Oaklawn Park President Louis Cella has been named 2020 Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Sportsman of the Year for his actions to keep live racing ongoing at the Hot Springs, Ark., track when the COVID-19 pandemic caused many businesses, including most live sporting events, to halt in March 2020.
Tag: Racing
2020’s Memorable Moments in Horse Racing
As challenging as 2020 has been due to the coronavirus pandemic, the hard work of many allowed horse racing to persevere, albeit with a shuffled calendar, and provide a welcome respite from life’s cares. Tom Pedulla recalls some of the year’s memorable moments:
Wildman Jack Has 10 New Year’s Day Foes In Joe Hernandez Stakes At Santa Anita
W.C. Racing's homebred Wildman Jack, a graded stakes winning 5-year-old gelding by 2013 Santa Anita Derby winner Goldencents, heads a wide-open field of 11 older horses in Friday's New Year's Day feature, the Grade II, $200,000 Joe Hernandez Stakes at 6 ½ furlongs over the Santa Anita turf in Arcadia, Calif.
Most recently seventh, beaten three lengths after taking the lead turning for home in the G1 Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint at Keeneland on Nov. 7, Wildman Jack, who is trained by Doug O'Neill, was a big second, beaten one length two starts back in the 5 ½ furlong turf Eddie D Stakes here on Sept. 25.
A nose winner of the G3 Daytona Stakes five starts back on May 23, 2020, Wildman Jack has a win and two seconds from three tries over the Santa Anita turf and like the rest of the field, he'll be running out of Santa Anita's newly christened turf chute for the first time on Friday.
Out of the Orientate mare Orientatious, Wildman Jack is 12-4-3-1 overall with earnings of $439,005.
Other prominent contenders include trainer Graham Motion's venerable Irish-bred True Valour, who is based at Fair Hill Training Center in Maryland and will be will be making his 30th career start at age seven. No stranger to Santa Anita, True Valour, who was based in Southern California with Simon Callaghan for parts of three racing seasons beginning in 2018, he's a two time graded stakes winner going one mile over the local lawn from nine tries.
Although primarily a router throughout his career, True Valour transitioned to sprinting two starts back, taking a 6 ½-furlong classified allowance over Woodbine's synthetic Tapeta on Nov. 14 and he comes off a solid third in an ungraded six furlong turf stakes at Aqueduct Nov. 28.
Owned by R.L. Johnson, True Valour is 29-6-2-8 overall with earnings of $462,237.
In addition to Wildman Jack, Doug O'Neill will also be represented by Blitzkrieg, a winner of the G3 American Stakes here five starts back who will be shortening up out of three consecutive turf routes. Owned by R3 Racing, LLC and Calara Farms, Blitzkrieg has four wins from 11 tries over the Santa Anita turf and he has earnings of $411,457 from an overall mark of 25-6-1-1.
Hronis Racing's classy Encoder, idle since February 1 for John Sadler, rates a huge chance with Tyler Baze engaged to ride. A first-out five-furlong turf maiden winner at Del Mar in August 2019, he followed that up with a game head victory in the Del Mar Juvenile Turf on Sept. 1, 2019.
A well beaten fifth on dirt in the G3 Robert B. Lewis Stakes Feb. 1, he pressed the early pace en route to a half-length score in the one-mile turf Eddie Logan Stakes two starts back on Dec. 29, 2019. Back on his preferred surface on Friday, Encoder should plenty tough while attentive to the pace.
The Joe Hernandez is named in honor of the original voice of Santa Anita, who called more than 15,000 consecutive races from Dec. 25, 1934 until he collapsed while calling his final race on January 27, 1972.
JOE HERNANDEZ STAKES WITH JOCKEYS & WEIGHTS
IN POST POSITION ORDER
Race 7 of 9 Approximate post time 3:30 p.m. PT
- Texas Wedge—Flavien Prat—120
- P R Radio Star—Juan Hernandez—120
- Encoder—Tyler Baze—120
- Hembree—Joel Rosario—120
- True Valour—Drayden Van Dyke—120
- Blitzkrieg—Victor Espinoza—122
- Wildman Jack—Abel Cedillo—122
- Chaos Theory—Umberto Rispoli—122
- Oiseau de Guerre—Ruben Fuentes—120
- Mesut—Mike Smith—120
- Ohio—Ricky Gonzalez—120
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Yakteen Stable’s Cal-Bred ‘Queen,’ Mucho Unusual, Takes Robert J. Frankel Stakes
Well beaten in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf on Nov. 7, George Krikorian's homebred Mucho Unusual seemed to relish a return home to Santa Anita in Arcadia, Calif., as she rallied under Eastern-based John Velazquez to take Sunday's Grade 3, $100,000 Robert J. Frankel Stakes by three-quarters of a length. Trained by Tim Yakteen, the California-bred daughter of Mucho Macho Man got a mile and one eighth on turf in 1:46.94.
Comfortably in-hand while second, about two lengths off of pacesetting She's Our Charm around the first turn, Mucho Unusual inched up outside a three-horse spread that included favored Miss Teheran and She's Our Charm heading to the three furlong pole and held sway late under a hand ride from Velazquez, who collected his third win on the day.
“She broke good and it looked like the one speed filly (She's Our Charm) would go and she did,” said Velazquez. “Down the backside, Joel (Rosario, aboard favored Miss Teheran) moved a little early and I also wanted to make sure I put a little pressure on the two (She's Our Charm) because she had been running easily. Turning for home, I asked her and she finished up great.”
A front-running winner of the G1 Rodeo Drive Stakes here two starts back on Sept. 26, Mucho Unusual was the narrow second choice at 5-2 in a field of eight fillies and mares and paid $7.80, $4.40 and $3.20.
“We had an outside draw and that was a little bit of a concern,” said Yakteen. “There was one lone speed in the race. She is such a dream to train, so easy, so straightforward, she makes my job easy. She's my queen. We don't have a big stable but she's our queen.”
Out of Krikorian's Unusual Heat mare Not Unusual, Mucho Unusual, who turns 5 on Friday, is now a three-time graded stakes winner. With an overall mark of 18-6-3-4, she picked up $60,000 for the win, increasing her earnings to $762,715.
Owned in-part by former Santa Anita general manager, Ron Charles, English-bred Never Be Enough flew late for second money, prevailing by a nose over She's Our Charm. Ridden by Tiago Pereira, Never Be Enough was off at 32-1 and paid $18.40 and $10.40.
In a big effort, Ron McAnally's She's Our Charm fought bravely late and finished three quarters of a length better than Miss Teheran. Off at 4-1 with Juan Hernandez, She's Our Charm paid $4.00 to show.
Trained by Chad Brown, Irish-bred Miss Teheran shipped in from South Florida seeking her first stakes victory but her chances were seriously comprised when she hesitated leaving the gate and was subsequently shuffled back while in tight quarters. Thereafter, she appeared a bit keen with Rosario and when the rail opened up a half mile out, he asked her to engage the front runners in what proved a failed strategy as the actual 5-2 favorite.
Fractions on the race were 23.72, 47.90, 1:11.70 and 1:35.02.
Named in honor of the Hall of Fame trainer who passed away at age 68 in 2009, Bobby Frankel was a five-time leading Winter/Spring Meet trainer at Santa Anita and he remains the track's all-time leader by races won with 917 and is third on the all-time stakes-won list with 146. Frankel won the race's precursor, the San Gorgonio Stakes, a record seven times.
Live racing resumes at Santa Anita on Thursday with first post time for a nine-race card at 12:30 p.m.
The post Yakteen Stable’s Cal-Bred ‘Queen,’ Mucho Unusual, Takes Robert J. Frankel Stakes appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.
