Not even a claim of foul could knock M Racing Group's Like the King off the Grade 3 Jeff Ruby Steaks throne March 27 at Turfway Park.
Tag: Racing
Baltas Continues Santa Ana Dominance With Going To Vegas
A change in tactics and an eye-catching turn of foot resulted in a career-best performance from the Richard Baltas-trained Going to Vegas in Saturday's Grade 3, $100,000 Santa Ana Stakes at Santa Anita in Arcadia, Calif., as the 4-year-old daughter of Goldencents motored to an impressive 3 ¾-length win. Ridden for the first time by Umberto Rispoli, Going to Vegas, who was claimed eight starts back for $50,000, got a mile and one quarter on turf in 2:00.80.
Second, about a half length off of heavily favored Mucho Unusual as the field made the dirt crossing shortly after its hillside turf start, Going to Vegas took the pole position about a mile from home with French-bred Neige Blanche and Mucho Unusual in close attendance to the far turn.
With a one length advantage over Neige Blanche at the quarter pole, Going to Vegas spurted clear three sixteenths of a mile out to win as much the best.
“She ran her race today,” said Baltas, who has now won the last four runnings of the Santa Ana. “Today was the first time she showed us that kind of acceleration. The turn of foot was impressive.”
Although she had broken her maiden and won an allowance route while on or near the lead prior to being claimed on June 12, 2020, Going to Vegas had never exhibited the kind of front-running dominance she did in the Santa Ana.
“Just working on her, getting her to relax and obviously we took the blinkers off of her (four starts back),” explained Baltas. “With this distance, it's probably better for her to stay or even a little further. (A) mile and three eighths, mile and a half, because she has tactical speed and she made the lead pretty easy today…I was pleasantly surprised that she had that turn of foot at the end.”
Fourth going one mile on turf in the G2 Buena Vista Stakes Feb. 20, Going to Vegas was second two starts back in the G1 American Oaks at a mile and one quarter on turf. With the Santa Ana her second attempt at the distance, Going to Vegas was the second choice among a field of six older fillies and mares and paid $8.60, $2.80 and $2.40.
“Since last night when I watched all the races of the filly, I (thought) she probably would be the pace,” said Rispoli. “This morning I said to myself, 'The only way to beat Mucho Unusual is to go get the lead.' The race came the way I want, I took the lead before the first turn and from there, she just kept improving acceleration and she really gave me a serious turn of foot at the top of the stretch.”
Owned by Abbondanza Racing, LLC, Medallion Racing and MyRacehorse, Going to Vegas, who is out of the Johannesburg mare Hard to Resist, notched her first ever stakes win and improved her overall mark to 18-4-8-2. With the winner's share of $60,000, she increased her earnings to $283,751.
Mucho Unusual, attentive to the pace while saving ground throughout, was full of run at the top of the lane but was clearly second best on the day, finishing one length in front of a late running Red Lark.
Off at 2-5 with Flavien Prat, Mucho Unusual paid $2.10 and $2.10.
Irish-bred Red Lark rallied from last under Ricky Gonzalez and paid $2.20 to show while finishing 1 ¼ lengths in front of Neige Blanche.
Fractions on the race were 24.64, 49.17, 1:14.02 and 1:38.14.
Racing resumes on Sunday with first post time for a nine-race card at 1 p.m.
The post Baltas Continues Santa Ana Dominance With Going To Vegas appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.
Known Agenda Gives Pletcher Sixth Florida Derby Win
For the most part, it had been an unusually unproductive Kentucky Derby prep season for trainer Todd Pletcher, but that all changed in a blink of the eye March 27 in a very familiar setting.
Crazy Beautiful Gives McPeek Back-To-Back Gulfstream Park Oaks Triumphs
Phoenix Thoroughbred III's Crazy Beautiful rallied from last to score a convincing victory in Saturday's $200,000 Gulfstream Park Oaks (G2), providing trainer Ken McPeek his second straight success in the 1 1/16-mile stakes for 3-year-old fillies at the Hallandale Beach, Fla., track.
The Gulfstream Oaks was one of 10 stakes on Saturday's program that was headlined by the $750,000 Curlin Florida Derby (G1) presented by Hill 'n' Dale Farms at Xalapa. The Oaks is a Road to the Kentucky Oaks qualifying race that offered 170 points on a 100-40-20-10 scale.
Crazy Beautiful earned her way into the April 30 Kentucky Oaks (G1) at Churchill Downs by following in the hoofprints of McPeek-trained Swiss Skydiver, who captured last year's Gulfstream Oaks winner, who went on to beat the boys in the Preakness Stakes (G1) at Pimlico.
“We were here a year ago. I was really proud of that win,” McPeek said. “Maybe we can accomplish half as much this year.”
Crazy Beautiful, who finished second in the seven-furlong Davona Dale (G2) Feb. 27 in her 2021 debut, was rated in seventh and last as Con Lima, the 6-5 favorite ridden by Irad Ortiz Jr., set the fractions of 24.16 and 48.69 seconds for the first half-mile while stalked by Bow Wow Girl and Pens Street. Millefeuille bad a bold move between horses leaving the backstretch and pulled alongside a tiring Con Lima on the turn into the homestretch before opening a clear lead at the top of the stretch. Crazy Beautiful, the 2-1 second choice ridden by Jose Ortiz who had steadily advanced into contention, was sent between horses to get a clear run in the stretch and kicked in powerfully to overtake Millefeuille.
“I just wanted to sit there and make sure she got into a good rhythm on the backstretch and she did. I saved some ground on the first turn and I saved some ground on the second turn,” said Ortiz following his third stakes victory of the afternoon. “Kenny told me that she was a nice filly, so I rode her with confidence.”
The daughter of Liam's Map scored by 2 ½ lengths while running 1 1/16 miles in 1:44.41.
“I thought Jose rode her perfect today. He got her in a nice rhythm. I told him, 'Don't be in a hurry. Don't force anything. Get her in a nice rhythm.' He did that,” McPeek said. “She was a little farther back than she's normally been, but she's got a lot of turn of foot.”
Millefeuille finished second, 1 ¾ lengths ahead of late-closing Competitive Speed. Con Lima finished fourth.
Crazy Beautiful had a productive 2020 campaign, during which she was graded stakes-placed twice, including a second-place finish behind Simply Ravishing, also a McPeek trainee, in the Alcibiades (G1) at Keeneland. Simply Ravishing, who was nominated to the Gulfstream Park Oaks, is scheduled to prep for the Kentucky Oaks in the Ashland (G1) at Keeneland April 3.
The post Crazy Beautiful Gives McPeek Back-To-Back Gulfstream Park Oaks Triumphs appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.
