Captain Scotty Out To Defend His Title In Palos Verdes

Veteran gelding Captain Scotty is back to defend his title as he heads a field of eight older horses going six furlongs in Saturday's Grade 3, $200,000 Palos Verdes Stakes at Santa Anita. A 7-year-old son of Quality Road, Captain Scotty gives trainer Peter Miller a strong one-two punch as he'll be joined by recent acquisition Shashashakemeup, who comes off a big second place finish in his first start off a $50,000 claim at Churchill Downs.

Several others, including the Shelbe Ruis-trained Kneedeepinsnow, Mark Glatt's Pyron, Brian Koriner's Take the One O One, Bob Baffert's Ax Man and Doug O'Neill's Wildman Jack, all rate solid chances in the 69th renewal of the Palos Verdes.

Following his win in the Palos Verdes a year ago, Captain Scotty sustained a string of four double digit defeats, beginning with an 11 ½ length loss in the $1.5 million Saudi Cup Sprint on Feb. 29. In an effort to right the ship, Miller dropped “Scotty” in for a $25,000 claiming tag three starts back on Oct. 2 at Santa Anita, the result being a second place finish. A gate to wire six furlong winner on Oct. 31 at Del Mar, Captain Scotty comes off a game nose victory in a 5 ½ furlong optional claimer at Los Alamitos Dec. 6, a race in which he earned a much improved 92 Beyer Speed figure.

Owned by Gary Barber and Wachtel Stable, Captain Scotty, who has six wins from 20 starts and earnings of $382,048, will be ridden back by Ricky Gonzalez.

Owned by Tom Kagele, Shashashakemeup was haltered for $50,000 win two starts back at Churchill Downs Oct. 28 and although he was second, beaten 2 ¾ lengths in a second condition allowance Nov. 27, he registered a career-best 96 Beyer and thus merits serious consideration with top jock Juan Hernandez taking over in what will be his Santa Anita debut.

A 5-year-old full horse by Flatter, Kneedeepinsnow comes off what appeared to be the best race of his career on Dec. 31, a powerful 2 ¼ length score in a second condition allowance at 6 ½ furlongs. Owned by Ruis Racing, LLC, Kneedeepinsnow will be trying stakes competition for the first time and be ridden by Ruben Fuentes as regular rider Abel Cedillo opted to stay with Wildman Jack.

Claimed for $40,000 four starts back at Churchill Downs on July 9, the Mark Glatt-trained Pyron then took a six furlong starter allowance at Del Mar Aug. 15 and in his second start off the claim, rallied for a 1 ½ length win over Kneedeepinsnow at the same distance on Oct. 16 here. Most recently a close third in a 6 ½ furlong classified allowance Nov. 8 at Del Mar, this 5-year-old full horse by Candy Ride posted a career-top 92 Beyer and appears poised to run a smasher in the Palos Verdes. Owned by Ken Copenhaver, Pyron seeks his first stakes victory with Umberto Rispoli riding back.

Jay Em Ess Stables' California-bred Take the One O One shortens up out of a close third at 29-1 in the G2 San Antonio Stakes Dec. 26 and Patti and Hal Earnhardt's hard knocking Ax Man, idle since fourth in the G2 San Diego Handicap at 1 1/16 miles July 25, looms dangerous off the bench for Bob Baffert. A winner of six of 14 starts, 6-year-old gelding Ax Man will be ridden for the first time by Tyler Baze.

W.C. Racing's homebred Wildman Jack, who was a close fourth four starts back behind top sprinter Collusion Illusion in the G1 Bing Crosby Stakes at Del Mar Aug. 1, was well beaten as the favorite in G2 Joe Hernandez Stakes going 6 ½ furlongs on turf here Jan. 1 and will be trying dirt for only the second time in what will be his 14th career start for Doug O'Neill.

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

Race 7 of 9 Approximate post time 3:30 p.m. PT

  1. Pyron—Umberto Rispoli—120
  2. Wildman Jack—Abel Cedillo—122
  3. Shooters Shoot—Mario Gutierrez—122
  4. Captain Scotty—Ricardo Gonzalez—122
  5. Shashashakemeup—Juan Hernandez—120
  6. Ax Man—Tyler Baze—120
  7. Take the One O One—Jose Valdivia, Jr.—120
  8. Kneedeepinsnow—Ruben Fuentes—120

First post time for a nine-race card on Saturday is at 12:30 p.m. 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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Pegasus Turf Is Another Twist In The Story For Anothertwistafate

Both the blinkers and the man who suggested them – jockey Joel Rosario – will be on Anothertwistafate Saturday in the Pegasus World Cup Invitational Turf (G1) at Gulfstream Park.

Following Anothertwistafate's fourth-place finish in the Seabiscuit Handicap (G2) on Nov. 28 at Del Mar, Rosario recommended adding blinkers to the horse's new trainer, Peter Miller. Five weeks later, with blinkers in place, Anothertwistafate and Rosario rolled to a 2 ¼-length victory in the San Gabriel (G2) at Santa Anita.

Miller chuckled as he told the story about his conversation with Rosario after the Seabiscuit.

“When he tells you something you listen,” Miller said. “He's one of the jocks that I really respect his opinion. When he tells you something he's right most of the time.”

The San Gabriel victory was the first on turf for the 5-year-old owned by Peter Redekop and gave him stakes wins on all three surfaces: synthetics, dirt and grass. It was another significant step forward for the Anothertwistafate, who was away from the races for 16 months following the 2019 Preakness (G1), and earned him invitations to both of the major races on the Pegasus program. His connections opted for the 1 3/16 miles Turf.

Redekop purchased Anothertwistafate for $360,000 as a 2-year-old in 2018 and sent him to trainer Blaine Wright, who operates stables at Golden Gate Fields in Northern California and Emerald Downs in Washington state. Wright developed the colt into a stakes winner and guided him to the Preakness, where he finished 10th. Following the extended layoff to recover from surgeries and setbacks, Wright prepped him on works to win the Longacres Mile (G3) on Sept. 10 at Emerald Downs. With the graded stakes on dirt on his resume, Anothertwistafate was part of a group of a half-dozen Redekop horses moved to Miller's barn on the more-lucrative Southern California circuit.

“Mr. Redekop and his racing manager, Dr. Bryan Anderson, wanted to try him on the grass because he's got a grass pedigree being by Scat Daddy,” Miller said. “He also was 3-for-3 on synthetic, which can portend to success on the grass. When they sent him to me they wanted to try him on the grass and it's been so far, so good.”

Right from the start of the experiment, Miller was confident that Anothertwistafate could handle the surface switch.

“Once we breezed him on the grass at Del Mar you could tell that he dug it,” Miller said.

Redekop was born in a Mennonite colony in 1935 in what is now the Ukraine. The family faced oppression for its religious beliefs and was displaced to Germany at the end of World War II. After spending some time in the Netherlands, the family emigrated to Canada, arriving in Winnipeg in December 1948. Four months later, Redekop and his family moved further west to British Columbia. In partnership with his cousin, Peter Wall, Redekop became a very successful real estate developer in Vancouver. Redekop and Wall purchased their first race horses in 1968 and Redekop has been so successful in the sport in the province that he is a member of British Columbia's racing Hall of Fame.

When Justify, bred by Vancouver resident John Gunther and his daughter Tanya, won the 2018 Triple Crown, Redekop decided to buy a horse by Justify's late sire, Scat Daddy. Thirteen days after Justify won the Belmont Stakes, Redekop purchased his Scat Daddy at the Ocala Breeders' Sale.

The colt was named after the song “Simple Twist of Fate” from Bob Dylan's 1975 album Blood on the Tracks. Redekop's racing manager Bryan Anderson, his wife Carol and their daughter Victoria collaborate on the naming of the horses in the stable. Anderson said that Simple Twist of Fate was a name already registered with The Jockey Club. Since Redekop prefers that his horses have names that start with the letter “A”, making them easier to find on the workout lists, the Anderson team developed a variation to Simple Twist of Fate.

Anothertwistafate had a troubled trip in his career debut on Nov. 3, 2018 at Santa Anita and ended up a well-beaten ninth. Wright took him back to Golden Gate Fields, where he won his next three starts on the synthetic track by a combined 16 lengths. The third of those wins, the El Camino Real Derby, earned him an automatic berth in the Preakness. He ran second by a neck in the Sunland Park Derby (G3) and second by a 1 ¾ lengths in the Lexington (G3) at Keeneland and ended up short of qualifying points for the Kentucky Derby.

After the Preakness, he did not compete again until his facile score in the Longacres Mile.

“He's traveling great right now,” Miller said. “He came to me in great shape from Blaine Wright. He's maintained that level of health and soundness.”

Anothertwistafate has won five of 10 lifetime starts and has earned $490,505 in a career spread over four seasons.

“He's really a talented horse,” Miller said. “If he continues to put it together, like he did in his last race, I can certainly see, if he stayed sound, some big races in his future. Hopefully, maybe, the Breeders' Cup at the end of the year.”

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Hollendorfer, With Frank Stronach As New Client, Well-Stocked For Oaklawn Meet

Southern California-based trainers flourished last year at Oaklawn, with two finishing in the top 10 in the standings.

Horses for John Sadler were scheduled to arrive at the Hot Springs, Ark., track on Sunday in advance of the 57-day meeting that is scheduled to begin Friday, Jan. 22. Sadler, in his Oaklawn debut, won 15 races in 2020 to finish fifth in the trainer standings. Horses for another Southern California-based trainer, Hall of Famer Jerry Hollendorfer, have been on the grounds since late December under the direction of his longtime assistant, Dan Ward. Hollendorfer wintered at Oaklawn for the first time in 2020 and recorded 12 victories to finish eighth in the standings.

“We finished good,” Ward said Sunday morning. “We were in the top 10. We ran a lot of horses and we stayed safe and finished up good.”

Hollendorfer has more horsepower this year, roughly 40 head, including several holdovers from the 2020 meeting and seven for a high-profile new client, Frank Stronach.

A 2008 Eclipse Award winner as the country's outstanding owner, Stronach has campaigned, among others, 2004 Horse of the Year Ghostzapper, champions Ginger Punch, Perfect Sting and Macho Uno, Breeders' Cup Classic winner Awesome Again and Preakness winner Red Bullet. Stronach also campaigned Spun Sugar, winner of the $500,000 Apple Blossom Handicap (G1) for older fillies and mares in 2006 at Oaklawn.

Stronach's 2021 Oaklawn contingent is headed by Green Light Go, who won the $200,000 Saratoga Special Stakes (G2) for 2-year-olds in 2019 at Saratoga when with trainer Jimmy Jerkens. Unraced since mid-May, Green Light Go has recorded two workouts at Oaklawn, the last a five-furlong move from the gate in 1:00.20 Wednesday.

“He's coming along good,” Ward said.

Sunny Dale, a three-time winner last year at Oaklawn, has also recorded two local works in advance of her 5-year-old debut. The well-traveled Sunny Dale ran fifth in the $125,000 Carousel Stakes for older female sprinters last April at Oaklawn and completed her 2020 campaign with a fifth-place finish in the $80,000 Floral Park Stakes Oct. 17 at Belmont Park.

“We freshened her up a little bit and she's doing good,” Ward said.

Another 2020 Oaklawn winner, Awesome Anywhere, could resurface late in the meeting, Ward said. Awesome Anywhere ran six furlongs in 1:08.76 to capture a starter-allowance race last March at Oaklawn and closed 2020 with a runner-up finish in the $100,000 Mr. Prospector Stakes Sept. 12 at Monmouth Park.

Hollendorfer entered seven horses for the first two days of racing, including Causeway Jones in an entry-level allowance sprint for 3-year-olds on Saturday. Hollendorfer and two partners privately purchased the Creative Cause colt following a 7 ½-length debut victory Dec. 18 at Remington Park. Causeway Jones also has two published works at Oaklawn.

“We noticed last year that we started running better once we worked a couple of times over the track,” Ward said. “We got here like (Jan. 16) and a lot of starters didn't even have a work over the track. We got here earlier and have gotten two or three breezes over the track – most of them – and I think that will help.”

Hollendorfer has 18 career victories at Oaklawn, including four stakes (all graded). The stakes victories include Blind Luck in the $300,000 Fantasy Stakes (G2) in 2010. Blind Luck was named the country's champion 3-year-old filly of 2010.

Southern California-based trainers Phil D'Amato and Peter Miller also have horses on the grounds in advance of the 2021 meet. They each won five races last year at Oaklawn.

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Miller: Sidelined Mo Forza ‘Doing Really Well,’ Eyes Return In 60 Days

Mo Forza, who missed the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Mile at Keeneland last Nov. 7 due to “a minor setback,” is recovering and expected to resume his racing career, trainer Peter Miller reports.

“He's doing really well,” said Miller, who enjoys singular success utilizing serene surroundings at the Bonsall training facility San Luis Rey Downs in California's San Diego County. “He looks fantastic and we'll probably bring him back in another 60 days or so.”

Mo Forza, a 5-year-old son of Uncle Mo, had won six of his last seven starts including the G2 City of Hope Mile on grass at Santa Anita last Oct. 3 and Del Mar's G1 Hollywood Derby on Nov. 30, 2019.

He was bred in Kentucky by the late Barry Abrams, who also owned a share of the bay with Onofrio Pecoraro. He races as OG Boss; Abrams campaigned as Bardy Farm.

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