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Recently Claimed Hembree Takes Joe Hernandez Stakes With Last-To-First Move Under Rosario

Claimed for $62,500 out of a one turn mile win at Churchill Downs Nov. 19, 7-year-old Hembree, in his 40th career start, rallied from last to take Friday's Grade 2, $200,000 Joe Hernandez Stakes at Santa Anita in Arcadia, Calif., covering 6 ½ furlongs on turf in 1:13.80. In his first start for trainer Peter Miller and owner Tom Kagele, Hembree, who had routed on turf in 14 consecutive starts prior to his one turn dirt mile Nov. 19, collected his second career graded stakes win.

Last, about 6 ½ lengths off the lead heading to the three-furlong pole, Rosario hugged the rail and slipped through a narrow opening three sixteenths of a mile out and unleashed a powerful stretch run while repelling a stout late challenge from runner-up True Valour.

“Brilliant, it really was just a fantastic ride by Joel, that's why he's one of the world's best,” said Miller. “He's a very fast horse, he runs fast figures and fast Beyers. The question to me was, whether the six and a half was too short for him, but he answered that question today.”

Off at 5-1 in a field of seven older horses, Hembree paid $12.40, $6.20 and $3.60.

A Grade 2 stakes winner going six furlongs on turf at Woodbine at age 4, Hembree picked up $120,000 for the win, increasing his earnings to $927,371 while improving his overall mark to 40-8-10-8.

“Pete told me to let him be early and try and make one run with him,” said Rosario, who had ridden Hembree on four other occasions in New York, Florida and Kentucky, with his most recent partnership coming seven starts back on March 28 at Gulfstream Park. “He broke well and I thought we were in a good spot, not too far off the lead. He made a nice move around the turn and when that other horse came to him, he tried very hard.”

Ridden by Drayden Van Dyke, Irish-bred True Valour ran too good to lose as he rallied four-wide through the stretch to finish 3 ¼ lengths in front of Blitzkrieg. Off at 7-1, True Valour paid $7.40 and $5.00.

Blitzkrieg, who had been routing on turf in five out of his last six starts, made the lead briefly a furlong out and checked in third, a half length clear of Texas Wedge. Off at 4-1 with Victor Espinoza, he paid $4.00 to show.

Fractions on the race were 21.56, 44.13 and 1:07.95.

The Joe Hernandez is named in honor of the original Voice of Santa Anita, who called 15,587 consecutive races from the track's opening on Dec. 25, 1934, until he collapsed while calling what would be his final race on Jan. 27, 1972.

First post time for a nine-race card on Saturday is at 12:30 p.m. All of Santa Anita's races can be watched free of charge at santaanita.com/live and fans can watch and wager at 1^st.com/Bet.

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Imprimis Stays Perfect On Gulfstream Turf; One Of Five Winners On Day For Irad Ortiz Jr.

Breeze Easy LLC's Imprimis made a triumphant return to action at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Fla., Friday, following up a troubled trip in the Nov. 7 Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint (G1) with a gutsy victory over Extravagant Kid in the $75,000 Janus.

The Janus, a five-furlong turf sprint for 4-year-olds and up, was the first of three stakes on the New Year's Day card, including the $75,000 Cash Run, and the $75,000 Abundantia. Imprimis' jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. also rode Gulf Coast to victory in the Cash Run and guided Hear My Prayer to win the Abundantia to finish the 11-race card with five victories.

Imprimis, the 4-5 favorite, ran his career record to 5-for-5 over the Gulfstream Park turf course, providing a measure of comfort for the disappointment his trainer felt following the Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint at Keeneland.

“I even said, 'I'm feeling more pressure today that I did at the Breeders' Cup, and today he's supposed to win,” trainer Joe Orseno said.

Imprimis, who had to be checked hard by Ortiz after his stretch bid was shut off at Keeneland, didn't have another horse in his path while making his wide drive to the finish line, enabling him to finish a neck ahead of Extravagant Kid, who was beaten by only a length while finishing fourth in the Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint.

“He ran down a credible horse. When Extravagant Kid got the jump on him, I thought I was in trouble, because he's a good horse. The horse made about a million dollars,” Orseno said. “I'm very pleased to get a good trip.”

Imprimis did experience a little crowding following the break, settling in fifth along the backstretch as The Critical Way showed the way into the homestretch while setting swift fractions of 21.09 and 43.22 seconds for a half-mile. Extravagant Kid, who rated fourth on the backstretch, made a three-wide move on the turn into the homestretch to get the jump on the favorite, who quickly joined him to his outside. The Critical Way, ridden by Paco Lopez, held gamely while tiring but was unable to hold off his two more high-profile rivals, finishing just a head behind runner-up Extravagant Kid, the 5-2 second choice.

The multiple graded-stakes winner Imprimis ran five furlongs on a firm turf in 54.82 seconds.

“Last time it was a little sad after the trip I had in the Breeders' Cup. I feel like it's one of those races that you probably could have won, and those races don't come back. It's one time the whole year, so I was so sad for them because he worked so hard and he deserved it. I probably made a bad decision, so I feel bad,” Ortiz said “But thank God, today I was able to ride him back, and to be able to be in the winner's circle is very special for me. Moving forward after this race, he's a nice horse and he's doing so good right now I think he's doing better than ever. I expect a good year for him.”

The $100,000 Gulfstream Park Turf Sprint (G3) Feb. 13 is a possibility for the 7-year-old son of Broken Vow's next start.

“The horse will tell me. The plan is to go to it. The plan was to go to the next one, not this one, but he was doing so well. It was hard to pass up. When they're hitting the ground like this and doing this well and feeling this good, you're afraid they're going to do something to hurt themselves. So, I took advantage and ran him in this race,” Orseno said “We'll see about the next one. If he's doing like this and is 100 percent, then yes.”

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Capo Kane Rolls in Jerome, Joins Kentucky Derby Trail

New York has its own road to the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve, but it seems to be running through Bensalem, Pa.

San Gabriel Likely Kicks Off Final Racing Season For 7-Year-Old Stakes Veteran Bowies Hero

Phil D'Amato had four horses nominated to Saturday's Grade 2 San Gabriel Stakes but entered two in the 1 1/8-mile turf test for 4-year-olds and up at Santa Anita in Arcadia, Calif.

They are Bowies Hero and Count Again.

The latter is far from the proverbial empty stall, a two-time graded stakes winner that only joined the D'Amato barn recently and won the G2 Seabiscuit Handicap at Del Mar, but Bowies Hero has a more intriguing story line.

The 7-year-old bay has a most remarkable record, a tale straight out of racing fiction.

Consider:

After winning a maiden special weight race by 5 ¾ lengths in his first start, going 7 ½ furlongs on turf at Lone Star Park on July 16, 2016, the son of outstanding turf miler Artie Schiller has run only in stakes, 26 in a row.

Artie Schiller defeated Leroidesanimaux in the 2005 Breeders' Cup Mile under the late Garrett Gomez, who would have turned 49 on Jan. 1.

However, Leroidesanimaux won the Eclipse Award that year as top turf horse by three votes over Artie Schiller, a 2001 foal who in 2007 was retired to stud in Kentucky but stood last year in Australia for $11,000.

The Brazilian-bred Leroidesanimaux (king of animals in French) died as a stallion at Newmarket, England, in 2016 at the age of 16.

Bowies Hero has won seven races since his debut victory, including two Grade 1's, the Kilroe Mile in 2018 and the Shadwell Turf Mile in 2019. He worked five furlongs on the training track last Sunday in 1:02.

Add to his remarkable achievement the fact that the Kentucky-bred owned by a partnership that includes Agave Racing Stable, ERJ Racing LLC and Madaket Stables LLC remains a full horse, meaning he still could one day serve at stud.

“Bowies Hero gives his best pretty much every time,” said D'Amato, who fell one victory shy (11-10) of tying Richard Baltas for the training title at the recent Del Mar meet.

Fans should enjoy Bowies Hero while they can because 2021 will probably be the unsung campaigner's final season of racing.

“He's a neat horse to have around the barn but this will probably be his last year of racing,” said D'Amato, who has trained Bowies Hero since just after his first race.

Bowies Hero fancies a stalking style, but has rallied from well off the pace to close with a rush, all save his first race coming at a mile or longer.

He has run in 17 races at a mile, winning six, compiling an enviable overall 8-2-3 record from 27 starts for earnings of $1,588,720.

“Who knows, maybe we can find a stud career for him, but he's doing really well and just a cool horse to train,” D'Amato continued. ”Right after his maiden victory he was bought privately and I've had him ever since.”

And it's been a match made in heaven.

The San Gabriel, race seven: Cleopatra's Strike, Kent Desormeaux, 15-1; Next Shares, Jose Valdivia Jr., 4-1; Bob and Jackie, Heriberto Figueroa, 4-1; Multiplier, Abel Cedillo, 12-1; Count Again, Juan Hernandez, 2-1; Anothertwistafate, Joel Rosario, 5-2; and Bowies Hero, Flavien Prat, 6-1.

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