Victories in the 2016 Grade 2 Veterans Ford Risen Star Stakes and Grade 2 Twinspires.com Louisiana Derby at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots put eventual 2017 Horse of the Year Gun Runner on the path to nearly $16 million in career earnings for trainer Steve Asmussen and Winchell Thoroughbreds in
Tag: Racing
‘Other Baffert,’ Kalypso, Takes La Brea As Odds-On Private Mission Fizzles
In a considerable upset, Bob Baffert-trained Kalypso burst upon the scene a furlong from home and motored to an authoritative 4 3/4-length win in Sunday's Grade 1, $300,000 La Brea Stakes, thus providing Baffert and John Velazquez with their third win in combination on Santa Anita's opening day in and for Velazquez, his fourth overall win on the day at the Arcadia, Calif., track.
With Livingmybestlife carving out the early pace from her outside post position, eventual runner-up Brilliant Cut engaged her at the top of the lane but neither were any match for the winner in the final furlong.
Third at the rail, about 1 ½ lengths off the lead at the quarter pole, Kalypso swung three-deep turning for home and seemed to re-break in deep stretch.
With Baffert's heavily favored Private Mission seemingly never getting untracked while finishing sixth at 3-5, Kalypso, idle since well beaten in a Grade II going seven furlongs at Churchill Downs April 30, was off at 8-1 in a field of seven sophomore fillies and paid $19.60, $9.00 and $5.00.
Owned by Rockingham Ranch, David Bernsen, LLC, Gainesway Stable and Chad Littlefield, Kalypso – a Kentucky-bred filly by Brody's Cause out of the Malibu Moon mare Malibu Cove – notched her second Santa Anita graded stakes win of the year and her third stakes victory from an overall mark of 9-3-3-2. With the winner's share of $180,000, she increased her earnings to $480,600.
Off at 20-1 with Jose Ortiz, the Doug O'Neill-trained Brilliant Cut paid $17.80 and $8.00.
Checking in third was the early pacesetter, Livingmybestlife, who finished a half length better than Eddie's New Dream. Off at 5-1 with Juan Hernandez, Livingmybestlife paid $4.80 to show.
Fractions on the race were 22.11, 44.92 and 1:10.92.
“Bob and I talked about it. We thought there was a lot of speed in the race and we knew she had speed but I didn't want to be in a duel and not have anything to finish with,” said Velazquez. “I told Bob that if she has more speed, then I'm just going to let her go let her be in the lead. I wanted to give her a chance the first part of the race and everything was really easy until I got to the three-eighths pole. I kind of got on her a little bit and she bit into the bridle, so I said, 'alright we're going good'. At the quarter pole I pulled her to the clear and from then on it was pretty easy.”
“We turned her out after that Churchill Downs race (G2 Eight Belles in April, when she ran 12th),” said Baffert. “We brought her back and she was fresh. That is what happens when you have two good fillies in the same race. The other didn't run good (Private Mission). She was not running at all. That's not her. Johnny V. got her (Kalypso) to relax. She has a tendency to go to fast. She was really relaxed today and she was one happy filly.”
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Law Professor Overtakes Beyond Brilliant In Santa Anita Mathis Mile
In a thrilling stretch duel, Jose Ortiz, aboard Law Professor, managed to outduel Kent Desormeaux aboard favored Beyond Brilliant, taking Sunday's $200,000 Santa Anita Mathis Mile Stakes by a half length. Originally carded on turf, the Mathis Mile was one of six opening day races at the Arcadia, Calif., track shifted to dirt due to heavy rains over the past five days. Accordingly, the Santa Anita Mathis Mile result will be reviewed later this week by the American Graded Stakes Committee, which will determine if the race will remain a Grade 2 for statistical purposes.
Trained by Michael McCarthy, Law Professor, who came off a five-month freshening to rally and win a first condition allowance going a mile on turf Nov. 27 at Del Mar, was off at 4-1 in a field of nine sophomores and paid $10.20, $4.60 and $3.20.
Owned by Twin Creeks Racing Stables, LLC, Law Professor, who was making his second graded stakes start, tracked Beyond Brilliant to the far turn, and drew alongside a quarter mile from home in a hard-earned victory. Law Professor, a colt by Constitution, now has three wins from seven starts and with the winner's share of $120,000, increased his earnings to $226,640.
A winner of the G1 Hollywood Derby in his most recent start, Beyond Brilliant was off at 7-5 and paid $3.20 and $2.60 while finishing some 8 ½ lengths clear of Tarantino.
Off at 8-1 with Juan Hernandez up, Tarantino paid $5.20 to show.
Fractions on the race were 23.26, 46.65, 1:10.95 and 1:23.62.
“I thought he was much better than what he showed,” said Ortiz. “When he made the lead he started wandering around, he didn't give me one hundred percent. I think he's a little bit better than what he showed today. I was showing my rein to change it up and keep his attention. When I did that he responded well, I caught his attention and kept doing that to the wire.”
“He is a little bit on the difficult side,” said McCarthy. “He hasn't quite totally figured it out yet. I thought his last win at Del Mar was very professional. I was looking forward to running him on the grass today, I also thought about running him on the dirt at Los Alamitos. I thought he broke well here when he broke his maiden, but he really hasn't put it all together yet, when he does, I think it will be very exciting. It's great to have a horse that is as versatile as him, I don't know what it holds for him just yet but after what we saw today we may think about putting a little blinker back on him. We have a lot of options at play, it's very exciting.”
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Never Surprised Dominates Tropical Park Derby Rivals; Saez Bags Five Wins
Repole Stable's Never Surprised scored a popular gate-to-wire 6 ¼-length victory Sunday at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Fla., providing Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher with back-to-back victories in the $100,000 Tropical Park Derby.
Last year, Pletcher sent out Colonel Liam for a 3 ½-length victory in last year's Tropical Park Derby prior to the son of Liam's Map's triumph in the $1 million Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational (G1) at Gulfstream four weeks later.
The Tropical Park Derby, a 1 1/16-mile turf stakes for 3-year-olds, co-headlined Sunday's day-after-Christmas program with the Tropical Park Oaks, a 1 1/16-mile turf event for 3-year-old fillies.
While touring the Gulfstream turf course in a solid 1:40.39, Never Surprised also provided jockey Luis Saez with his fifth victory on the 11-race program.
Bet down to 1-2 favoritism on the strength of his 9 ½-length triumph in the Nov. 26 Gio Ponti Stakes at Aqueduct, Never Surprised never gave Saez an anxious moment, breaking alertly to gain the lead into the first turn. After setting half-mile fractions of 23.22 and 46.66 seconds, the son of Constitution opened up on the turn into the homestretch and drew away for a comfortable victory.
“He's a pretty nice horse. I rode him one time before and he was a little bit green, but today he was good. Todd has done an amazing job,” Saez said. “He broke from the gate really fast. I was excited about the way he ran today. I had a lot of horse. I didn't have to overdo it. It was an easy race for him.”
Among his four other winning rides, Saez rode Pletcher-trained first-time starter American Icon for an 8 ½-length front-running victory in Sunday's Race 8, a seven-furlong maiden special weight race for 2-year-olds.
“It's an amazing day. My family was here – that's my happiness,” Saez said. “It was a great job by my agent (Kiaran McLaughlin) and everybody who is supporting me, giving me those type of horses to ride.”
In seven career starts, Never Surprised has four victories, as well as three second-place finishes in graded-stakes – Kitten's Joy (G3) at Gulfstream, Saranac (G3) at Saratoga, and Hill Prince (G2) at Belmont.
Yes This Time finished second in the Tropical Park Derby, a nose ahead of Safe Conduct.
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