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Independence Hall, Magic On Tap Face Brazilian Royal Ship In Californian

Trainer Michael McCarthy's classy Independence Hall heads Saturday's Grade 2, $200,000 Californian Stakes at Santa Anita, an iconic steppingstone to the Grade 1 Hollywood Gold Cup, which will be run on Memorial Day, May 31. The Californian, for 3-year-olds and up, has a attracted a field of five to the Arcadia, Calif., track.

A Grade 3 winner going a one turn mile at age 2 in New York, Independence Hall, a 4-year-old colt by Constitution, comes off a solid fourth-place finish, beaten 2 ½ lengths, in the G1 Santa Anita Handicap March 6 and will be shortening up a furlong while retaining the services of leading man Flavien Prat.

A troubled third two starts back in the G1 Pegasus World Cup Invitational at Gulfstream Park Jan. 23, Independence Hall was keen early in the Big 'Cap and tired a bit late to be beaten a half length for third by race favorite and previously unbeaten Maxfield.

Owned by Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, Twin Creeks Racing Stables, LLC and Kathleen and Robert Veratti, Independence Hall was originally trained by eastern-based Michael Trombetta and will be making his fifth start for McCarthy on Saturday. With four wins, two of them stakes, from nine starts, Independence Hall is the top money earner in the field with $630,600.

Idle 15 months, Bob Baffert's Magic On Tap came back to the races running on March 28, as he stalked the early pace and drew off to an impressive 1 ½-length allowance win going 1 1/16 miles with Prat up. A Summer Wind Equine homebred, Magic On Tap is a 5-year-old horse by Tapit that has good natural speed and tremendous upside as he tries stakes competition for the first time in what will be his fifth start.

With Prat opting to stick with Independence Hall, Magic On Tap, who has two wins and as many seconds from four starts, will be ridden for the first time by Umberto Rispoli.

Perhaps the biggest question mark in Saturday's Californian is Brazilian-bred Royal Ship, who comes off a fast finishing fifth-place finish on turf to talented Hit the Road in the G1 Frank E. Kilroe Mile on March 6 for trainer Richard Mandella. A Group 1 winner on grass in his native Brazil, he raced twice on dirt in his 11 starts, finishing third in his seven furlong debut in July 2019 and a troubled fourth in the G3 Native Diver Stakes two starts back on Nov. 21 at Del Mar.

With a recent race to his credit, Royal Ship, a 5-year-old gelding by Midshipman, looms dangerous in what will be his fifth stateside start for Mandella with regular rider Mike Smith back aboard. A winner of five consecutive turf races in Brazil, Royal Ship, who will be making his 12th career start, need only finish as well on dirt as he did in the grassy Kilroe on March 6 to be a major factor Saturday as he seeks his first local win.

GRADE II CALIFORNIAN WITH JOCKEYS & WEIGHTS
IN POST POSITION ORDER

Race 8 of 9 Approximate post time 4:30 p.m. PT

Growth Engine—Tyler Baze—122
Magic On Tap—Umberto Rispoli—122
Country Grammer—Abel Cedillo–124
Royal Ship—Mike Smith—122
Independence Hall—Flavien Prat–122

First post time for a nine-race card on Saturday is at 1 p.m. For additional information, please visit santaanita.com or call (626) 574-RACE.

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Mexican Champion Letruska Under The Radar In Apple Blossom Showdown

Clearly, the stars of the $1 million Apple Blossom Handicap (Grade 1) for older fillies and mares at 1 1/16 miles Saturday at Oaklawn are Eclipse Award winners Monomoy Girl and Swiss Skydiver.

As for the small supporting cast, the most accomplished of the four other entrants is Letruska for trainer Fausto Gutierrez and breeder/owner St. George Stable LLC (German Larrea Mota-Velasco).

A champion in Mexico for her Mexican connections, the speedy Letruska has won 12 of 17 lifetime starts, including the $125,000 Shuvee (G3) Aug. 30 at Saratoga and the $300,000 Houston Ladies Classic (G3) Jan. 31 at Sam Houston. In her return to Oaklawn, Letruksa finished second, beaten a head by Shedaresthedevil, in the $350,000 Azeri Stakes (G2) March 13. The Azeri is the final major local prep for the Apple Blossom.

“I know it's a tough race, but this is the perfect spot to try,” Gutierrez said after Letruksa's half-mile bullet workout Sunday morning at Oaklawn. “We don't have anything to lose. Any of these horses have to run their best race to win. Of course, Letruska, but Swiss Skydiver needs her best effort and Monomoy, too.”

Letruksa won her first seven career starts, including six at Hipodromo De Las Americas in Mexico City. The streak was highlighted by blowouts in two legs of Mexico's Triple Crown for 3-year-old fillies in 2019 – Clasico Esmeralda (G1) and Clasico Diamante (G1) – when Letruksa was named the country's divisional champion.

“Why not three? Because one is just for Mexican-breds,” Gutierrez said.

Larrea Mota-Velasco, a copper mining mogul, bred Letruksa in Kentucky. The 5-year-old mare is by 2010 Kentucky Derby winner and Arkansas Derby runner-up Super Saver.

In addition to the Shuvee and Houston Ladies Classic, Letruksa's resume includes a front-running romp against males in her American debut, the restricted $85,000 Copa Invitacional del Caribe Stakes, in December 2019 at Gulfstream Park, an allowance victory last April at Oaklawn and a victory in the $100,000 Rampart Stakes (G3) Dec. 12 at Gulfstream Park. Letruska normally goes straight to the front in her races.

Letruska won her six starts in Mexico by a combined 40 ½ lengths and joined select company, Gutierrez said, with her American success.

Gutierrez said Mazatleca is the only other horse to begin its career in Mexico and win a graded stakes race in the United States. The Mexican-bred Mazatleca captured the $50,000 Red Bank Handicap (G3) in 1986 at Monmouth Park before going on to a distinguished broodmare career. Mazatleca is the dam of Grade 1 winner Wild Escapade and Grade 2 winner Mazel Trick.

But no horse that started its racing career in Mexico, Gutierrez said, has won a Grade 1 race in the United States. Letruksa, in her Grade 1 debut in the United States, finished fifth in the $300,000 Ballerina last August at Saratoga.

“This is the big gap,” Gutierrez said. “Maybe the horses that run in Mexico, in the Triple Crown, run here for a claiming price or for $12,000 (allowance purse). It's another planet. There's no comparison. It's absolutely another planet. It's not like Argentina or Brazil or maybe Chile – to the level it's very good.”

Letruksa nearly grabbed her signature American victory in the Azeri, falling just short of catching 2020 Kentucky Oaks winner Shedaresthedevil after, unexpectedly, coming from off the pace in the 1 1/16 mile race.

“That was not the plan,” Gutierrez said.

Letruksa switches from Joel Rosario to three-time reigning Eclipse Award-winning jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. for the Apple Blossom. Letruksa is scheduled to break from post 3 Saturday. Swiss Skydiver drew post 2, Monomoy Girl post 6 in the projected six-horse field.

Instead of shipping back to her South Florida base, Letruksa remained at Oaklawn following the Azeri and recorded two works leading up the Apple Blossom. She covered a half-mile in :48.80 April 4 and zipped a half-mile in :47.20 last weekend, galloping out 5 furlongs in :59.40.

“She's a very sound filly,” Gutierrez said. “I think 5 years old is the perfect age for her.”

Letruska, a seven-time stakes winner, has career earnings of $557,319.

The Apple Blossom headlines Saturday's 12-race card, with probable post time 6:09 p.m. (Central). It is the 11^th race. First post Saturday is 12:02 p.m.

The projected Apple Blossom field from the rail out: Another Broad, Ricardo Santana Jr. to ride, 115 pounds; Swiss Skydiver, Robby Albarado, 122; Letruska, Irad Ortiz Jr., 118; Chance to Shine, Ken Tohill, 114; Getridofwhatailesu, Francisco Arrieta, 117; and Monomoy Girl, Florent Geroux, 124.

The infield, weather permitting, will be open Saturday.

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Patience Pays Off With Doubledogdare Entrant Eres Tu

Two years ago at this time, Beverly Anderson and Edward Seltzer's homebred Eres Tu was on the Kentucky Oaks (G1) trail following a winter campaign at Fair Grounds for trainer Steve Asmussen.

The trail ended in New Orleans.

“They did the right thing and gave her plenty of time, and I get the benefit,” said trainer Arnaud Delacour, who welcomed Eres Tu in his barn at the Fair Hill Training Center in Maryland last summer after the filly had been away from the races for more than a year.

“She is a big filly and needed time to mature,” Delacour continued. “She was fit when she came to us at Fair Hill from the farm in Florida. We breezed her once a week, and she took everything in stride.”

Eres Tu has won three of four starts since joining Delacour. Her first victory came last fall at Keeneland, where she won an allowance race by 2¼ lengths going 1 1/16 miles, the same distance she will travel Friday in the 26th running of the $100,000 Baird Doubledogdare (G3) at Keeneland.

“She was ready to go in September but we decided to wait a couple weeks for the meet here, and she was impressive when she won,” Delacour said.

Eres Tu followed the Keeneland victory with stakes triumphs in Maryland in the Thirty Eight Go Go and Allaire duPont (G3). She was second in the Royal Delta (G3) at Gulfstream in February in her most recent start.

“I had hoped this race would come lighter with the ($500,000) La Troienne (G1) coming up in a couple weeks (at Churchill Downs),” Delacour said of the Baird Doubledogdare, which also attracted the likes of 2020 Central Bank Ashland (G1) winner Speech and Grade 2 winner Bonny South. “The timing is perfect for her. This race, then the duPont (on May 14) and a race (after) that and maybe the ($400,000) Delaware Handicap (G2 on July 10).”

Tyler Gaffalione will be aboard for the first time Friday.

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Red Knight Headlines Turf Marathoners In Saturday’s Elkhorn

Trinity Farm's homebred Red Knight, winner of last fall's Sycamore (G3) at Keeneland, headlines a field of 10 turf marathoners entered Wednesday for Saturday's 36th running of the $200,000 Elkhorn (G2) going 1½ miles on the grass.

The Elkhorn will go as the ninth race on Saturday afternoon's 10-race program with a 5:30 p.m. post time. First post Saturday is 1:05 p.m.

Trained by Bill Mott, who is seeking his third Elkhorn victory, Red Knight will be making his 2021 debut Saturday after closing 2020 with a narrow loss to Elkhorn rival North Dakota in the Red Smith (G3) at Aqueduct. Red Knight finished second in the 2019 Elkhorn in his only other Keeneland start.

James Graham, who was aboard for the Sycamore victory, will have the mount Saturday and break from post 10.

Joseph Allen's North Dakota, fourth to Red Knight in last year's Sycamore, will be making his first start since finishing 10th in the Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational (G1) in January in which he was beaten only 4¼ lengths.

Trained by Shug McGaughey, North Dakota will be ridden by John Velazquez and break from post seven. McGaughey has three wins in the stakes, including 1994 with Hall of Famer Lure when the race was 1 1/8 miles.

The field for the Elkhorn, with riders and weights from the rail out, is: Cross Border (Tyler Gaffalione, 120 pounds), Say the Word (Luis Saez, 123), Crafty Daddy (Brian Hernandez Jr., 118), Epic Bromance (Chris Landeros, 118), Monarchs Glen (GB) (Joel Rosario, 118), Tide of the Sea (Gerardo Corrales, 118), North Dakota (Velazquez, 118), Fantasioso (ARG) (Rafael Bejarano, 118), Channel Cat (Corey Lanerie, 118) and Red Knight (Graham, 118).

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