Tag: megahertz stakes

Chirinos Guides Canoodling To $47.40 Megahertz Upset

Fifth on dirt going seven furlongs on opening day, Dec. 26, the Mike Puype-trained Canoodling was able to set slow fractions and steal Saturday's Grade 3, $100,000 Megahertz Stakes at Santa Anita, as she held Con to win by half a length while getting one mile on turf in 1:37.30 under New Mexico-based Roimes Chirinos, who notched his first-ever win and graded stakes win at The Great Race Place.

Off at 22-1 in a field of seven older fillies and mares, Canoodling broke from the far outside and seemed to relish the change in surface and stretch out.

“There wasn't much speed in this race, but her pedigree is set right to do this today, she's by Pioneerof the Nile,” said Puype, who saddled Canoodling to a fifth place finish in the Grade 1 La Brea Stakes on Dec. 26. “We felt she could route on the turf. Todd Fincher (New Mexico-based trainer) had left her with me and this is where he wanted to run right after that last race and I just got her ready the best we could.

“The jock did a good job. He nursed the fractions along good and we had no pace pressure. The fractions were slow and when they came to get her, she had plenty left.”

A winner of one of four races on turf, Canoodling paid $47.40, $12.40 and $5.80.

“What a great day for me,” said Chirinos, a 38-year-old native of Venezuela. “It's my first graded stakes win in this beautiful country and at Santa Anita. It is unbelievable. She's a tiny, little filly but she's got a really, really big heart and she always tries hard. Today they made it easy for me because they let me walk the first half and I thought wow, if they let me go like this, they will never pass me.”

Owned by Lori Owens' B-4 Farms, Canoodling, a 4-year-old filly by Pioneerof the Nile out of the Harlan's Holiday mare Miz Kella, notched her third stakes win and improved her overall mark to 14-7-1-2. With the winner's share of $60,000, she increased her earnings to $278,023.

The 8-5 favorite, Warren's Showtime lacked room at the rail heading into the far turn and again in deep stretch and finished second in a huge effort. Ridden by Juan Hernandez, she paid $3.40 and $2.80 while finishing a game nose better than Avenue de France.

Ridden by Drayden Van Dyke, French-bred Avenue de France rallied from last to finish third by a head over second choice Bodhicitta. Off at 24-1, Avenue de France paid $5.40 to show.

Fractions on the race, all set by the winner, were 25.30, 49.87, 1:14.51 and 1:25.87.

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Mucho Unusual Handles Compact Field In Megahertz Stakes

Although spring training in Arizona and Florida is a month and a half away, George Krikorian's homebred Mucho Unusual nonetheless took a base on balls Monday at Santa Anita, as she powered to a three-quarter-length win at odds of 2-5 in the Grade 3, $100,000 Megahertz Stakes.  Trained by Tim Yakteen and ridden by Joel Rosario, the 5-year-old California-bred mare by Mucho Macho Man got one mile on turf and thus became the Arcadia, Calif., track Winter Meet's first two-time stakes winner in the process.

With a pair of program scratches reducing the field of older fillies and mares to four, Mucho Unusual broke alertly from her number three post and was immediately lapped on Chilean import Brooke, who went straight to the lead from her rail post.

Second, while a measured three quarters of a length off the leader at the three-furlong pole, Mucho Unusual drew alongside leaving the quarter pole and was carried out to the four-path by Brooke at the top of the lane.  From there, Mucho Unusual leveled nicely, put away the pacesetter leaving the furlong pole and easily held sway near the wire as Sedamar mounted a late rally.

An impressive three-quarter-length winner of the G3 Robert J. Frankel Stakes going 1 1/8 miles on turf here on Dec. 27, Mucho Unusual paid $2.80 and $2.10, with no show wagering.

“She's super honest, we're excited to have her in the stable, (it's been) just a great ride,” said Yakteen, who saddled Mucho Unusual for the 19th time on Monday.  “We were thinking about keeping her at a mile and one eighth, mile and a quarter, unfortunately, there really wasn't anything coming up until the end of March, so we thought we would take advantage of a lighter field.”

Out of Krikorian's Unusual Heat mare Not Unusual, Mucho Unusual, a winner of the G1 Rodeo Drive Stakes three starts back at a mile and one quarter on turf Sept. 26, registered her fourth graded stakes win (fifth overall) and improved her career mark to 19-7-3-4.  With the winner's share of $60,000, she increased her earnings to $822,715.

“I just got a good break and see what I had,” said Rosario.  “I went to the first turn and it looked like the one horse (Brooke) really wanted to go to the lead, so I just waited behind (her) a little bit.  This horse is really good…Thank you to the team and to George (Krikorian) for the opportunity.”

Sedamar, like the winner, a Cal-bred, was an attentive fourth early and was carried five wide turning for home while rallying as second-best.  Ridden by Umberto Rispoli, Sedamar was off at 7-2 and paid $2.60 to show while finishing a half length in front of Brooke.

Ridden by her regular rider in Chile, Jeremy Laprida, Brooke, who was off at 4-1 in her U.S. debut, came back to the rail after drifting out at the top of the stretch, taking the path of Colonial Creed and Flavien Prat a furlong out.  As a result of this interference, Brooke was disqualified by the stewards and placed last.

Fractions on the race were 23.78, 48.00, 1:12.55 and 1:24.43.

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Chilean Star Brooke ‘Training Forwardly’ For U.S. Debut In Santa Anita’s Megahertz

Brooke, a Chilean-bred mare who was a monster in her native country, gong off as the odds-on favorite in six of her seven races while winning five, makes her United States debut in Monday's Martin Luther King Jr. holiday feature, the Grade 3 Megahertz Stakes at Santa Anita in Arcadia, Calif.

“She's been training very forwardly,” said Simon Callaghan, who conditions the 5-year-old chestnut for the Don Alberto Stable. “I've had her for three or four months. The owners thought she would like the firm turf in California, which is why they sent her here.

“Hopefully she can add to her resume.”

Brooke will once again be ridden by jockey Jeremy Laprida, who has been aboard in each of her eight career starts, including her most recent, a ninth-place finish in a field of 17 on a heavy turf course at one mile in Argentina's Group 2 Longines Cup last March 20.

“He's ridden her in Chile and the owners wanted him for her first race here,” Callaghan said of Laprida, who has ridden in the U.S. at Parx Racing in Bensalem, Pa., 19 miles northeast of Philadelphia.

Megahertz was a diminutive chestnut mare bred in England who gained popularity with racing fans thanks her small size and big stretch runs against top company.

Trained by the late Bobby Frankel for owner Michael Bello, Megahertz was a multiple graded stakes winner on turf compiling a 14-6-5 record from 34 starts, earning $2,261,594.

The Megahertz is for fillies and mares four and up at one mile on turf. It is race seven of nine with a 12:30 p.m. Pacific first post time.

The field: Brooke, Jeremy Laprida, 4-1; $2,000 supplemental nominee Colonial Creed, Flavien Prat, 7-2; $2,000 supplemental nominee Lucky Peridot, Abel Cedillo, 8-1; Mucho Unusual, Joel Rosario, 9-5; Hippodamia's Girl, Juan Hernandez, 8-1; andSedamar, Umberto Rispoli, 5-2.

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