Mike Smith | Horse Racing Free Tips

Field Of Five Sophomores Go Forward For Sunday’s Los Alamitos Derby

Runner-up behind the talented California bred The Chosen Vron in the Affirmed June 13, Defunded will try for his first stakes success in the $150,000-guaranteed Los Alamitos Derby Sunday.

Restricted to 3-year-olds and scheduled for 1 1/8 miles, the Grade 3 will go as the fourth of nine races. Post time Sunday is 1 p.m. Scheduled post time for the main event is 2:28 p.m.

Owned by Mike Pegram, Karl Watson and Paul Weitman and trained by Hall of Famer Bob Baffert, Defunded has a win in five starts and earnings of $140,700. He had the lead in the stretch in the Grade 3 Affirmed, but was unable to withstand the closing surge of The Chosen Vron while finishing 11 lengths of the rest of the field.

A gelded son of Dialed In and the Touch Gold mare Wind Caper, Defunded will be trying to give Baffert his fifth consecutive victory in the Los Alamitos Derby and his sixth in the last seven years. His half-dozen wins in the race since 2014 include Gimme Da Lute (2015), West Coast (2017), Once On Whiskey (2018), Game Winner (2019) and Uncle Chuck (2020).

Baffert also entered Classier, a distant third as the 7-5 favorite in the Affirmed.

Owned by SF Racing LLC, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables LLC, Golconda Stables, Siena Farm LLC and Robert Masterson, the Empire Maker colt out of the Bernardini mare Class Will Tell has one win in three starts and has earned $65,000.

Trained by Bob Hess, Jr. for Doug Gans, Gary Jacobs, Larry Katz and Kevin Riggs, It's My House returns to California after being eased over a sloppy surface in the $300,000 Texas Derby May 31 at Lone Star Park.

A son of Anthony's Cross and the Grand Reward mare Gerry's Reward, It's My House has won twice in six starts and banked $60,760. A second-out maiden winner Jan. 31 at Golden Gate Fields when trained by Jamey Thomas, the Florida bred cashed as the favorite in the Turf Paradise Derby March 12 for his other win in his initial race for Hess.

Owned by the Clarke M. Cooper Family Trust, Mia Familia Racing Stable and Wade Jacobsen and trained by John Sadler, who won the 2016 Los Alamitos Derby with Accelerate, Back Ring Luck will be seeking his first on the board finish in California.

The Malibu Moon gelding out of the Rahy mare Patti O'Rahy was eased in the Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby April 3, then was fourth and fifth in a pair of optional claimers May 15 and June 5 with the latter effort coming on turf.

Back Ring Luck won twice in five starts before shipping to this coast. He defeated $30,000 maidens at Churchill Downs last Nov. 13 when trained by W. Bret Calhoun, then won an optional claimer for trainer Al Cates March 5 at Oaklawn Park after being claimed out of his initial win.

A close fourth in the Snow Chief Stakes on turf June 19, Ingest will switch to the main track for owners Grant Alvernaz and Steve Ribeiro and trainer Doug O'Neill.

A son of Square Eddie and the Rock Hard Ten mare Octogarian, the gelding is 1-for-9 with a bankroll of $58,180. His lone win came at eight furlongs on turf last Sept. 26. He's yet to hit the board in three attempts on dirt.

From inside out, the field for the Los Alamitos Derby: Classier, Mike Smith rides, 122 pounds; It's My House, Edwin Maldonado, 122; Defunded, Abel Cedillo, 122; Back Ring Luck, Tyler Baze, 122 and Ingest, Juan Hernandez, 122.

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Althiqa Completes Godolphin, Appleby Exacta In Just A Game Stakes

It was clear in the stretch of the Grade 1 Just A Game Stakes that a gray horse under the Godolphin blue from the yard of trainer Charlie Appleby was going to end up in the winner's circle. After slipping past her stablemate through a tight rail seam, Althiqa took the honors over pacesetter Summer Romance.

Althiqua, a 4-year-old British-bred daughter of Dark Angel, was tucked in near the back of the pack by jockey Mike Smith during the opening jumps, while Summer Romance shot out to a multi-length lead. Zofelle followed Summer Romance from the inside post, along with New York Girl, but the leader was ahead by several lengths after the opening quarter in :23.43 seconds.

Summer Romance remained unchallenged through the next quarter-mile, and she set an opening half in :46.90 seconds as she led the field into the turn. In the meantime, Smith still sat chilly on the rail with Althiqa in eighth.

Summer Romance was still comfortably in the lead heading into the stretch, but many of the horses that had kept Althiqa tucked in through the early goings of the race fanned out wide, leaving the inside path wide open. Althiqa in the mid-stretch, and split between Zofelle and Always Shopping to take aim on her stablemate.

Jockey Luis Saez kept Summer Romance to task, but he left the rail open for Althiqa to slip through with about a sixteenth to go. Althiqa took advantage of the opening, and kicked away to win by three-quarters of a length over Summer Romance. Daddy Is a Legend ran evenly to finish third, 1 3/4 lengths behind the runner-up.

Althiqa finished the one-mile race in 1:33.90 over a turf course labeled as good, and she paid $16.80 to win.

Saturday's win improved Althiqa's lifetime record to five wins in 10 starts for earnings of $466,213.

The Just A Game was the first North American start for the Godolphin homebred, who was bred in Great Britain, out of the Shamardal mare Mistrusting. She spent the spring in Dubai, winning the Group 2 Cape Verdi Stakes over Summer Romance and finishing third to her stablemate in the G2 Balanchine prior to the Just A Game. She raced in Great Britain and France in 2020, earning Group 3 placings in both countries.

Summer Romance, an Irish-bred Kingman filly, also made her first North American start in the Just A Game. She raced primarily in England last year, highlighted by a win in the Group 3 Princess Elizabeth Stakes.

To view the Equibase chart, click here.

G1 Longines Just a Game Quotes, Courtesy of the NYRA Press Office

Charlie Appleby, winning trainer of Althiqa (No. 8, $16.80) and runner-up Summer Romance (No. 9): “We're obviously delighted with it and we knew we had two competitive fillies. It's one of those days when we prepped well, I was confident they would run a big race and they justified it. They are two fillies who ran well over the winter in Dubai in Group 2s—one won the Balanchine and the other won the Cape Verdi—and they came out there to America and put it to the sword again. It's a great effort by the team there and we might think about leaving them there for Saratoga. Althiqa hit the line strong enough and she wasn't stopping. It was an opportunity to get a Group 1, and luckily we did.

“Mike [Smith, aboard Althiqa] gave us our first Grade 1 in the Breeders' Cup with Outstrip, so it's great to team up again. With Rebel's Romance [developed an infection and had to drop out of consideration for the G1 Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets] earlier this week and this, it's just the ups and downs of it all. We've seen it here in the UK and you just have to roll with the punches.

“We'll definitely consider the Diana [Grade 1, $500,000 on July 17 at Saratoga Race Course] for both of our fillies.”

Sophie Chretien, traveling assistant to Charlie Appleby: “Things were not easy the last couple of weeks [after Rebel's Romance's situation] and we had to stay focused on our two fillies. They both have big hearts and I know they had a chance to run big. Everything turned out great. Sometime after the bad, you have the good, and here it is.”

Mike Smith, winning jockey aboard Althiqa (No. 8): “We laid midpack. She's got a big heart and she's very, very honest, so she's going to run good. You're just going to have to make a trip when it's time to move on. I was actually going to tip out, but she kind of leaned in like she wanted to drop to the fence, so I just let her. It was a small hole but [Appleby] told me she had a big heart, and she got on through there. She might suit American racing really well. We might want to keep her here.”

Luis Saez, jockey aboard runner-up Summer Romance (No. 9): “She ran pretty hard. I thought we were going to win. She never gave up. She came into the stretch running, and then Mike Smith came really fast. We just got caught. She never gave up and she tried to the wire.”

Manny Franco, jockey aboard third-place finisher Daddy is a Legend (No. 3): “I had a great trip; we never got stopped. I got the trip I wanted. I wanted to wait a little longer to make my move and that's what I did. The two fillies who beat me are nice and she made a good run.”

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Crazy Beautiful Finds Kentucky Oaks Redemption In Summertime Oaks At Santa Anita

Kentucky-based Crazy Beautiful made amends for a disappointing effort in the Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks as she rallied three-wide turning for home en route to a 1 ¾-length win in Sunday's G2, $200,000 Summertime Oaks at Santa Anita in Arcadia, Calif. Trained by Ken McPeek, ridden by Mike Smith and saddled today by locally based trainer Karen Headley, Crazy Beautiful got 1 1/16 miles in 1:43.85.

Last after the first half mile, about three lengths off speedy Lady Aces, Smith saved ground at the rail around the far turn and allowed his filly to idle a bit as longshot Plum Sexy, to his immediate outside, began to tire. Approaching the quarter pole, Smith then angled out to tackle both Lady Aces and heavily favored Soothsay, who was all-out at that point to make the lead while Crazy Beautiful didn't gain the advantage until deep stretch.

“She broke really well, I noticed in the Kentucky Oaks (on April 30), she got slammed leaving there, never really giving her the chance to run,” said Smith, who was aboard Crazy Beautiful for the first time today. “So, I knew (with) a better break and the way she's bred with Liam's Map (and an) Indian Charlie mare, she has some speed if you needed it.

“For a minute there I thought about going to the lead, but they went up there and entertained themselves enough to where I felt confident (about taking off the early pace). With a short field, I was hoping Plum Sexy would drop back and I'd get out when it was time.”

A winner of the G2 Gulfstream Park Oaks two starts back on March 27, but 10th, beaten 10 ½ lengths in the G1 Kentucky Oaks April 30, Crazy Beautiful was the second choice in a field of four sophomore fillies at 6-5 and paid $4.60 and $2.10 with no show wagering.

A Kentucky-bred filly by Liam's Map out of the Indian Charlie mare Indian Burn, Crazy Beautiful is owned by Phoenix Thoroughbred III. In notching her second graded stakes win, she improved her overall mark to 9-4-3-0 and with the winner's share of $120,000, increased her earnings to $520,865.

“She didn't get here to my barn until eight or nine Thursday night, so we just walked her Friday morning,” said Headley. “Mike came out and galloped her Saturday, so I really didn't do much with her at all.”

A winner of her first two starts including the G2 Santa Anita Oaks on April 3, Soothsay sat second, just off of Lady Aces to the top of the lane and then was all-out to finally overhaul her with a sixteenth of a mile to run, at which point the winner blew by both of them.

Trained by Richard Mandella and ridden by Flavien Prat, Soothsay was off at 4-5 and paid $2.10 to win while finishing 1 ¾ lengths in front of a gallant Lady Aces and Umberto Rispoli.

Fractions on the race were 23.66, 48.36, 1:12.84 and 1:37.42.

First post time for special holiday racing on Memorial Day, Monday is at 1 p.m. Three G1 stakes, the Hollywood Gold Cup, the Shoemaker Mile and the Gamely will highlight a nine-race program. For additional information, please visit santaanita.com or call (626) 574-RACE.

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Odds-On Favorite As Times Goes By Noses Out Longshot This Tea In Santa Maria

A runaway 9 ¼-length winner of her most recent Grade 2 stakes assignment, As Time Goes By was all-out to prevail by a nose over 23-1 longshot This Tea in Saturday's Grade 2, $200,000 Santa Maria Stakes at Santa Anita in Arcadia, Calif. Trained by Bob Baffert and ridden by Mike Smith, As Time Goes By stalked the early pace and got 1 1/16 miles in 1:43.77.

Breaking from the outside of a four-horse field of fillies and mares, 3 and up, As Time Goes By was content to track speedster Miss Stormy D to the far turn, where she took charge by a neck at the three-furlong pole. From there, she had to work to shrug off Miss Stormy D to her inside and then faced the challenge of This Tea to her immediate outside, with well regarded Ce Ce unable to mount a challenge four-deep turning for home.

“I told Mike, we've been going easy on her, not too hard for this race,” said Baffert, who registered his meet-leading 14th stakes victory. “Today, this is the first time she's come back really blowing. That filly that ran second, ran a big race. “(My filly's) heart and true grit made her hang in there. We knew Miss Stormy D was quick, and you could tell turning for home that my filly wasn't doing it that easily.”

When asked what might be next for As Time Goes By, Baffert responded, “Right now, with the Breeders' Cup at Del Mar, we wanna keep her here and run her here in the fall.”

A scintillating gate to wire winner of the Grade 2 Santa Margarita Stakes going a mile and one eighth on April 24, As Time Goes By was off at 2-5 and paid $2.80 and $2.10 with no show wagering.

“They ran good, you know, my hat's off to the filly that finished second, she ran a huge race,” said Smith. “The Lakers don't always blow every team out, every now and then you gotta fight it out, and that's what she had to do today.

“She'll get more out of this race. After she ran the last time out, they kind of backed off her a little bit. She's a big mare with a big frame and she'll tend to gain some weight and I could tell she was a little more stocked today. She got a little tired, but she'll get a whole lot out of that.”

Owned by Michael Tabor, Mrs. John Magnier and Derrick Smith, As Time Goes By, a 4-year-old filly by Baffert's 2015 Triple Crown winner American Pharoah, out of the Dehere mare Take Charge Lady, notched her second stakes win and improved her overall mark to 7-4-2-1.

With the winner's share of $120,000, As Time Goes By increased her earnings to $380,600.

Ridden by Kent Desormeaux for trainer George Papaprodromou, This Tea, who was second by 9 ¼ lengths to As Time Goes By in the Santa Margarita, came within a nose of turning the tables in a huge effort. The longest shot in the field at 23-1, she paid $6.60 to place while finishing eight lengths clear of Miss Stormy D.

Ce Ce, ridden by Victor Espinoza, was off at 3-2 but tired badly through the lane while never threatening.

Fractions on the race were 23.83, 47.12, 1:10.95 and 1:36.98.

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