Tag: Racing

Phil D'Amato's hard-hitting English-bred Almendares retains the services of Flavien Prat and figures to be tough to deny among a field of seven sophomores in Tuesday's Grade 2, $200,000 Mathis Mile on the turf at Santa Anita.  The Mathis Mile is one of six graded stakes on an 11-race card on Santa Anita's Classic Meet opening day and has been carded as race nine.

A 3-year-old gelding with a terrific stretch kick, Almendares rallied from far back to win going away by three quarters of a length in a one mile turf second condition allowance Dec. 3 at Del Mar—earning a career best 95 Beyer Speed Figure in the process.

A hard-charging fifth, beaten one length two starts back at 1 1/8 miles on turf in the G2 Twilight Derby at Santa Anita Nov. 4, Almendares finished well to be third, beaten one length three starts back in the G2 Del Mar Derby on Sept. 3.

Two for five in Ireland and a winner of two of his four starts locally with D'Amato, Almendares is owned by CYBT, McLean Racing Stables, Saul Gervitz, et al.

An authoritative 2 ¼-length one-mile maiden turf winner in his eighth career start Sept. 9 at Del Mar, the Jeff Mullins-trained Dandy Man Shines rallied for another 2 ¼-length one-mile turf win in the restricted Let It Ride Stakes on Nov. 10 and thus seeks his third win in a row with Umberto Rispoli at the controls on Tuesday.

Owned by Red Baron's Barn, LLC and Rancho Temescal, Dandy Man Shines is a 3-year-old gelding coming to his best at a distance he relishes.

GRADE II MATHIS MILE WITH JOCKEYS & WEIGHTS IN POST POSITION ORDER

1. Reiquist—Irad Ortiz, Jr.—120
2. Panic Alarm—Hector Berrios—120
3. Calm Sea—Mario Gutierrez—120
4. Almendares—Flavien Prat—120
5. Ah Jeez—Junior Alvarado—120
6. Dandy Man Shines—Umberto Rispoli—122
7. Watsonville—Antonio Fresu—120

The post Almendares Seeks First U.S. Stakes Victory In Mathis Mile appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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A three-time Group 1 stakes winner and favored in 10 out of his 12 starts in his native Argentina, John Sadler's Subsanador figures prominently as he makes his U.S. debut with Flavien Prat at the controls versus five rivals going 1 1/16 miles in Tuesday's Grade 2, $200,000 San Antonio Stakes at Santa Anita.

With Flavien Prat engaged, Subsanador, a 4-year-old chestnut colt, has been idle since winning a Group 2 stakes in Argentina on July 29, but he enters the San Antonio on the strength of a strong work tab that includes four consecutive bullet moves, the most recent a six-furlong clocking of 1:13.20 on Dec. 18.

Owned by Carlos Alejandro Vazquez, Subsanador's Argentine resume reads 12-7-1-1 with earning of $149,124.

A winner of this year's Grade 1 Santa Anita Handicap and with career earnings in excess of $1.8 million, owner Steve Moger's Stilleto Boy has lofty credentials but comes off a pair of terrible starts, as he finished a distant last in the G1 Awesome Again at Santa Anita Sept. 30 and was eased two starts back in the G1 Pacific Classic at Del Mar.

Trained by Ed Moger, Jr., Stilleto Boy has long been based at Golden Gate Fields but will be relocating soon to Santa Anita with the rest of Moger's stable.  A 5-year-old Kentucky-bred gelding by Shackleford, Stilleto Boy, a three-time stakes winner, is 25-4-4-9 and is 8-2-2-2 at Santa Anita.

With leading man Juan Hernandez back aboard for the first time since September of 2022, look for Stilleto Boy to run a much improved race in the San Antonio, a race in which he finished second a year ago.

A runaway 8 ¼-length G2 winner going the seldom-run distance of a mile and five eighths at Santa Anita on Nov. 4, Richard Mandella was nonetheless in search of a new rider for his Irish-bred Salesman, as Flavien Prat has opted to ride newcomer Subsanador.

With Mike Smith engaged, Salesman, who earned a 92 Beyer Speed Figure on Nov. 4, seems to have found a new home on dirt as a 6-year-old gelding. Raced nearly exclusively on turf in France, Salesman was well beaten in his first two stateside assignments on grass with Mandella, finishing ninth in the G1 Shoemaker Mile at Santa Anita May 29 and 12th in the restricted Wickerr Stakes July 23 at Del Mar.

Switched to dirt at a mile and one sixteenth in the restricted Los Alamitos Special Sept. 17 he ran a much improved third, followed by his rollicking win on Nov. 4.  Owned by Wertheimer and Frere, Salesman is 26-4-6-5 overall with earnings of $335,300.

GRADE II SAN ANTONIO WITH JOCKEYS & WEIGHTS IN POST POSITION ORDER

1. Stilleto Boy—Juan Hernandez—123
2. Salesman—Mike Smith—125
3. Brickyard Ride—Umberto Rispoli—121
4. Newgrange—Irad Ortiz, Jr.—123
5. Subsanador—Flavien Prat—125
6. Mixto—Antonio Fresu—119

The post Argentine Star Subsanador Makes U.S. Debut in San Antonio appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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French-bred Easter, fresh off one of the most impressive turf performances of the year in Southern California, looms a standout versus five rivals at a mile and one eighth on turf in Tuesday's Grade 2, $200,000 San Gabriel Stakes, one of six graded events on an 11-race opening day card at Santa Anita.

Turning for home in the G2 Seabiscuit Handicap at 1 1/16 miles over the Del Mar turf Nov. 25, it appeared that D'Amato's top turf runner Hong Kong Harry had the race in-hand, but stablemate Easter pinned his ears under Antonio Fresu and powered to a half length victory while earning a lofty 99 Beyer Speed Figure.

With Fresu set to ride him back, Easter, a 5-year-old gelding who had won three of his nine stateside starts with Maryland-based Graham Motion prior to the Seabiscuit, will be seeking his third consecutive stakes victory on Tuesday.

Owned by Madaket Stables, LLC, Easter was a half length winner of the restricted Lure Stakes at one mile on turf two starts back at Santa Anita on Oct. 28.  With two wins from eight starts in France at ages two and three, Easter is 18-6-3-3 overall with earnings of $447,910.

Racing on the lead, D'Amato's Tio Magico went on to a gutty neck win in a second condition allowance going 1 1/8 miles on turf at Santa Anita Nov. 2 and could very well be a part of the exacta with Flavien Prat taking over from Fresu, who sticks with Easter.

Originally headquartered with trainer Gail Cox at Woodbine racecourse in Toronto, Canada, Tio Magico, a 5-year-old Ontario-bred gelding by Uncle Mo, will be making his 10th start for D'Amato on Tuesday and his first in a stakes since joining the stable in the summer of 2022.

Bred by Sam-Son Farm and owned by Sam-Son Farm and Agave Racing Stable, Tio Magico, who earned a career-high 94 Beyer in his most recent start, has won two of his last three starts and is 18-4-2-3 overall with earnings of $287,919.

GRADE II SAN GABRIEL STAKES WITH JOCKEYS & WEIGHTS IN POST POSITION ORDER

1. Eastern Ocean—Lanfranco Dettori—121
2. Easter—Antonio Fresu—125
3.  War At Sea—Mike Smith—123
4. Missed the Cut—Irad Ortiz, Jr.—123
5. Tio Magico—Flavien Prat—121
6. Astronaut—Juan Hernandez—121

The post Easter Bids For Third Consecutive Stakes Score In San Gabriel appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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With solid year-end credentials in hand, Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners' Anisette seeks the biggest win of her career as heads a field of seven sophomore fillies in Tuesday's Grade 1, $300,000 American Oaks at a mile and a quarter over the Santa Anta turf.

Trained by Leonard Powell, English-bred Anisette's only previous try at the Oaks distance came two starts back in Santa Anita's G2 Rodeo Drive on Oct. 7, a race in which she finished a close second. With regular rider Umberto Rispoli back aboard, she cut back in distance to one mile on grass Nov. 5, finishing second by 3 ¼ lengths in the G3 Autumn Miss Stakes.

A dedicated deep closer, Anisette rallied for a come-from-behind win in her one mile turf U.S. debut May 29 and she followed that up with impressive scores in both the mile turf G2 San Clemente July 22 and the mile and one eighth G1 Del Mar Oaks on Aug. 19.

One for three in England, Anisette has three wins and a pair of seconds from her five stateside starts for Powell and will hope to be rolling late on Tuesday.

Irish-bred Be Your Best is another who would prefer to have a fast pace to exploit in Tuesday's Oaks. In her first and only assignment versus male competition, she was last of 13 for most of the trip in the G2 Twilight Derby at a mile and one eighth on turf here Nov. 4 and came rolling on the far outside to finish eighth, beaten just 1 ¾ lengths under Irad Ortiz, Jr., who rides her back.

A well beaten ninth in her only try at a mile and one quarter four starts back in the Belmont Oaks Invitational July 8, she shipped west to finish second, beaten 2 ¾ lengths by Anisette in the G1 Del Mar Oaks Aug. 19.

Trained by Horacio De Paz and owned by Michael Ryan, Be Your Best is 10-2-2-1 overall with earnings of $284,250.

THE GRADE 1 AMERICAN OAKS WITH JOCKEYS & WEIGHTS IN POST POSITION ORDER

Race 5 of 11 Approximate post time 1 p.m. PT

1. Khinjani—Lanfranco Dettori—124
2. Anisette—Umberto Rispoli—124
3. Grace Period—Jose Lezcano—124
4. Elounda Queen—Juan Hernandez—124
5. Sakura Flavor—Antonio Fresu—124
6. Be Your Best—Irad Ortiz, Jr.—124
7. Musical Mischief—Flavien Prat—124

With six stakes, three of them Grade I's and an 11-race card on tap for Santa Anita's Classic Meet opener on Tuesday, first post is early at 11 a.m. Admission gates will open at 9 a.m.

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