Tag: Racing

Irish-Bred Cathkin Peak Wears Down Commander Khai To Win Eddie Logan At Santa Anita

Taken well off the early pace while next to last into the clubhouse turn, trainer Phil D'Amato's Irish-bred Cathkin Peak edged closer to the leaders heading to the far turn and with four lengths to make up turning for home, kept to his task and overhauled pacesetter Commander Khai to register a one-length victory in Sunday's $75,000 Eddie Logan Stakes at Santa Anita in Arcadia, Calif.  Ridden by Flavien Prat, Cathkin Peak got a flat mile on turf in 1:33.80.

As expected, Commander Khai went to the early lead and he was tracked in second by morning line favorite Beer Can Man, who flattened out a bit late while Commander Khai kept to his task but couldn't hold off the winner, who although he lugged in some late, kept grinding to gain the advantage.

A one mile turf maiden winner in his U.S. debut Nov. 29 at Del Mar, Cathkin Peak was off at 4-1 in a field of seven juveniles and paid $10.40, $5.00 and $3.40.

“He's such a neat horse,” said D'Amato.  “Every since he arrived, he hasn't done anything wrong and he keeps getting better and better.  Flavien seems to fit him like a glove.”

Owned by Sterling Stables, LLC, Michael Nentwig and CYBT, Cathkin Peak, who started once in his native Ireland, is now two for three and with the winner's share of $46,680, increased his earnings to $81,672.

Trained by Richard Baltas, Commander Khai was off at 7-2 and paid $5.40 and $3.60 with John Velazquez up while prevailing by 2 ¾ lengths over Beer Can Man.

Ridden by Juan Hernandez, Beer Can Man was also off at 7-2 and paid $3.00 to show.

Fractions on the race were 22.59, 45.74, 1:09.51 and 1:21.55.

The race was marred by an incident at the top of the stretch when Ebeko suffered a catastrophic injury and fell, throwing jockey Joel Rosario. Ebeko, winner of the Zuma Beach Stakes at Santa Anita in October, was vanned off and subsequently euthanized because of the nature of the injury. Rosario was evaluated by medical personnel and cleared to ride the remainder of the card.

Named in honor of Santa Anita's beloved “Footman,” the Eddie Logan honors the memory of the man who manned his shoeshine stand at Santa Anita from the track's opening on Dec. 25, 1934, until shortly before his passing at age 98 in January 2009.

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Baffert On Charlatan’s Malibu: ‘He Exceeded Our Expectations’

It was business as usual Sunday morning for Bob Baffert, less than 24 hours after Charlatan demolished his rivals with a 4 ½-length victory in the Runhappy Malibu Stakes at Santa Anita in Arcadia, Calif., the final Grade 1 race of a tumultuous 2020.

It was the 16th Grade 1 win of the year for Baffert, four more than runner-up Chad Brown, enhancing the two-time Triple Crown-winning trainer's chances for an Eclipse Award, although personal triumphs are not high on his priority list.

But with Authentic's Kentucky Derby and Breeders' Cup Classic victories and pending Horse of the Year honors a mere formality, Baffert assuredly has the credentials to merit such a singular honor.

But this morning it was all about the horse.

“He came back great,” Baffert said of Charlatan, a Speightstown colt making his first start since May 2, when he crossed the wire first by six lengths in the first division of the Grade 1 Arkansas Derby, only to be disqualified on a medication violation that has been appealed.

“We haven't really decided what we're going to do with him yet,” said Baffert. “It's too early. We'll give it a week.

“I thought he was going to need the race but he was a lot readier than I thought. We were hoping he would pick up where he left off, and he exceeded our expectations.

“He's just a brilliant horse. He came out of it in really good shape so we're excited. It was a good way to cap off the year.”

Now it's on to 2021, and Baffert wasn't letting the grass grow under his feet, so to speak.

“I breezed a lot of good horses today,” he said, among them Life Is Good, sensational winner by 9 ½ lengths of his debut race Nov. 22 by 9 ½ lengths for owner China Horse Club, Inc. and WinStar Farm LLC. The $525,000 son of Into Mischief is among five Baffert trainees nominated to Saturday's Grade 3 Sham Stakes for 3-year-olds at one mile.

Life Is Good went six furlongs in a bullet 1:10.60. In all, Baffert supervised 14 recorded works this morning.

“The track was really good today,” he said. “It was faster and they were getting over it good. It had a lot of bounce to it. We're still debating whether Life Is Good will go in the Sham or the seven-eighths (the G2 San Vicente Stakes on Feb. 7). I have to talk to Elliott Walden first.”

Walden is president and CEO of racing operations at WinStar, near Versailles, Ky.

Baffert does plan to enter debut winner Medina Spirit in the Sham.The Florida-bred son of Protonico owned by Zedan Racing Stables Inc. was a three-length winner going 5 ½ furlongs at Los Alamitos on Dec. 11 under Abel Cedillo. Medina Spirit breezed five furlongs today in 1:02.

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Charlatan Returns With Dominating Performance In Malibu

Charlatan, sidelined since June with an ankle injury, returned to the races with a smashing performance in Saturday's Grade 1, $300,000 Runhappy Malibu Stakes at Santa Anita in Arcadia, Calif., chasing speedster Nashville through the opening half-mile, putting that rival away on the turn for home, then drawing off to win by 4 1/2 lengths under Mike Smith.

Express Train rallied from last to finish second, with Collusion Illusion a half-length back in third, previously unbeaten 6-5 favorite Nashville another 3 1/4 lengths back in fourth, Independence Hall fifth and Thousand Words trailing the field of six 3-year-olds.

Charlatan traveled seven furlongs on a fast track in 1:21.50 after Nashville blitzed through fractions of :21.81 and :43.95. Charlatan was well in front at the furlong pole, stopping the timer in 1:08.54 for six furlongs.

Charlatan paid $5.20 to win as the second choice in the betting.

“That was an incredible performance off the layoff,” said Baffert.

Charlatan, a chestnut colt by Speightstown out of Authenticity, by Quiet American, was bred in Kentucky by Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings LLC and sold for $700,000 at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale. He races for a partnership of SF Racing, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables, Stone Stable, Frederick Hertrich III, John D. FIelding and Golconda Stable.

No one has come close to defeating Charlatan in his four career races, though he was disqualified from his six length victory in a division of the G1 Arkansas Derby May 2 at Oaklawn Park after a post-race drug test showed the presence of lidocaine. The horse's connections have appealed the disqualification.

Charlatan broke his maiden at first asking at Santa Anita on Feb. 16, winning by 5 3/4 lengths going six furlongs. He then won a one-mile allowance race at Santa Anita on March 14, drawing off by 10 1/4 lengths. He was the 2-5 favorite in the Arkansas Derby from which he was disqualified.

Nashville, who came into the Malibu unbeaten and untested in three starts, was favored based on his track-record performance going six furlongs in the Perryville Stakes at Keeneland on the Breeders' Cup undercard on Nov. 7. Trained by Steve Asmussen and ridden by Ricardo Santana Jr., the Speightstown colt came to Santa Anita off a series of fast workouts at Fair Grounds in New Orleans.

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