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Queen Goddess Leads 1-2 American Oaks Finish For McCarthy After Race Moved Off Turf

In her first start on dirt, trainer Michael McCarthy-trained Queen Goddess handled the conditions with aplomb, as she dictated the pace throughout and took Sunday's $300,000 American Oaks by 2 ¾ lengths at Santa Anita in Arcadia, Calif. Ridden by Juan Hernandez, Queen Goddess got 1 1/4 miles on a fast track in 2:04.72.

Originally designated as a Grade 1 on turf, the eventual graded status of the American Oaks will be decided in the coming days by the American Graded Stakes Committee.

Comfortable and well within herself on the lead, Queen Goddess was challenged briefly approaching the furlong pole by her McCarthy stablemate Nicest, but Queen Goddess was simply too much on the day.

A close third in a second condition allowance going 1 1/8 miles on turf at Del Mar Nov. 25, Queen Goddess was off at 14-1 in a field of 10 sophomore fillies and paid $31.20, $12.80 and $7.00.

“She showed me a lot today,” said Hernandez. “She broke really sharp. She came to run today because out of the gate, I felt that she was trying to run to get the lead and she got comfortable there and (the other horses) let me go. She held on to the lead pretty good. Around the quarter pole when she felt the other filly (stablemate Nicest), I actually felt her too, and in listening to the crowd, I could tell the other filly was coming so we started working really hard and she just kept going, she never stopped. She's a really nice filly.

“When you watch a lot of people like today, you just feel different, you feel good and I just wanted to win a race today on opening day. I'd like to thank Michael McCarthy and the owners for the opportunity, I really appreciate it.”

Owned by Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and TOLO Thoroughbreds, Inc., Queen Goddess a Kentucky-bred filly by Empire Maker, picked up her first stakes win today and improved her overall mark to 6-3-1-1. With the winner's share of $180,000, she hiked her earnings to $303,080.

Off at 7-1 with John Velazquez, Irish-bred Nicest checked in 3 ¼ lengths in front of Fluffy Socks and paid $8.40 and $5.00.

With Mike Smith up, Fluffy Socks never threatened for the win but finished three lengths in front of longshot Ivy League. Off at 6-1, Fluffy Socks paid $4.80 to show.

The disappointment in the race was heavily favored Going Global. Off at 4-5 with Flavien Prat, she knifed her way into contention five sixteenths from home, but came up empty in the drive, finishing sixth in her first try on dirt.

Fractions on the race were 23.30, 47.62, 1:12.87 and 1:38.14.

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Epicenter, With Familiar Connections, Impressive Gun Runner Winner

Racing for the same trainer and owner that campaigned Gun Runner to a Horse of the Year campaign in 2017, Winchell Thoroughbreds Epicenter, trained by Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen, raced to a 6 1/2-length victory in Sunday's inaugural running of the $100,000 Gun Runner Stakes at Fair Grounds in New Orleans, La.

The Gun Runner is an official qualifying points race for the Kentucky Derby, awarding 10-4-2-1 to the top four finishers. The race is named after Gun Runner, who first came to prominence at Fair Grounds, where he won the Grade 2 Risen Star Stakes and G2 Louisiana Derby in 2016. While he finished third in the G1 Kentucky Derby, Gun Runner would race consistently throughout his 3-year-old season and was nearly perfect at 4 and 5, winning six of his seven final career starts, including the G1 Breeders' Cup Classic and G1 Pegasus World Cup Invitational Stakes. As a sire, Gun Runner has gotten off to an historic start in 2021, setting a record for progeny earnings from his first crop of foals.

Epicenter, the 5-2 second choice ridden by Brian Hernandez Jr., paid $7.80 for the win after covering 1 1/16 miles on a fast track in 1:44.19. Tejano Twist finished second, with Surfer Dude third in the field of seven 2-year-olds. Rocket Dawg, the 4-5 favorite from the barn of Brad Cox, was never a factor, after being unsettled and rank in the early portion of the race.

A son of Not This Time out of Silent Candy, by Candy Ride, Epicenter was winning for the second time in three starts. He ran sixth in his debut at Churchill Downs last September, then broke his maiden by 3 1/2 lengths at the Louisville, Ky., track next out on Nov. 13.

In the Gun Runner, Epicenter sat just off the early pace behind Surfer Dude, who set fractions of :24.41, :47.76 and 1:12.57 for the first six furlongs. Epicenter took command in the stretch, passing the mile marker in 1:37.63 and drew off in the final sixteenth of a mile.

Epicenter was bred in Kentucky by Westwind Farms and was purchased as a yearling for $260,000.

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Law Professor Overtakes Beyond Brilliant In Santa Anita Mathis Mile

In a thrilling stretch duel, Jose Ortiz, aboard Law Professor, managed to outduel Kent Desormeaux aboard favored Beyond Brilliant, taking Sunday's $200,000 Santa Anita Mathis Mile Stakes by a half length. Originally carded on turf, the Mathis Mile was one of six opening day races at the Arcadia, Calif., track shifted to dirt due to heavy rains over the past five days. Accordingly, the Santa Anita Mathis Mile result will be reviewed later this week by the American Graded Stakes Committee, which will determine if the race will remain a Grade 2 for statistical purposes.

Trained by Michael McCarthy, Law Professor, who came off a five-month freshening to rally and win a first condition allowance going a mile on turf Nov. 27 at Del Mar, was off at 4-1 in a field of nine sophomores and paid $10.20, $4.60 and $3.20.

Owned by Twin Creeks Racing Stables, LLC, Law Professor, who was making his second graded stakes start, tracked Beyond Brilliant to the far turn, and drew alongside a quarter mile from home in a hard-earned victory. Law Professor, a colt by Constitution, now has three wins from seven starts and with the winner's share of $120,000, increased his earnings to $226,640.

A winner of the G1 Hollywood Derby in his most recent start, Beyond Brilliant was off at 7-5 and paid $3.20 and $2.60 while finishing some 8 ½ lengths clear of Tarantino.

Off at 8-1 with Juan Hernandez up, Tarantino paid $5.20 to show.

Fractions on the race were 23.26, 46.65, 1:10.95 and 1:23.62.

“I thought he was much better than what he showed,” said Ortiz. “When he made the lead he started wandering around, he didn't give me one hundred percent. I think he's a little bit better than what he showed today. I was showing my rein to change it up and keep his attention. When I did that he responded well, I caught his attention and kept doing that to the wire.”

“He is a little bit on the difficult side,” said McCarthy. “He hasn't quite totally figured it out yet. I thought his last win at Del Mar was very professional. I was looking forward to running him on the grass today, I also thought about running him on the dirt at Los Alamitos. I thought he broke well here when he broke his maiden, but he really hasn't put it all together yet, when he does, I think it will be very exciting. It's great to have a horse that is as versatile as him, I don't know what it holds for him just yet but after what we saw today we may think about putting a little blinker back on him. We have a lot of options at play, it's very exciting.”

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Never Surprised Dominates Tropical Park Derby Rivals; Saez Bags Five Wins

Repole Stable's Never Surprised scored a popular gate-to-wire 6 ¼-length victory Sunday at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Fla., providing Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher with back-to-back victories in the $100,000 Tropical Park Derby.

Last year, Pletcher sent out Colonel Liam for a 3 ½-length victory in last year's Tropical Park Derby prior to the son of Liam's Map's triumph in the $1 million Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational (G1) at Gulfstream four weeks later.

The Tropical Park Derby, a 1 1/16-mile turf stakes for 3-year-olds, co-headlined Sunday's day-after-Christmas program with the Tropical Park Oaks, a 1 1/16-mile turf event for 3-year-old fillies.

While touring the Gulfstream turf course in a solid 1:40.39, Never Surprised also provided jockey Luis Saez with his fifth victory on the 11-race program.

Bet down to 1-2 favoritism on the strength of his 9 ½-length triumph in the Nov. 26 Gio Ponti Stakes at Aqueduct, Never Surprised never gave Saez an anxious moment, breaking alertly to gain the lead into the first turn. After setting half-mile fractions of 23.22 and 46.66 seconds, the son of Constitution opened up on the turn into the homestretch and drew away for a comfortable victory.

“He's a pretty nice horse. I rode him one time before and he was a little bit green, but today he was good. Todd has done an amazing job,” Saez said. “He broke from the gate really fast. I was excited about the way he ran today. I had a lot of horse. I didn't have to overdo it. It was an easy race for him.”

Among his four other winning rides, Saez rode Pletcher-trained first-time starter American Icon for an 8 ½-length front-running victory in Sunday's Race 8, a seven-furlong maiden special weight race for 2-year-olds.

“It's an amazing day. My family was here – that's my happiness,” Saez said. “It was a great job by my agent (Kiaran McLaughlin) and everybody who is supporting me, giving me those type of horses to ride.”

In seven career starts, Never Surprised has four victories, as well as three second-place finishes in graded-stakes – Kitten's Joy (G3) at Gulfstream, Saranac (G3) at Saratoga, and Hill Prince (G2) at Belmont.

Yes This Time finished second in the Tropical Park Derby, a nose ahead of Safe Conduct.

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