823 for owners/breeders Cannon Thoroughbreds, LLC.

McCarthy has Nasreddine, third in the G1 Starlet Dec. 5, ticketed for next Sunday's G2 Santa Ynez Stakes for 3-year-old fillies at seven furlongs, and marathon turf specialist Another Mystery set for Saturday's G2 San Gabriel Stakes at 1 1/8 miles on grass.

Ever on the go, McCarthy has come-backing Ohio ready for Friday's G2 Joe Hernandez Stakes at 6 ½ furlongs on turf.

Brazilian-bred Ohio has not raced since March 7 when the soon-to-be 10-year-old gelded son of Elusive Quality finished seventh in the Kilroe. Ricky Gonzalez will have the mount.

“Ohio just had a little R and R, just taking it easy,” McCarthy said.

As to Independence Hall's disappointing fifth by nearly 10 lengths behind Charlatan in the G1 Malibu, McCarthy said: “I don't think he handled the track, but he'll live to fight another day.”

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Smooth Like Strait Prompt Favorite In Mathis Brothers Mile

Cannon Thoroughbreds' homebred Smooth Like Strait continued his dominance of the West Coast's 3-year-old male turf division in Saturday's Grade 2 Mathis Brothers Mile Stakes on opening day at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, Calif., taking over from front-running Storm the Court in the stretch and winning comfortably by three-quarters of a length.

Ridden by Umberto Rispoli, the Midnight Lute colt trained by Michael McCarthy covered one mile on a firm turf course in 1:33.51 and paid $3.60 as the 4-5 favorite. Storm the Court held second by a half-length at 10-1 odds after setting fractions of :23.02, :46.49, 1:10.12 and 1:21.67. Whisper Not, the 5-2 second choice in the wagering, finished third in the field of seven 3-year-olds, a head in front of Field Pass, with Scarto fifth, Strongconstitution sixth and Heywoods Beach seventh.

Smooth Like Strait, coming off a head defeat to East Coast invader Domestic Spending in the G1 Hollywood Derby at Del Mar on Nov. 28, broke smoothly and sat just off Storm the Court throughout. Rispoli edged the colt up alongside Storm the Court at the top of the stretch and quickly put his head in front, but Storm the Court fought back and only gave way grudgingly in the final sixteenth.

“We knew Storm the Court would be going for the lead, so I just wanted to sit back of him,” said Rispoli, who has now won two of his last three races aboard Smooth Like Strait. “We got the perfect trip…When it came time to ask him in the stretch, he was ready to go.”

The victory was the sixth in 12 stars for the Kentucky-bred Smooth Like Strait, who was produced from the Flower Alley mare, Smooth As Usual. He's won four graded stakes, all in Southern California, and added the listed War Chant at Churchill Downs in May.

“I was surprised at how well he came out of the Hollywood Derby,” said McCarthy. “He put in a couple of works that were I thought maintenance type works, but everything he was showing me in the morning, and the way he was acting around the barn. I thought about it for a couple of days whether we should go or wait until March, give him a little bit of a break over the winter. But he acted like he had his mind on running today and I'm glad we got him over here.”

McCarthy said Smooth Like Strait will get a short break before pointing to two G1 races in the spring, the Frank E. Kilroe Mile on March 6, and the Shoemaker Mile on May 31.

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