Phil D'Amato | Horse Racing Free Tips

Venerable Say The World Tops Sunday’s San Marcos Stakes

At the top of his game at age seven, trainer Phil D'Amato's venerable gelding Say the Word, fresh off a big come from behind victory in his most recent start, heads a compact field of six older horses going a mile and one quarter on turf in Sunday's Grade 2, $225,000 San Marcos Stakes at Santa Anita.

Third to Say the Word in the G2 Hollywood Turf Cup Nov. 26, Friar's Road came up a nose short as the 3-5 favorite in the G3 San Gabriel Stakes here on Dec. 26 and will hope for better luck going an extra furlong.

Irish-bred Lincoln Hawk, although trying graded stakes competition for the first time since running a close fifth at 28-1 five starts back in the G2 Del Mar Derby, could certainly qualify as a “now” horse as he comes off an impressive allowance tally over the course at a mile and one eighth.

With a short field in prospect and what appears to be a dearth of front-running speed, eight-year-old Acclimate, a highly accomplished California-bred gelding, could be long gone on the San Marcos lead.

Throw in San Gabriel winner Bob and Jackie, who will be tasked with keeping Acclimate busy early, and the San Marcos looks to be very competitive affair.

Under a well-timed ride from Kent Desormeaux, Say the Word, an Ontario/Canadian-bred son of More Than Ready, flew from far off the pace to collar Acclimate late going a mile and one half on the Del Mar Turf and won the Hollywood Turf Cup going away by one length while earning a 101 Beyer Speed Figure.

A Group 1 winner in his final Canadian start at Woodbine nine starts back on Oct. 18, 2020, Say the Word has won two of his eight starts for D'Amato, including a G2 stakes at Keeneland on April 17, 2021. Owned by Agave Racing Stable and Sam-Son Farm, he'll be ridden back by Desormeaux as he bids for his fourth graded stakes win and his eight overall victory from what will be his 34th career start.

Off as the 3-5 favorite with Irad Ortiz in the G3 San Gabriel, Friar's Road stalked the early pace, wheeled three-deep turning for home and just missed in what was his fifth start of 2021. Third, beaten 1 ¼ lengths by Say the Word two starts back in the Hollywood Turf Cup, Friar's Road flew late to be third, beaten a head by multiple G1 winner United three starts back in the G2 John Henry Turf Championship here on Oct. 2.

With Flavien Prat taking over, look for Friar's Road, who seeks his first graded stakes win, to get plenty of pari-mutuel attention. Owned by Mr. and Mrs. William K. Warren, Friar's Road, a 5-year-old horse by Quality Road, is trained by Michael McCarthy and brings an overall mark of 12-2-4-2.

Although his Bob and Jackie comes off a gusty nose win in the G2 San Gabriel, trainer Richard Baltas may have an Ace in the hole with Lincoln Hawk, who surged late to take a first condition allowance on Dec. 27. Patiently handled by Juan Hernandez, Lincoln Hawk is one of several who will have to hope for a realistic pace on Sunday. Owned by Rockingham Ranch and Supreme Racing, Lincoln Hawk, who has won two of his seven stateside starts with D'Amato, is 12-2-2-2 overall and will be trying a mile and one quarter for the first time.

If he's up to the challenge at age eight, conditions could be to order for front-running Acclimate as it doesn't appear anyone can match strides with him early. A gate to wire winner of the mile and three quarters turf G3 San Juan Capistrano Stakes five starts back on June 19 of last year, Acclimate, a three-time graded winner, will be handled for the seventh consecutive time by Ricky Gonzalez.

The lone Cal-bred in the field, Acclimate, who is by the Eclipse Award-winning Unusual Heat stallion Acclamation, is trained by Phil D'Amato and is owned by the Ellwood Johnston Trust, Timmy Time Racing, LLC, Brooke Bartlett, Ryan Bartlett, Michael Goritz and Kenneth Tevelde. With an overall mark of 29-7-6-5, he has earnings of $683,872, $306,000 of which was earned at age seven last year.

Owned by Calvin Nguyen and Joey Tran, Bob and Jackie, who was off at 5-1, took the Dec. 26 San Gabriel in gate to wire fashion, managing to hold off Friar's Road by a nose. A 6-year-old horse by Twirling Candy, he notched his first graded stakes win and his fourth overall stakes tally in the San Gabriel under a perfect ride from Jose Valdivia, Jr., who rides back on Sunday.

With an overall mark of 16-5-5-1, Bob and Jackie, who will be trying a mile and one quarter for the first time, will hope to keep Acclimate honest in the early going.

THE GRADE 3 SAN MARCOS WITH JOCKEYS & WEIGHTS IN POST POSITION ORDER

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

Dicey Mo Chara—Abel Cedillo–120
Lincoln Hawk—Juan Hernandez—120
Say the Word—Kent Desormeaux—124
Friar's Road—Flavien Prat—120
Acclimate—Ricardo Gonzalez—122
Bob and Jackie—Jose Valdivia, Jr.–122

First post time for a nine-race card on Sunday is at 12:30 p.m., with admission gates opening at 10:30 a.m.

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Kirkpatrick & Co. Presents In Their Care: Groom Paulina Cano ‘Just Has A Way Of Making Them Happy’

Say the Word arrived at Phil D'Amato's barn in the autumn of 2020 as an accomplished 5-year-old, but the trainer sensed the gelded son of More Than Ready had more to offer. He appeared to be a timid horse that lacked confidence, and was not deriving as much as possible from his training each morning.

What to do? D'Amato assigned Say the Word to Paulina Cano, a groom with almost three decades of experience.

Burgoo Alley had gone winless through three starts in Ireland and D'Amato was downcast when he first laid eyes on her early last year. The unsettling overseas journey to the United States had taken a toll on the 3-year-old. She had dropped so much weight her ribs were visible.

What to do? He again turned to his go-to caretaker, the 59-year-old Cano.

“In terms of being a groom, Paulina is like the horse whisperer,” D'Amato said. “You can give her any kind of horse, ones with more cantankerous attitudes or quiet ones. She just has a way of making them happy. She finds a way to their heart.”

The once-antsy Say the Word responded last season with two wins and a pair of second-place finishes in seven starts. He set career highs for earnings with $353,500 and for earnings per start with 50,500 on behalf of Mark Martinez's Agave Racing Stable and breeder-owner Sam-Son Farm. Say The Word was plenty good in the spring, winning the Elkhorn Stakes (G2) at Keeneland last April and placing second in the Shoemaker Mile (G1) at his Santa Anita home base in his next start. He retained his form until the end of the season, rallying from last to bring home the Hollywood Turf Cup (G2) and help D'Amato to his first training title at Del Mar's fall meet.

Burgoo Alley also quickly thrived under Cano's care.

“Within a week or two flat, you'd be amazed at how much weight she put on and how good her coat was,” D'Amato said. “It was all that hard work that she put into the filly to feed her and take care of her and make sure she was happy.”

Owned by CYBT, Michael Nentwig and Ray Pagano, Burgoo Alley emerged as a turf standout. She broke her maiden going six furlongs on June 20 at Santa Anita in her second U.S. start. She easily handled the move to a mile on grass, prevailing in an allowance optional claiming race during Del Mar's salty summer meet in mid-August. She emerged as a graded-stakes winner on turf when a late rush allowed her to edge Spanish Loveaffair by half a length in the one-mile Autumn Miss Stakes on Oct. 30 at Santa Anita.

Cano points to Echo Eddie as her greatest success. He debuted by running for a $12,500 claiming tag at Bay Meadows on Oct. 3, 1999. By the time his career was over at the end of the 2003 season, the former claimer turned multiple stakes winner had banked more than $1 million in purses for trainer Darrell Vienna.

Not surprisingly, Vienna did everything possible to retain Cano. They were together for 24 years before Vienna retired in the spring of 2016.

D'Amato was ecstatic when he was able to hire her.

“Good grooms are extremely hard to come by. It's starting to become a lost art,” the trainer said. “It's a very skilled profession and it takes someone who can extend TLC to them and try to find all of the little things without them talking to you. It's just all about body language and taking care of their needs.”

Cano grew up with horses and cows at her family's farm in Santa Rosa, Guatemala. Her husband, Jose Dolares, ventured to the U.S. in 1993 to begin a career as a groom that is ongoing. He works at a nearby barn at Santa Anita for trainer Richard Baltas. At Dolares' urging, Cano followed a year later.

“It was a better life. I could make more money. I loved the United States since the first day I got here,” Cano said during a phone interview, with assistant trainer Rudy Cruz acting as interpreter.

Cano's work ethic and attitude have everything to do with her success. She is one of the first to arrive at the barn from her home in Duarte, Calif. She always comes bearing treats of all kinds.

“I try to never bring problems here,” she said. “I try to always be nice to horses. I love them and am kind to them and they are nice to me.”

According to Cano, in a career that has also taken her to Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana and even Singapore, she has never encountered a Thoroughbred she could not manage.

“Maybe the first day it's kind of difficult to get along with one, but I find a way,” she said. “By being nice and being patient, it gets better and better.”

She and her husband have one son, Luis Alfonso Salazar Cano, 44. He built a career as a surgeon's assistant at a California hospital.

Cano became a U.S. citizen 15 years ago and said: “I am very happy and thankful to be an American citizen.”

She feels relatively secure financially.

“I don't need that much money,” she said. “I saved my money, so it's good.”

As physically demanding as her job can be, she has no plans to retire. When that time comes, she intends to maintain her emotional ties to the barn.

“If that happens one day, and I know it's going to happen, I'd ask Phil about coming back and feeding the horses when I can,” she said.

D'Amato, another participant in the call, assured her she would always be welcome.

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Upstart Rose Dawson Flies Late To Capture California Cup Oaks

With but one race to her credit, Nick Alexander's homebred Rose Dawson adapted to a change in conditions like a seasoned veteran as she flew late to take Saturday's $200,000 Leigh Ann Howard California Cup Oaks by one length at Santa Anita Park. Trained by Phil D'Amato and ridden by Flavien Prat, both of whom registered stakes doubles on the afternoon, Rose Dawson, a 3-year-old grey daughter of Alexander's Grazen, who was trying grass and two turns for the first time, got a flat mile in 1:36.07.

Next to last, about nine lengths off dueling leaders Professors' Pride and Eleuthera with three furlongs to run, Rose Dawson hugged the rail to the top of the lane, swung five-deep and went on to win with her ears pricked at the wire in a dramatic finish to a 10-race California Cup Day program.

“I'm very proud of her because I kinda thought I might be throwing a lot at her, going long and first time grass with winners,” said D'Amato, who won the $150,000 Sunshine Millions Filly and Mare Turf Sprint two races earlier with Leggs Galore. “She just stepped up to the plate and it was a beautiful ride by Flavien. That was the cherry on top for the day.

“With the big field (12 sophomore fillies), she got a great setup and a great trip. She saved every inch of ground and he was able to tip-out at the top of the lane and it was beautiful to watch.”

A fourth length first-out maiden winner versus statebreds going 5 ½ furlongs at Los Alamitos Dec. 5, Rose Dawson, who is out of the Bertrando mare Sudden Sunday, was off at 9-2 and paid $11.40, $5.80 and $4.20. With her winnings of $110,000, she boosted her earnings to $141,200.

“We were drawn outside and Phil told me to get her to relax, so I dropped myself in and she relaxed well,” said Prat, who also won Saturday's sixth race, the $200,000 Unusual Heat Turf Classic aboard Aligato. “She gave me a good kick down the lane. There was some early pace. Phil told me she can be a little rank sometimes, so I was really trying to focus on her more than the race. She is impressive.”

Ridden by John Velazquez, Big Novel, who broke from the rail, was a joint third, about three lengths off the lead mid-way on the far turn, made the lead a sixteenth out, but couldn't hold off the winner while finishing 1 ½ lengths in front of favored Vivacious Vanessa. Off at 5-1, Big Novel paid $5.80 and $4.40.

The tepid choice at 3-1, Vivacious Vanessa finished well under Juan Hernandez and paid $3.00 to show.

Fractions on the race were 23.11, 46.96, 1:11.40 and 1:23.98.

Racing resumes with first post time for a nine-race card on Sunday at 12:30 p.m.

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Leggs Galore Goes All The Way In Sunshine Millions Filly & Mare Turf SPrint

Fresh and dangerous, William Sims' homebred Leggs Galore burst out of the gate and never looked back in taking Saturday's $150,000 Sunshine Millions Filly & Mare Turf Sprint Presented by John Deere by 2 ¼ lengths under Ricky Gonzalez. Trained by Phil D'Amato, the 5-year-old mare by 2014 Breeders' Cup Classic winner Bayern got about 6 ½ furlongs down Santa Anita's hillside turf course in 1:12.99.

Idle since running fourth in the one mile turf Solana Beach Stakes versus statebreds at Del Mar Aug. 15, Leggs Galore was plenty ready today, rattling off splits of 22.27, 44.66 and 1:06.86 while never challenged at any point.

“She saddled great, she was fresh and happy,” said D'Amato. “She just needed a little rest and recuperation after a long year last year. She has come back great. I think she is a double threat, I think she can (get a) mile just as easily as she can sprint on the grass. We will check our options, but down the road we want to see if we can get a graded stake win and make her a broodmare at the end of the year.”

The defending champ in the race and a three-time turf stakes winner coming into Saturday, Leggs Galore was off as the 5-2 second choice in a field of 12 older fillies and mares bred or sired in California and she paid $7.20, $5.20 and $4.60.

Out of the Indian Charlie mare Cashing Tickets, Leggs Galore notched her fourth stakes win and seventh overall win from 12 career starts. With the winner's share of $90,000, she increased her earnings to $440,208.

“I was a little worried about crossing the dirt (at the top of the lane) because she has a tendency of jumping in the other chute (off of Santa Anita's Club House turn), but she took it like the champ she is. She just skipped right over it and kicked for home really good.”

D'Amato ran one-two, as his Alice Marble, who was close to the pace throughout, was easily second finishing 2 ½ lengths in front of Eddie's New Dream. Off at 9-1 with Flavien Prat, Alice Marble paid $9.40 and $6.60.

Eddie's New Dream, who was also attentive to the pace, finished a head better than favored Warren's Showtime and paid $6.60 to show with Mario Gutierrez up.

Warren's Showtime, whose customary late bid fell short today, was off at 5-2 with Juan Hernandez and was beaten by less than four lengths.

Carded as race eight, the Sunshine Millions Filly & Mare Turf Sprint Presented by John Deere was the third of five stakes for California-bred or sired horses on a 10-race Cal Cup program.

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