Tag: Racing

In a thrilling stretch duel, C R K Stable's Express Train prevailed by a head over midwestern shipper Warrant in Saturday's 85th   running of the Grade 1, $650,000 Santa Anita Handicap Presented by Yaamava' Resort and Casino at Santa Anita in Arcadia, Calif.  Once again a finalist for Racing's Hall of Fame, trainer John Shirreffs notched his first-ever Big 'Cap victory while Victor Espinoza got his third win  in North America's longest continually run “hundred grander.”

Attentive to the pace while three-deep the entire trip, Express Train was just a neck off of American Theorem and Warrant three furlongs out and forged to the front turning for home but Warrant, ridden by Flavien Prat, was a long way from done and in a see-saw battle, came up just short on the money but was immediately back in front in the gallop-out into the Club House turn.

“I always look forward to a chance to win this race,” said Espinoza, who at 49 was wearing his signature smile when addressing the print media.  “This year was a little more special for John.  I really wanted to get a win for him after so many years…As soon as (Express Train) is in front, he knows he's got it.  He just gave me a little bit of a hard time at the end to get me excited and pump up my muscles.

“I thought it was an exciting race.  He is a powerful horse and he needs to find (a) rhythm.  It doesn't matter how wide I go on the turns as long as he is comfortable enough to stretch his legs and do his thing…When I have a horse that has a chance to win the Santa Anita Handicap, it's always exciting.”

Fresh off a romping 3 ¼-length win in the G2 San Pasqual Stakes on Feb. 5, Express Train, who was seeking his first G1 victory, was off as the even-money favorite in a field of seven older horses and paid $4.20, $2.60 and $2.10.

Owned by Lee and Susan Searing's C R K Stable, Express Train, who notched his fifth graded stakes win, picked up $390,000, making him racing's newest millionaire with $1,325,800.  By Union Rags out of the Mineshaft mare I'm a Flake, Express Train is now 17-7-4-3 overall.

“It feels great,” said Shirreffs, 76, when asked about winning his first-ever Big 'Cap.  “You dream about winning the Santa Anita Handicap and to actually have it happen and with a horse like Express Train, who has done everything (right) along the way…He participated in all the big races we had on the West Coast and he's been there and shown up.  To have him win the Santa Anita Handicap, it's just thrilling.”

Trained by Brad Cox and himself in search of his first G1 win, Warrant, who is currently based at Fair Grounds in New Orleans, ran a tremendous race with Prat up for the first time.  Off at 4-1, he paid $4.00 and $2.60 while finishing nine lengths in front of Stilleto Boy.

Ridden by Abel Cedillo, Stilleto Boy, next to last after the first half mile, never threatened as the second choice at 2-1 and paid $2.20 to show.

Fractions on the Big 'Cap were 23.00, 45.97, 1:11.39 and 1:37.20.

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

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Spendarella's second race was every bit as good as her first, if not better.

The 3-year-old filly remained unbeaten with a front-running victory in Saturday's $125,000 Herecomesthebride Stakes (G3), holding off late-running Opalina for a 1 1/2-length victory. It was 1 1/2 lengths further back to the third-place finisher, Mischievous Kiss.

The New York-bred daughter of Karakontie broke a beat slow coming out of the starting gate. But it wasn't long before she took command, reaching the front before reaching the first turn in the one-mile grass stakes and maintaining her advantage all the way to the wire.

“She's always been a nice filly, and she just keeps growing and getting more intelligent about the job,” said Alice Clapham, assistant to winning trainer Graham Motion.

Ridden by jockey Jose Ortiz for owner/breeder Gainesway Stable, Spendarella started her career with a 2 3/4-length maiden victory on Gulfstream on Feb. 2 and wasted little time in registering her first stakes win.

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Superbly bred As Time Goes took charge soon after the start and was unchallenged en route to an easy win Saturday in the $500,000 Beholder Mile Stakes (G1) at Santa Anita Park.

The 5-year-old daughter of 2015 Triple Crown winner American Pharoah out of multiple Grade 1 winner and 2013 Broodmare of the Year Take Charge Lady was second in last year's edition of the race but won in fine style this year, leading at every point of call and taking the one-mile test for older fillies and mares by 2¼ lengths in 1:37.55 at the Arcadia, Calif. track.

The victory was the second victory from as many starts this year for As Time Goes By and first at the highest level.

Sent off the 1-5 favorite, she returned $2.

Ridden by Flavien Prat for trainer Bob Baffert, As Time Goes By bobbled a bit at the start after bumping with eventual third-place finisher Varda but soon sprinted clear between rivals and opened a two-length lead through an opening quarter in :22.76. She widened to 3½ lengths as a half mile went in :46.22 with Varda in pursuit before weakening.

Roused entering the stretch along the rail, As Time Goes By was urged on to maintain her advantage as Miss Bigly chased in vain and was still comfortably clear at the finish line.

“She broke a little flat foot,” Prat said.  “We kind of brushed each other and after that I had to hustle her a little bit to get (us) in the race, but after that I was travelling well and I felt like I was in control.

“It felt like when she felt that filly (Miss Bigly) coming at her she kind of regrouped and went on again so, it was nice.”

As Time Goes By is a homebred for Coolmore Associates Susan Magnier, Michael Tabor, and Derrick Smith. She came into the Beholder Mile off a 13 ½-length victory on New Year's Day in the La Canada Stakes (G3) after closing 2021 with a triumph in the Bayakoa Stakes (G3) at Los Alamitos.

Taking her record to 7-3-1 from 14 career starts, she has five graded wins and earnings of $955,600.

As Time Goes By's win was the second in a graded stakes on the card for offspring of American Pharoah, whose son Forbidden Kingdom took the San Felipe Stakes (G2) for 3-year-olds by seven lengths.

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It would seem that the sunshine agrees with Canadian native Count Again.

Since the 7-year-old gelding transferred to Southern California trainer Phil D'Amato's barn near the end of 2020, Count Again has continued to step forward in the afternoons. This Saturday, the lightly-raced son of Awesome Again delivered the first Grade 1 victory of his career when he got up in the final strides in the Frank E. Kilroe Mile at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, Calif.

Count Again and jockey Flavien Prat, the 2-1 favorites, came from near-last in the 11-strong field, riding the rail around the turn and flying down the center of the course to defeat Space Traveller and Subconscious by a head on the wire. The final time for a mile over the firm turf course was 1:33.24.

Beyond Brilliant demanded the lead out of the starting gate, pulling away from Whisper Not by a length through fractions of :22.46 and :45.45. The hot pace saw Count Again well back early, second-last at first call, but the ever-patient Prat held his spot against the rail down the backstretch. Prat began to move forward around the far turn, but still had six lengths to make up when the field turned for home.

Meanwhile, Subconscious made a move up the inside to be third around the far turn, while Space Traveller was tracking that move and awaiting race room. That pair challenged Beyond Brilliant in the stretch, while Prat angled Count Again to the outside for his run.

It looked like Count Again might be too late when he still needed three lengths at the sixteenth pole, but the gelding dug in gamely to hit the wire a head in front. Space Traveller ran extremely well in second, while Subconscious was relegated to third. Beyond Brilliant stuck around to finish fourth.

Bred in Canada by co-owner Sam-Son Farm, Count Again is out of the stakes-winning Red Ransom mare Count to Three. Count to Three is also the dam of multiple Grade 1-winning sprinter Red Ransom.

Count Again began his career late in his 4-year-old season, winning at second asking at Keeneland for Neil Howard. He won an allowance race at Tampa for trainer Kent Sweezey to kick off his 5-year-old campaign, then transferred to Canada with trainer Gail Cox. That fall, Count Again won his first graded stakes race in the G3 Singspiel, then ran fourth in the G1 Northern Dancer before shipping to California.

D'Amato saddled the gelding to win the G2 Seabiscuit at Del Mar in his first California effort, and while Count Again didn't win a race in 2021 he kept top company and earned $132,500. This year, Count Again won the G3 Thunder Road in his prep race for the Kilroe.

The Kilroe win improves Count Again's record to six wins from 15 starts for earnings of over $750,000.

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