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Los Alamitos’ Summer Thoroughbred Festival Kicks Off Friday

The first of two Thoroughbred meets at Los Alamitos this year will begin Friday, June 26.

The seven-day Summer Thoroughbred Festival will continue through Sunday, July 5 with racing conducted Friday-Sunday (June 26-28) the first week and Thursday-Sunday (July 2-5) the final week. Post time each racing day is 1 p.m.

The season will be highlighted by a pair of graded stakes races – the Grade II, $200,000 Great Lady M. for fillies and mares (3-year-olds & up) at 6 ½ furlongs and the Grade III, $150,000 Los Alamitos Derby for 3-year-olds at 1 1/8 miles.

Both will be run Saturday, July 4. The Los Alamitos Derby is part of the “Road to the Kentucky Derby'' in 2020. The winner will receive 20 points towards a berth in the Kentucky Derby, which will be run Saturday, Sept. 5 at Churchill Downs.

The wagering menu includes the Pick Six – with the traditional 70-30 split – a pair of $1 Pick 4's – races 2-5 and the final four races – as well as the extremely popular Players' Pick 5 – a 50-cent minimum wager with a reduced 14% takeout rate which is offered on the first five races.

The other stakes race to be offered is the $100,000 Soi Phet for 3-year-olds & up bred or sired in California.

Run at one mile, the Soi Phet – which was formerly named the Bertrando (2014-2019) – honors a gelding who was a five-time stakes winner at Los Alamitos prior to his retirement at age 11 last year. Two of his local victories came in the Bertrando, including the inaugural running in 2014.

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Champion Monomoy Girl Points To Grade 2 Ruffian Stakes On July 11

2018's Champion 3-Year-Old Filly Monomoy Girl will run next in the Grade 2 Ruffian Stakes on July 11 at Belmont Park, trainer Brad Cox told the Thoroughbred Daily News this week.

The 5-year-old daughter of Tapizar returned off nearly an 18-month layoff to win an allowance race at Churchill Downs on May 16, and was briefly under consideration for this Saturday's G2 Fleur De Lis Handicap over nine furlongs. Instead, Monomoy Girl will head to the one-turn mile of the Ruffian, and a meeting with last year's Champion Older Dirt Female Midnight Bisou will be delayed until later in the season.

“She's really training well and we feel like the one-turn mile at Belmont will really suit her well right now and it gives us plenty of time between races,” Cox told the TDN. “The race just make sense. She's coming off a very long layoff, and we have to keep that in mind. She was off a year and a half. It's not like this is her second race back after a three-month layoff.”

A winner of 10 of her 12 lifetime starts, Monomoy Girl's current earnings stand at just over $3 million. Her year-end goal is the Breeders' Cup Distaff, Cox said.

Read more at the Thoroughbred Daily News.

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Road to the Breeders’ Cup: Important Classic and Distaff Preps Saturday at Churchill

Last weekend marked the beginning of the summer season, which in Thoroughbred racing usually signals a transition in focus. In years past, the pursuit of the Triple Crown ended in early June and owners and trainers began targeting races that are part of the Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series, with the long-term goal of getting their best horses a spot in one of the 14 World Championship races.

Antonio Sano Readying Pair Of Promising 2-Year-Olds For Saratoga Meet

Trainer Antonio Sano started making plans for the upcoming Saratoga Race Course meet after saddling his fourth 2-year-old winner of the Spring Meet at Gulfstream Park Saturday.

The popular Venezuela native has been particularly impressed with Papetu, a five-length winner in his Saturday debut, and Hara, a filly who also graduated with a five-length victory Friday.

“The two horses are the best horses in my barn,” said Sano, who has saddled 21 winners, five fewer than leading trainer Todd Pletcher, during the Spring Meet. “I'm going to send Papetu and Hara to Saratoga.”

Papetu was always in control over his nine rivals under Leonel Reyes. Purchased by Magic Stables LLC for $80,000 at the 2019 Keeneland September sale, Papetu is by Dialed In, the sire of Sano-trained multiple graded-stakes winner Gunnevera. The first-out win hardly surprised his trainer, but the manner in which he dismissed his rivals was a bit of a revelation.

“I expected him to come from behind and close. The race came up different. It was a surprise to me,” Sano said. “He is a good horse. I told the owner that this was a very good horse.”

A day earlier, Sano sent out Hara, who scored a dominating front-running triumph in a 5 ½-furlong dash for fillies. The daughter of Hard Spun, who is owned by Briannjenn Racing LLC, was purchased for $30,000 at the 2019 Keeneland September sale.

Sano has enjoyed success in the past while sending promising 2-year-olds from South Florida to Saratoga, most notably with Gunnevera, who scored his first graded-stakes victory in the 2016 Saratoga Special (G2) on his way to earning $5.5 million.

Earlier in the meet, Sano saddled Swaggy George, a son of Not This Time, for a four-length triumph in a five-furlong maiden special weight race taken off the turf. The Sano-trained Espia, a son of Creative Cause who finished third behind Swaggy George, came right back to capture a 5-furlong maiden special weight event on turf.

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