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Baffert-Trained Kalypso Headlines Sunday’s Oaks Prep At Santa Anita Park

Bob Baffert's well accomplished Kalypso heads a field of five sophomore fillies going a mile and one sixteenth in Sunday's Grade 3, $100,000 Santa Ysabel Stakes at Santa Anita. Baffert will also be represented by Baoma Corporation's Beautiful Gift as well as Pegram, Watson and Weitman's Heels Up in a race that Baffert has won a record five times.

With 50 Kentucky Oaks qualifying points to be awarded to the winner, the Santa Ynez takes on added significance as America's biggest race for 3-year-old fillies looms on April 30 at Churchill Downs. Saturday's second, third and fourth place finishers will receive 20, 15 and five points respectively.

Third, beaten 1 ¾ lengths by Kalypso in the Grade 3 Las Virgenes Stakes here on Feb. 6, trainer Michael McCarthy's Moraz will likely go as the second choice in the Santa Ysabel, which will be her fourth career start. A recent mile and one sixteenth maiden winner at Golden Gate Fields, McCarthy's A Real Hero will be a longshot with Flavien Prat aboard.

Owned by David Bernsen, LLC and Rockingham Ranch, Kalyspo, a Kentucky-bred daughter of Brody's Cause, out of the Malibu Moon mare Malibu Cove, broke her maiden going six furlongs four starts back in the ungraded Anoakia Stakes on Oct. 18 and then showed the way prior to running second, beaten 1 ½ lengths going 1 1/16 miles in the Grade 1 Starlet Stakes at Los Alamitos Dec. 5.

Off at 4-5 in the Grade 2 Santa Ynez Stakes going seven furlongs on Jan. 3, Kalypso pressed the pace and prevailed by 1 ¾ lengths. Subsequently second as the even money favorite going one mile in the Grade 3 Las Virgenes Stakes on Feb. 6, she was no match for Richard Mandella's Moonlight d'Oro, who rallied powerfully through the lane to prevail by 1 ½ lengths.

Although second twice at two turns, Kalypso, who will be making her seventh start, retains the services of Joel Rosario and is strictly the horse to beat on Sunday.

Owned by her breeder, Don Alberto Corporation, Moraz, who was a dazzling 11 length maiden winner going a flat mile two starts back on Jan. 8, kept to her task in the Las Virgenes when beaten 1 ¾ lengths by the top selection and her connections are hoping she has enough upside to turn the tables.

By Empire Maker out of the A.P. Indy mare Malvinia, Moraz will be making her fourth start and be handled by regular rider Umberto Rispoli.

Bet down to 3-5 as she stretched out to a flat mile in her second start on Oct. 23, Baoma Corporation's homebred Beautiful Gift stalked the early pace and rallied gamely for a half length win. By Medaglia d'Oro out of the A.P. Indy mare Sea Gift, Beautiful Gift also appears to have ample upside and will be ridden for the first time by John Velazquez.

Baffert's Heels Up, who has been idle since running third in the 6 ½ furlongs Dezi Arnaz Stakes Nov. 14 at Del Mar, will be stretching out for the first time in what will be her fourth start. Owned by Mike Pegram, Karl Watson and Paul Weitman, Heels Up, a daughter of Twirling Candy out of the Tale of the Cat mare Tale Untold, will likely be forwardly placed under Drayden Van Dyke, who will be aboard for the first time.

THE GRADE 3 SANTA YSABEL WITH JOCKEYS & WEIGHTS IN POST POSITION ORDER

Race 4 of 9 Approximate post time 2 p.m. PT

A Real Hero—Flavien Prat—120
Beautiful Gift—John Velazquez—120
Heels Up—Drayden Van Dyke—120
Kalypso—Joel Rosario—120
Moraz—Umberto Rispoli—120

First post time for a nine-race card on Sunday is at 12:30 p.m. All of Santa Anita's races are offered free of charge at santaanita.com/live and fans can wager at 1st.com/bet. For additional information, please visit santaanita.com or call (626) 574-RACE.

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Sun Path To Ship North, Chase Oaks Points In Oaklawn’s Honeybee

Juddmonte Farms' two-time winner Sun Path was installed as the 5-2 morning line favorite in the field of eight 3-year-old fillies signed on to compete in Saturday's $300,000 Honeybee (Grade 3) at Oaklawn.

The Honeybee is the featured race on Oaklawn's 10-race program. The 1 1/16-mile event is carded as Race 9 with a post time of 6:10 p.m. The Top 4 finishers will be awarded points on a 50-20-10-5 scale for the April 30, $1.25 million Longines Kentucky Oaks.

Trained by two-time Kentucky Oaks-winning conditioner Brad Cox, Sun Path was an emphatic 12-length winner of a Dec. 18 allowance event at Fair Grounds. The Munnings filly attempted stakes company in the $150,000 Silverbulletday but settled for a fourth-place finish after a wide trip throughout the race. Joe Talamo has the call from post No. 4.

Sun Path is the half-sister Bonny South, winner of the G2 Fair Grounds Oaks and second in the G1 Alabama last year.

Another filly likely to garner attention at the betting windows is Willis Horton's $200,000 Martha Washington Stakes winner Will's Secret. Trained by Dallas Stewart and ridden by Jon Court, Will's Secret bested five rivals in the Jan. 30 Martha Washington by 5 ¼ lengths at odds of 8-1. The homebred daughter of Willis' prized stallion Will Take Charge, Will's Secret drew post 2 for Saturday's Honeybee.

The complete field from the rail out (with jockey, trainer and morning line odds): Tabor Hall (David Cohen, Kenny McPeek, 10-1); Will's Secret (Court, Stewart, 7-2); Willful Woman (Ricardo Santana Jr., Steve Asmussen, 6-1); Sun Path (Talamo, Cox, 5-2); Pauline's Pearl (Francisco Arietta, Asmussen, 8-1); Absolute Anna (Ramon Vazquez, Jerry Hollendorfer, 15-1); Oliviaofthedesert (David Cabrera, McPeek, 7-2); Coach (Florent Geroux, Cox, 4-1).

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Saudi Cup Winner Mishriff Headed For Dubai; Returns To Turf In Sheema Classic

After his thrilling upset victory over Charlatan in the $20 million Saudi Cup on the dirt, Mishriff will return to the turf for the Dubai Sheema Classic on the Dubai World Cup undercard on Mar. 27, reports the Racing Post. The $4 million race is contested over 1 1/2 miles on the turf at Meydan Racecourse.

Trained by John Gosden, the 4-year-old son of Make Believe won the G1 Prix du Jockey Club and G2 Prix Guillaume d'Ornano on turf last summer.

Trainer John Gosden told the Racing Post: “This morning we've accepted an invitation for Mishriff to run in the Dubai Sheema Classic. He's a versatile horse and we've always wanted to try him over this trip of a mile and a half. This will then give him plenty of time for a break before tackling Royal Ascot in June and the Eclipse S. at Sandown the following month.”

Read more at the Racing Post (behind paywall).

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Salute The Soldier Appears ‘A Genuine Dubai World Cup Prospect’

Three weeks before the UAE's biggest day of horseracing, the Dubai World Cup card, this weekend's Super Saturday is a 'dress rehearsal' with all seven races mirroring the conditions of one of those on the big day, officially highlighted by the Group 1 Al Maktoum Challenge R3 on dirt along with the Group 1 Jebel Hatta, the turf highlight.

Over the same 2000m (1 1/4 miles) on dirt as the $12 million Dubai World Cup, the Group 1 Al Maktoum Challenge R3 has on three occasions been won by a subsequent Dubai World Cup winner with Dubai Millennium (2000), Street Cry (2002) and Electrocutionist (2006) all completing the double at Nad Al Sheba for Godolphin and Saeed bin Suroor.

Frankie Dettori rode all three to win this, though did not partner Street Cry in the World Cup, and is aboard dirt debutant Dubai Mirage for the same connections this year. Competing at his first Meydan carnival, the 4-year-old gelding has finished second on both local starts, in turf handicaps over 1600m (one mile) and 1800m (nine furlongs).

Being a gelded son of Dubawi, he certainly looks worth trying on the dirt surface and did lose his maiden tag on his sole all-weather appearance in Britain.

Saeed bin Suroor said: “Dubai Mirage has run well on the turf so far this season, finishing second on both occasions, and we wanted to give him a chance on the dirt. This will be a very tough race, but he has been going nicely at home.”

For Fawzi Nass and Adrie de Vries, Salute The Soldier was a Super Saturday winner last year in the 1600m (one mile) Group 3 Burj Nahaar. A 6-year-old Sepoy gelding, he bounced back to winning ways in the 1900m (1 3/16 miles) Group 2 Al Maktoum Challenge R2 just over three weeks ago.

De Vries said: “That was a new trip last time and he stayed well, suggesting the extra 200m (furlong) will not be an issue. He seems in great form and it is exciting to, hopefully, be involved with a genuine Dubai World Cup prospect.”

Second on that occasion to De Vries' mount was Thegreatcollection, also runner-up in the 1600m (one mile) Group 2 Al Maktoum Challenge R1 when Salute The Soldier was third. To be ridden by Pat Dobbs, the 7-year-old Saint Anddan gelding is trained by Doug Watson for Zaur Sekrekov.

The trainer said: “He stayed the 1900m (1 3/16 miles) well last time and, on that evidence, 2000m (1 1/4 miles) is not going to be a problem. He has been in great form all season.

“Hopefully they go quick and he can close on them in the straight. We are really looking forward to seeing how he goes.”

Thegreatcollection's most recent victory, in the middle of December, was in the Listed Dubai Creek Mile, chased home by Secret Ambition with Salute The Soldier back in fourth.

Trained by Satish Seemar for Nasir Askar, Secret Ambition was then runner-up when attempting to defend his crown in the Group 3 Jebel Al Mile. Most recently, he won the 1600m (one mile) Group 3 Firebreak Stakes, at the carnival, a month ago.

With regular pilot Tadhg O'Shea suspended, Richard Mullen resumes the partnership victorious in the 2019 Jebel Ali Mile. Seemar also saddles Quip, Saltarin Dubai, victorious in the Listed Jebel Ali Stakes on his most recent start a month ago under Mullen, and Roman Rosso.

Salem bin Ghadayer is seeking a third consecutive victory in the race and fourth in five years. He saddles Firnas, Tailor's Row and Hypothetical, runner-up behind Secret Ambition in the Firebreak Stakes before recording a second 1600m dirt Meydan handicap success a fortnight ago.

Bin Ghadayer said: “All three are in good form and have been running well, but this is, obviously, a tough race. We hope they all run well and can give a good account of themselves.”

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