neil drysdale | Horse Racing Free Tips

Neptune’s Storm Returns From Layoff In Sunday’s American Stakes

With runaway leading rider Flavien Prat engaged, the Richard Baltas-trained Neptune's Storm, idle since Sept. 7, will garner plenty of attention as he heads the Grade 3, $100,000 American Stakes at one mile on turf this Sunday at Santa Anita. For 3-year-olds and up, the American has attracted a wide open field of six.

Hall of Fame conditioner Neil Drysdale, who is winless in 36 starts at the current meet, has a big shot to get off the schneid with Majestic Eagle, who won the 2019 American and will be ridden on Sunday by Mario Gutierrez.

With two wins from his first seven starts when trained by William Morey, Neptune's Storm blossomed in the care of Baltas, winning his first start for him, the ungraded Singletary Stakes at one mile on turf, on April 28, 2019. A winner of the Grade 2 Hill Prince Stakes at Belmont Park eight starts back on Oct. 5, 2019, Neptune's Storm notched his second graded stakes win three races back by taking the Grade 3 San Francisco Mile on June 14, 2020.

Subsequently third, beaten one length by classy United in the Grade 2 Eddie Read Stakes July 26, Neptune's Storm went to the sidelines following a fourth place finish in an ungraded one mile turf stakes Sept. 7, 2020 at Kentucky Downs.

A 5-year-old gelding by Stormy Atlantic, Neptune's Storm has a pressing style that has enabled him to avoid trouble and has resulted in a total of 10 finishes in which he has run first, second or third dating back to his win in the 2019 Singletary.

Owned by John Rochfort, Saul Gevertz, Lynn Gitomer, Mike Goetz, Michael Nentwig and Daniel Weiner, Neptune's Storm is 19-6-3-6 and is the leading money earner in the field with $848,085.

Second, beaten 1 ¼ lengths in his first start of the year, the Grade 3 Daytona Stakes at 6 ½ furlongs on turf May 29, Majestic Eagle, who had been idle since Nov. 28, should improve with the race under his belt and a return to a route of ground. A game neck winner of the 2019 American, Majestic Eagle, a 6-year-old gelding by Medaglia d'Oro, is 11-1-4-1 at one mile on turf.

Owned by Rave Green Racing, Majestic Eagle brings an overall mark of 28-3-7-3 and earnings of $340,541.

THE GRADE 3 AMERICAN STAKES WITH JOCKEYS & WEIGHTS IN POST POSITION ORDER

Race 7 of 11 Approximate post time 4 p.m. PT

Tiz Plus—Trevor McCarthy—122
Restrainedvengence—Tyler Baze—124
Neptune's Storm—Flavien Prat—122
Border Town—Mike Smith—122
Majestic Eagle—Mario Gutierrez—122
Sash—Juan Hernandez—122

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Jolie Olimpica, Oleksandra Prepare For Rematch In Las Cienegas

Separated by a half length when they last met in May, Brazilian-bred Jolie Olimpica and Australian-bred Oleksandra head a field of seven older fillies and mares going six furlongs on turf in Saturday's Grade 3, $100,000 Las Cienegas Stakes at Santa Anita.

Originally run at about 6 ½ furlongs down the track's Camino Real Hillside Turf Course, the 47th edition of the Las Cienegas will be contested for the first time ever out of Santa Anita's all-new turf chute.

Idle since running a big second in the G1 Jenny Wiley Stakes at Keeneland going a mile and one sixteenth on turf July 11, the Richard Mandella-trained Jolie Olimpica took last year's Las Cienegas at 5 ½ furlongs on turf in her U.S. debut four starts back on Jan. 11, 2020 and is a two-time graded stakes winner over the Santa Anita lawn.

A Group 1 winner in her native Brazil, Jolie Olimpica, in her third start for Mandella, held off a late surge from Oleksandra to prevail by a half length in the G2 Monrovia Stakes going 5 ½ furlongs on turf here May 25. Although Oleksandra had a full head of steam, she never got by Jolie Olimpica on the gallop-out in what was a very impressive win.

Trained by Neil Drysdale, Oleksandra was most recently ninth in the G1 Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint versus males on Nov. 7 and returns to her home turf with the services of regular rider Joel Rosario. A winner of the G1 Jaipur Stakes going six furlongs on the Belmont Park turf two starts back, she rallied from far back to be second, beaten a half length by Jolie Olimpica in the Monrovia.

In what will be her first stakes assignment, veteran trainer Art Sherman's Acting Out will be bidding for her third consecutive win with regular rider Abel Cedillo up. Forwardly placed in all three of her wins to date, this 4-year-old Kentucky-bred filly by Blame seems to relish a fight and has won her last two allowance sprints by a combined 10 ¼ lengths. A maiden 5 ½ furlong turf winner here in her second start, Acting Out has three wins from five starts.

THE GRADE 3 LAS CIENEGAS WITH JOCKEYS & WEIGHTS IN POST POSITION ORDER

Race 9 of 10 Approximate post time 4 p.m. PT

Bohemian Bourbon—Juan Hernandez—120
Charmaine's Mia—Drayden Van Dyke—120
Acting Out—Abel Cedillo—120
Lighthouse—Umberto Rispoli—122
Superstition—Flavien Prat—120
Oleksandra—Joel Rosario—122
Jolie Olimpica—Mike Smith—122

Early first post time for a 10-race card on Saturday is at 12 noon. All of Santa Anita's races are offered free of charge at santaanita.com/live and fans can watch and wager at 1st.com/Bet.

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Pricey Malibu Moon Filly a Smart Winner in Big A Debut

2nd-Aqueduct, $80,000, Msw, 12-4, 2yo, f, 6fT, 1:10.45, gd,1 length.
MISS DRACARYS (f, 2, Malibu Moon–Ask Me When, by Speightstown), the second-priciest offspring by her sire of 47 yearlings sold in 2019 when bringing $525,000 at Keeneland September, lit up the tote board at 23-1 in this debut run. She raced under a snug hold in seventh on the inside and was traveling nicely as the field hit the quarter pole. Kept along the fence by Kendrick Carmouche as they turned for home, the bay threaded the needle in deep stretch and ran to daylight to win going away by a length over Stuck On Kitten (Kitten’s Joy). The winner is a half to Up the Ante (Smart Strike), SW & GSP, $298,713; and a full to Aristocratic, SW & GSP, $361,379. Ask Me When, a half-sister to MGSW and Spendthrift sire Dominus (Smart Strike), had a colt by Quality Road in 2020 and was barren for 2021. This is also the family of grassy MGISW Honey Ryder (Lasting Approval). Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $44,000. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.
O-Al Shira’aa Farms; B-Castleton Lyons & Kilboy Estate (KY); T-Neil D. Drysdale.

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Oleksandra Works into Cup

Team Valor’s Oleksandra (Aus) (Animal Kingdom), who will be making her first start since winning the June 20 GI Jaipur S. when she goes postward in Saturday’s GI Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint, worked six furlongs in 1:14.04 (1/3) Sunday at Belmont Park.

“She’s doing very well,” said trainer Neil Drysdale. “She doesn’t need speed because she’s very fast. She worked in company behind another horse and started a half dozen lengths back and finished well.”

Oleksandra has worked six times on the Belmont main track this month, including a trio of half-mile breezes in close succession, ahead of a strong five-furlong effort in 1:01.58 last week.

“That was because of the layoff to get her fit,” Drysdale explained of the work pattern. “We gave her some small easy works and then we’ve only done two serious works–this one and the last one.”

Oleksandra won the GIII Buffalo Trace Franklin County S. over the Turf Sprint’s 5 1/2-furlong distance at Keeneland last October. The 6-year-old mare has made just two starts this term, finishing second in the May 25 GII Monrovia S. at Santa Anita before rallying from last to win the Jaipur last time out.

“She’s won down there [at Keeneland] and if it comes up a bit soft, she doesn’t mind,” said Drysdale.

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