Tag: Racing

Following an eye-catching debut win sprinting at Del Mar this summer, C R K Stable's Justique was promptly stretched out to 1 1/16 miles for the Chandelier (G2) and disappointed when a well-beaten third as the 6-5 favorite.

Following the Chandelier dud, Justique returned to sprinting in the seven-furlong Desi Arnaz at Del Mar on Nov. 19 where she rallied from dead last to win impressively by 2 1/2 lengths. Trainer John Shirreffs on Monday said the daughter of Triple Crown winner Justify will likely stay around one turn for her next start in Sunday's $200,000 Santa Ynez (G3) going seven furlongs.

“I think so,” Shirreffs said of Justique running in the Santa Ynez. “She's been doing well and I'd like to see her run a good race.”

Justique has worked four times at Santa Anita since the Desi Arnaz, which includes a five-furlong move in 1:01 on Sunday.

The Santa Ynez is an official prep for next year's Kentucky Oaks (G1) with qualifying points awarded to the top five finishers on a scale of 20-8-6-4-2.

Justique is among 10 nominees for the Santa Ynez, which will be drawn on Thursday along with the remainder of the Sunday's card.

The post Justique Could Try For First Graded Stakes Win, Kentucky Oaks Points In Santa Ynez appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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The longest shot in in a field of six sophomores at 16-1, the Ryan Hanson-trained One More Bid was tough as nails when it counted Monday, as he prevailed by a nose in Santa Anita's Classic Meet lid lifter, the $200,000 Santa Anita Mathis Mile (G2).

Ridden by Ramon Vazquez, One More Bid held off 8-5 favorite Balnikhov on the money while getting the mile on turf in 1:33.67.

A comfortable second behind pacesetter and eventual third place finisher Sumter to the top of the lane, One More Bid, in a protracted drive, edged by Sumter a sixteenth of a mile out and then held Balnikhov at bay to his outside late.

A one mile turf maiden special weight winner in his eighth start on Nov. 19 at Del Mar, One More Bid, who provided Hanson and his wife, Michelle Yu of XBTV with their first Grade 2 victory, was ridden for the fifth consecutive time by Vazquez and paid $35.

A 3-year-old gelding by California Chrome out of the Scat Daddy mare Never Grow Old, One More Bid is owned by California Racing Partners, Ciaglia Racing LLC and Ryan Hanson. He was bred in Kentucky by Tolo Racing and sold to Dohman for $55,000 at the 2021 Fasig-Tipton Santa Anita Two-Year-Olds in Training sale, where Pike Racing consigned.

With Mathis Mile winner's share of $120,000, One More Bid hiked his earnings to $234,640 from an overall mark of 2-4-1 from nine starts.

Irish-bred Balnikhov, who was last, about seven off the lead leaving the half mile pole, saved ground at the rail to the quarter pole under Tyler Gaffalione, angled three-deep and was second best in a thrilling finish.

Ridden by Mike Smith, Sumter appeared to be well within himself through splits of :23.31, :46.50, 1:10.16, and 1:21.88 but tired late while finishing 1 ¼ lengths behind Balnikhov.

SANTA ANITA MATHIS MILE (G2) QUOTES

JOCKEY QUOTES
RAMON VAZQUEZ, ONE MORE BID, WINNER: “I felt like I had a lot of horse on the backside. I was waiting for the moment. This horse continues to get better and better. This horse really dug in in the stretch. I don't look at the odds on the board (16-1). This horse has been really working good and doing good. I never pay attention to odds; I ride my horse. I feel amazing on Opening Day. I ride the first race winner and it's a Grade 2. I'm so grateful for the opportunity.”

TRAINER QUOTES
RYAN HANSON, ONE MORE BID, WINNER: “It feels really good, I just want to thank all my crew, everyone that helps out, the grooms, the hot walkers, Larry and Amanda for picking out a good horse. A special thank you to Francisco and Emily (Ellingwood) who get on him and work really hard. Thank you! Ramon Vazquez has fit this horse really well, so thank you to everyone involved.”

OWNER QUOTES
MATT DOHMAN, CALIFORNIA RACING PARTNERS, ONE MORE BID, WINNER, “I'm over the moon right now, I mean the horse has been training really well but I thought he could win. I was a little perplexed that he went off as such long odds, but he ran really well.”

JOE CIAGLIA, CALIFORNIA RACING PARTNERS, ONE MORE BID, WINNER: “I'm very happy for my partners. Ryan is a partner and the trainer I'm very happy for them. The racing is amazing, this is a great day. All the families are out here with their kids enjoying the day. It was all due to Ryan's patience, he did a great job putting this horse on the turf and he brought it home for us. I'm so proud of Ryan.”

MICHELLE YU, WIFE OF RYAN HANSON, ONE MORE BID, WINNER: “I literally fell off my chair. I was screaming so hard, and I could not believe it. I don't have words, and for me that's big. This colt's been such a work in progress. We had to turn him out when he was younger because he was so big and gangly. He's always wanted to put it together, but he's just been riddled with his own bad luck. When he threw his head at the break, I thought today is going to be that day again. I can't believe how much heart he showed here. I am so happy for him.”

The post One More Bid Pulls 16-1 Upset by Slimmest Margin In Santa Anita Mathis Mile Thriller appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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The most famous day in horse racing is the first Saturday in May, when the Kentucky Derby is run at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky. But for many fans and horseplayers, especially those on the West Coast, the day after Christmas has the same kind of cachet. That's when Santa Anita raises the curtain on what the Arcadia, Calif., track is now calling the Classic Meet.

The winter season starts with a bang on Monday. First post for the 11-race card is 11 a.m. PT. There are giveaways and promotions for the early arrivals. plus six graded stakes, three of them Grade 1, for those who like watching the best horses and riders compete.

Speaking of riders, the jockey colony will include a newcomer that racing fans may have heard of: Lanfranco “Frankie” Dettori. The 52-year-old riding legend from Milan, Italy, recently announced that 2023 will be his final year in the saddle, and his farewell tour to the sport will begin with a 10-week stay at Santa Anita, where I'm sure he hopes to pick up a potential mount in the Kentucky Derby, a race he has not won. His season will go full circle. He plans to ride off into the sunset after the Breeders' Cup, to be held at Santa Anita this Nov. 3-4.

Hall of Famer John Velazquez is back for another winter in Arcadia, and Kazushi Kimura, who ran away with the 2022 riding title at Woodbine in Canada, is hoping to make his mark in Southern California. Opening day has attracted Eclipse Award winner Joel Rosario and up-and-coming star Tyler Gaffalione from the east. They join Flavien Prat, who is back in California for the winter after deciding to move his business to New York in the spring and summer. The regular colony includes Hall of Famer Mike Smith, 2022 leading rider Juan Hernandez, and Ramon Vazquez, who is riding more than his share of winners since arriving from the Midwest last spring.

The most meaningful of opening day's three Grade 1 races will be the Runhappy Malibu Stakes, where Zedan Racing Stables' Taiba will try for his third G1 win of the year and strengthen his claim to be voted an Eclipse Award in the competitive 3-year-old male division.The colt by Gun Runner is the 6-5 morning line favorite in the race first run in 1952 and won by the likes of Native Diver, Buckpasser, Damascus, Ancient Title, Spectacular Bid, Ferdinand, Shared Belief and the race sponsor, Runhappy.

Taiba is trained by Hall of Famer Bob Baffert, who has won the Malibu in two of the last four years and four times overall. But there's another trainer with a Malibu entrant who has won this race a total of six times: Richard Mandella, who saddles Forbidden Kingdom, the 3-1 second choice on the morning line.

The stakes action kicks off in the first race, the G2 Mathis Mile on the turf, with seven 3-year-olds going postward. The day ends with another G1, the American Oaks, which has drawn a field of 11 3-year-old fillies racing a mile and a quarter on the grass course. The G2 San Gabriel features turf veterans 3-year-olds and up going 1 1/8 miles, the G2 San Antonio is for dirt runners going 1 1/16 miles, and the G1 La Brea is the counterpart to the Malibu, with 3-year-old fillies racing seven furlongs.

There are no Kentucky Derby preps on the card, unless you count the maiden race for 2-year-olds that goes as the fourth event on the card. Bob Baffert, who is loaded with promising juveniles, has a trio entered in this race, led by Faustin, a Curlin colt racing for Michael Lund Petersen and the morning line favorite.

Santa Anita will roll out the best weather in the country for opening day, with temperatures expected to reach the low 80s.

 

The post Santa Anita: The Present To Unwrap The Day After Christmas appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Silk Racing Co.'s Equinox was third in the public voting that helped determine the starting field for the 67th running of the Grade 1, $7.5 million Arima Kinen, but the 3-year-old Kitasan Black colt was clearly the best of the 16 runners when they raced toward the finish of the 2,500-meter contest (approximately 1 9/16 miles) held on Christmas Day at Nakayama Racecourse in Tokyo, Japan.

Ridden by Christophe Lemaire for trainer Tetsuya Kimura, Equinox – a great-grandson of 1989 U.S. Horse of the Year Sunday Silence – overpowered his rivals with a devastating turn of foot in the final quarter mile to win by 2 1/2 lengths in 2:32.40 on good to firm turf on the clockwise course. He was sent off as the 13-10 favorite.

Another 3-year-old colt, Boldog Hos, finished second, with the 4-year-old filly Geraldina third and 5-year-old mare Izu Jo no Kiseki fourth. Efforia, reigning horse of the year and defending Arima Kinen champion, was fifth. Titleholder, a three-time G1 winner who received the most votes in the fans' all-star type balloting, finished ninth as the second wagering choice in an effort to rebound from a dull 11th-place finish in the G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe.

Equinox raced in ninth position early while three or paths off the rail and in the clear as Titleholder set the early pace. When the field reached the final turn and began rounding toward the stretch run, Lemaire eased Equinox further to the outside with about three furlongs to go. The brown colt quickly overtook the frontrunners and opened up on his rivals en route to the victory.

The win was the fourth in six starts for Equinox, who was bred in Japan by Katsumi Yoshida's Northern Farm. He won the G2 Tokyo Sports Hai at 2, and was second in two G1 events earlier this year: the Satsuki Sho (2,000 Guineas) and Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby).

“What happens twice will happen thrice,” said Lemaire. “I won the Arima Kinen with Heart's Cry and Satono Diamond both on Christmas Day, and I'm really happy to be able to win the race on Christmas Day again. We were able to make a good start and the horse was keen to go so I held him and responded strongly when I brought him to the outside. Though he was not mature yet during his spring campaign, he became really strong from this fall and I look forward to his performance next year.”

The Arima Kinen is Japan's most popular race, having once attracted 177,779 to Nakayama for the farewell race of Oguri Cap in 1990. With attendance at major events still limited due to COVID-19, the Japan Racing Association reported a crowd of 39,670. Wagering on the day was over 65 trillion yen (about US$493 million) and 52 trillion yen  (US$393 million) was bet on the Arima Kinen itself. The amount wagering on the full card compares favorably to the $263 million bet on the 2022 Kentucky Derby card and the $189 million wagered over two days of the 2022 Breeders' Cup.

 

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