palos verdes stakes | Horse Racing Free Tips

Essential Wager Wins Palos Verdes In Stakes Debut

In his initial stakes engagement, Essential Wager showed tremendous heart in choreographing a gate to wire victory in Saturday's Grade 3, $200,000 Palos Verdes Stakes at Santa Anita. Ridden for the first time by Abel Cedillo, the 4-year-old Honor Code colt got six furlongs in 1:09.95.

Owned by Mike Pegram, Karl Watson and Paul Weitman, Essential Wager notched his third consecutive win and, according to trainer Bob Baffert, will make his next start in the Grade 2, $200,000 San Carlos Stakes going seven furlongs on March 5.

With his well fancied stablemate Cezanne a non-factor, Essential Wager enjoyed a length advantage over Team Merchants turning for home and held off determined longshot Shooters Shoot late for the victory.

“This horse is getting better and better,” said Baffert. “With Cezanne, I think it was a little too short for him…All of Essential Wager's races have been pretty impressive and actually, he's bred to not be a sprinter. Abel did a great job, got him outta there and held off those horses pretty well. You know, he took a lot of heat early and kept going.”

A two-length first condition allowance winner going the same distance at Los Alamitos Dec. 11, Essential Wager was the second choice in a field of five older horses at 9-5 and paid $5.60, $3.60 and $2.20.

“We started together and it's always special to come back to Santa Anita,” said longtime Baffert client Pegram, who flew in from northern Nevada. “This is my first time back in two years and we know why we call it The Great Race Place. It's very special and we always love to come back to Santa Anita.”

In his fourth career start, Essential Wager, who is out of the Officer mare Opus, picked up $120,000 for the win, increasing his earnings to $207,200 while improving his overall mark to 4-3-1-0.

Claimed for $50,000 on Jan. 2, Shooters Shoot had two lengths to make up at the furlong pole and came up a neck short in a big effort. Trained by Richard Baltas and ridden by Victor Espinoza, he was the longest shot in the field at 20-1 and paid $9.80 and $3.60.

Cezanne, who finished another 2 ¾ lengths back, had been idle since winning the Grade 3 Kona Gold Stakes here in April of last year, kept to his task to run third, 3 ½ lengths in front of Team Merchants. Off at 3-5, Cezanne paid $2.10 to show.

Fractions on the race were 22.21, 45.17 and 57.41.

First post time for a nine-race card on Sunday that will include three stakes, is at 12:30 p.m. Admission gates will open at 10:30 a.m.

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Wildman Jack Returns To Dirt, Captures Palos Verdes Stakes At Santa Anita

Trainer Doug O'Neill's Wildman Jack relished a return to the main track on Saturday at Santa Anita in Arcadia, Calif., as he drew off to an emphatic 4 ¼-length win in the Grade 3, $200,000 Palos Verdes Stakes. Ridden by Abel Cedillo, he got six furlongs in a scintillating 1:08.98.

Breaking from post position two, Cedillo was content to let last year's Palos Verdes winner, Captain Scotty, clear him early and then Wildman Jack tracked the pacesetter into the far turn. Leaving the quarter pole, Wildman Jack put a head in front and although he was a bit green late, won in-hand at the wire, providing Cedillo his third win on the day and O'Neill with a training double.

“Last time (Grade 2 Joe Hernandez Stakes on Jan. 1) I was sitting perfect, but he lost his shoes,” said Cedillo, who had a four-win day yesterday. “He lost his shoes, that's why he stopped…(The way) he ran today, I think he's better on the dirt.”

A disappointing sixth as the 2-1 favorite in the Hernandez at 6 ½ furlongs on turf, Wildman Jack, a 5-year-old gelding by O'Neill's 2013 Santa Anita Derby winner Goldencents, was off at 5-1 in a field of eight older horses and paid $13.20, $6.40 and $4.20.

“He's been on the grass, but we loved his dirt race at Del Mar (a close fourth in the Grade 1 Bing Crosby Stakes four starts back on Aug. 1),” said O'Neill's assistant Leandro Mora. “We've been thinking about getting him back on the dirt since then and Doug and the owners decided this race would be good. This is a huge win for him. … It's been awhile since we had back to back days like this, it's great to win.”

O'Neill had three wins Friday and his win earlier Saturday came with promising Derby prospect The Great One).

Bred in Kentucky by W C Racing, Wildman Jack, who is out of the Orientate mare Orientatious, is also owned by Glenn Sorgenstein WC Racing, Inc. A Group 3 sprint turf stakes winner on March 7, 2020, in Dubai, and a winner of the Grade 3 Daytona Stakes going 5 ½ furlongs on turf at Santa Anita on May 23, Wildman Jack now has three graded victories and is 14-5-3-1 overall. With the winner's share of $120,000, he increased his earnings to $559,505.

Unhurried early, Shashashakemeup was a close third after the first half mile and was second best on the day, finishing 1 ¾ lengths in front of late running Pyron. Off at 5-1 with Juan Hernandez, Shashashakemeup paid $6.80 and $4.20.

Breaking from the rail with Umberto Rispoli, Pyron was last early and was up to touch 3-1 favorite Ax Man by a neck for third. Off at 7-2, Pyron paid $3.20 to show.

Fractions on the race were 22.01, 44.52 and 56.34.

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Refreshed Ax Man Set For Sprint Return In Palos Verdes

REFRESHED AX MAN COMES BACK IN PALOS VERDES

Ax Man, who has not raced since last July when he was fourth of five behind stablemate Maximum Security in the Grade 2 San Diego Handicap at 1 1/16 miles, returns this Saturday in the G3 Palos Verdes Stakes for 4-year-olds and up at six furlongs at Santa Anita in Arcadia, Calif.

He also is nominated to next Sunday's $70,000 Clockers' Corner Stakes at six furlongs on turf. He was fourth in that race last year.

A 6-year-old gelded son of the Candy Ride stallion Misremembered, Ax Man has been firing bullets for his return, among them a five-furlong drill in 57.80 on Jan. 2 and another at that distance of 58.80 on Saturday.

Misremembered, trained by Bob Baffert for his wife, Jill, and George Jacobs, won the G1 Santa Anita Handicap in 2010.

“Ax Man lost interest, so I backed off and freshened him up,” Baffert said in explaining the absence of more than five months.

Owned by long-time Baffert clients Patti and Hal Earnhardt III, Ax Man, who was bred in Kentucky by Hal, has six wins from 14 career starts with earnings of $297,917.

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