Tag: Racing

Beer Can Mean Heads Down The Hill In Saturday’s Joe Hernandez Stakes

Trainer Mark Glatt's red-hot Beer Can Man heads a field of seven older horses going 6 ½ furlongs down Santa Anita's hillside turf course in Saturday's Grade 2, $250,000 Joe Hernandez Stakes. Named for the original Voice of Santa Anita, the Hernandez will return to a hillside start after being run in late 2020 at 5 ½ furlongs over the track's turf oval.

Forwardly placed early, Beer Can Man prevailed by a head as the 3-5 favorite in his most recent start, a five furlong turf classified allowance at Del Mar Nov. 7. Off the board in his debut going six furlongs over a sloppy track at Indiana Grand on July 22, 2020, the 4-year-old colt by Can the Man has been well at home on turf ever since, winning five races (including the G3 Cecil B. DeMille Stakes in his first start for Glatt on Nov. 29, 2020), while second twice and third once.

Owned by Little Red Feather Racing, Sterling Stables, LLC and Madaket Stable, LLC, Beer Can Man will be trying the hillside course for the first time in what will be his 11th career start. With Flavien Prat set to ride him back, Beer Can Man, who is out of the Dynaformer mare Cheesecake, has earnings of $273,556.

A head and a nose away from being unbeaten in his last three starts, French-bred Commander, a rousing two-length winner down the hill two starts back on Oct. 2, comes off a close second in a five furlong turf classified allowance on Nov. 7 at Del Mar and rates a huge chance with Juan Hernandez taking over. Owned by the Sinnott Family Trust, this 5-year-old gelding will hope to be rallying late.

Three eastern shippers, Bill Mott's Chewing Gum, Paddy Gallagher's Delaware and Michael Trombetta's Momos, are all consistent turf horses in search of their first graded stakes victories.

THE GRADE 2 JOE HERNANDEZ STAKES WITH JOCKEYS & WEIGHTS IN POST POSITION ORDER

Race 6 of 10 Approximate post time 2:30 p.m. PT

  1. Beer Can Man—Flavien Prat—120
  2. Bran—Joe Bravo—120
  3. Chewing Gum—Umberto Rispoli—120
  4. Delaware—Mike Smith—120
  5. Commander—Juan Hernandez—120
  6. Momos—John Velazquez—120
  7. Cupid's Claws—Kent Desormeaux—120

First post time for a 10-race card that will include four graded stakes on Saturday is at 12 noon. For additional information, please visit santaanita.com or call (626) 574-RACE.

The post Beer Can Mean Heads Down The Hill In Saturday’s Joe Hernandez Stakes appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Park Avenue Chasing Third Straight Win In La Canada

In search of her third consecutive win in what will be her first stakes assignment, John Sadler's Park Avenue rates a big look in Saturday's Grade 3, $200,000 La Canada Stakes as six older fillies and mares go a mile and one sixteenth.

Fresh off a game victory in the G3 Bayakoa Stakes at Los Alamitos, Bob Baffert's As Time Goes By, the leading money earner in the field, looms as the probable post time favorite.

A disappointing third in the Bayakoa Dec. 5, Richard Mandella's Moonlight d'Oro will try to regain the form that saw her win the G3 Las Virgenes Stakes here three starts back on Feb. 6.

Owned by Hronis Racing, LLC, Park Avenue pressed the pace and went on to an impressive five length maiden win going one mile two starts back on Oct. 29 and she followed that up with another five-length score going a flat mile in a first condition allowance Dec. 12 at Los Alamitos when ridden for the first time by Juan Hernandez, who sticks with her on Saturday.

A $450,000 Keeneland September Yearling Sale purchase in 2019, Park Avenue is a 4-year-old filly by Quality Road out of the Indian Charlie mare Remarkable. With an overall mark of 6-2-2-1, she has earnings of $104,700.

The likely post time favorite, multiple graded stakes winning As Time Goes By enters the La Canada fresh off an impressive 1 ¼ length win as the even money favorite in the Bayakoa going 1 1/6 miles. A winner of two G2 stakes here earlier this year, the Santa Maria on May 22 and the Santa Margarita on April 24, As Time Goes By has three wins and as many second from six Santa Anita starts.

Trained by Bob Baffert and owned by Mrs. John Magnier, Michael B. Tabor and Derrick Smith, this 5-year-old daughter of American Pharoah is 12-5-3-1 with earnings of $535,600 and will be ridden back by Flavien Prat.

Second two starts back after stumbling at the break of an ungraded one mile stakes at Del Mar Nov. 3, Moonlight d'Oro fetched $620,000 out of the same Keeneland sale Park Avenue graduated from. With her Las Virgenes victory, she's 6-2-2-2 overall with earnings of $195,790 and will be ridden for the first time by Mike Smith.

THE GRADE 3 LA CANADA STAKES WITH JOCKEYS & WEIGHTS IN POST POSITION ORDER

Race 9 of 10 Approximate post time 4:30 p.m. PT

  1. Moonlight d'Oro—Mike Smith—122
  2. Cowboys Daughter—Kyle Frey—120
  3. Fi Fi Pharoah—Umberto Rispoli—120
  4. Velvet Slippers—John Velazquez—120
  5. Park Avenue—Juan Hernandez—120
  6. As Time Goes By—Flavien Prat–122

First post time for a 10-race card that will include four graded stakes on Saturday is at 12 noon. For additional information, please visit santaanita.com or call (626) 574-RACE.

The post Park Avenue Chasing Third Straight Win In La Canada appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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2021 Horse Racing Year in Review: Superstar Horses, Records Broken, and History Made at the Breeders’ Cup

Fans returned to tracks with great enthusiasm after a year’s absence due to the pandemic. Business was brisk on all fronts as racing celebrated some sense of normalcy and looked hopefully to what shows every sign of being a bright future. Tom Pedulla recalls some of the year’s most significant moments:

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Japan: Deep Impact Colts Go 1-2 In Year-End Hopeful Stakes

Second favorite Killer Ability romped to a convincing victory in record breaking time to capture this year's Grade 1 Hopeful Stakes on Tuesday at Nakayama, stamping his name on the list of most prominent candidates for next season's Triple Crown classics. Both the winner and the runner-up, Justin Palace, are sired by Deep Impact (Sunday Silence).

The race got underway with Grand Line setting the pace, Born This Way sitting a few lengths behind in second, and Killer Ability on the rails another length behind that in third. As the field made their bids entering the straight, Killer Ability had switched to an outer path avoiding the frontrunners turning the last corner. As the pacesetter weakening near the rails, the brown colt stole the lead from Born This Way after the furlong marker with a second gear and crossed the line a 1-1/2-length winner.

“Sitting in the saddle in his workouts two weeks in a row convinced me that he was going to run and run fast,” commented jockey Takeshi Yokoyama. “We sat in a good position and when the colt was able to relax in the backstretch, I had all the confidence I needed that he was going to win. I'm sure he will go on to improve further and become stronger. Personally, my goal for this season was to capture a G1 title and land 100 seasonal wins—winning five G1 titles is just unbelievable and I cannot thank all the connections and the horses enough for such a wonderful season.”

After turning in a fifth in his debut start (1,800m, or nine furlongs) in June, Killer Ability displayed a strong seven-length win in his following start (2,000m, or 1 1/4 miles) in August. In his latest Hagi Stakes (Listed, 1,800m) start, Killer Ability was a neck short in second to subsequent Asahi Hai Futurity Stakes third-place finisher Danon Scorpion.

Following his latest G1 win with Chrono Genesis in the Takarazuka Kinen in June, trainer Takashi Saito has now six overall JRA-G1 titles under his belt while jockey Takeshi Yokoyama collected his fifth JRA-G1 title, his most recent being in the Arima Kinen with Efforia just two days before.

Fourth pick Justin Palace was settled in around fifth, three to four lengths behind the eventual winner. After making steady headway after the third corner, the colt picked off the runners in front one by one up to the last half furlong but proved no match to the winner while holding off the rest of the field by 1-1/4 lengths.

Eighth choice Lagulf sat behind the winner along the rails in fourth and after struggling for room in early stretch, made an inside bid alongside the runner-up but was unable to keep up while snatching third place from Born This Way in the final strides.

Race favorite and this year's Saudi Arabia Royal Cup winner Command Line was reserved on the rails in lower mid-pack and switched to an outer path entering the straight but failed to fire, never reaching contention to finish 12th.

Other Horses:
4th: (13) Fidele—traveled in 12th, improved position with 2nd fastest late speed, belatedly
5th: (9) Born This Way—tracked leader in 2nd, inherited lead at early stretch, weakened in last 200m
6th: (10) Matenro Leo—settled around 10th, angled out, passed tired rivals
7th: (2) Achernar Star—sat 2nd from rear, showed fastest late charge, failed to threaten
8th: (1) Shelby's Eye—hugged rails around 9th, even paced
9th: (4) Grand Line—set pace, surrendered lead at early stretch, showed tenacity until 100m out
10th: (15) Ask Wild More—unhurried in 13th, unable to reach contention
11th: (12) Onyankopon—ran outside winner around 4th, outrun after final corner
13th: (7) Satono Helios—raced around 8th, driven after 3rd corner, circled wide, showed little
14th: (11) Crowned Magic—trailed in far rear, no factor
15th: (14) Tyler Tesoro—traveled 3-wide around 5th, faded after 3rd corner

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