Ricardo Santana | Horse Racing Free Tips

Super Stock Has ‘Trained Solidly’ Ahead Of Friday’s Iowa Derby

Arkansas Derby winner Super Stock headlines a field of eight 3-year-olds expected to run in Friday's $250,000 Iowa Derby at Prairie Meadows Racetrack in Altoona, Ia. Trained by Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen on behalf of his parents and country music manager Erv Woolsey, the son of Dialed In ran fourth last out in a rain-sodden edition of the listed Texas Derby on May 31.

Prior to that Super Stock had finished sixteenth in the Kentucky Derby, just three weeks after springing the upset in Arkansas.

“Running back in the Derby was a little quick off his lifetime best in the Arkansas Derby, regressed just a tad,” Asmussen told bloodhorse.com on Tuesday. “He had anything but a decent trip in the Texas Derby there, but he's trained solidly. Very fun horse to run.”

Others expected for the Iowa Derby include stakes-winner Nova Rags and a pair from the barn of trainer Brad Cox, stakes-winner Gagetown and Juddmonte homebred Snow House. Proxy, the listed second choice on the morning line, will be scratched.

The full field is as follows:

SCR
Super Stock – Asmussen – Ricardo Santana, Jr.
Bourbon Thunder – Ian Wilkes – Chris Landeros
Flash of Mischief – Karl Broberg – Elvin Gonzalez
Stilleto Boy – Doug Anderson – Fernando De La Cruz
Rightandjust – Shane Wilson – David Cabrera
Gagetown – Cox – Florent Geroux
Snow House – Cox – Joel Rosario
Nova Rags – Bill Mott – Junior Alvarado

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Fiske Pondering Next Step For Silver State

After running his win streak to six with a conquest of the Grade 1, $1 million Hill 'N' Dale Metropolitan Handicap at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y., Silver State has plenty of options on the table said co-owner Ron Winchell's racing and bloodstock advisor David Fiske.

Trained by Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen, the son of Hard Spun carried five straight triumphs into the prestigious one-turn mile event, including three stakes wins at Oaklawn Park. He made his seasonal bow with a narrow victory in the Fifth Season on January 23 going a two-turn mile before notching wins in the Essex on March 13 and the Grade 2 Oaklawn Handicap on April 17.

Silver State began his six-race tear off a seven-month layoff when defeating winners going seven furlongs on October 22 at Keeneland. He produced a career-best 101 Beyer when traveling the same distance next out at Churchill Downs.

Given Silver State's versatility, Fiske said he is still determining a target for the 4-year-old bay colt, who earned an automatic entry into the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile in capturing the Met Mile.

“He's in that spot where we could stretch him out again, or we could shorten him up,” Fiske said. “He seems to be effective at seven [furlongs], a mile, a mile and a sixteenth and a mile and an eighth, He can go just about anywhere. We'll probably talk about whether we want to go in the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile and keep him at a middle distance or if we want to stretch him out again.”

Campaigned on the Fair Grounds division of the Kentucky Derby trail last year, Silver State was put on the shelf following a distant seventh in the Grade 2 Louisiana Derby. Fiske said his mental maturity has been highly instrumental.

“He's always had a lot of talent and we always thought a lot of him,” Fiske said. “We had him on the Triple Crown trail last year and maybe he was a little immature for that. We did some body work on him and sent him to the sidelines after the Louisiana Derby. With the pandemic, there was a lot of uncertainty as to when. We brought him back in the fall. He was a bigger, stronger version of himself.

“He's always been a large extremely good-looking horse,” he added. “He probably would have gotten good sooner with a more consistent pattern of racing. He may have been victimized by the pandemic a bit.”

Additionally, Fiske expressed delight in seeing Tapit, who was campaigned by Winchell, sire a fourth Belmont Stakes winner. The influential stallion put himself on even terms with Lexington, who sired General Duke [1868], Kingfisher [1870], Harry Basset [1871] and Duke of Magenta [1878].

“Ron and I joke that he hasn't gotten a Derby win because it's too short,” Fiske quipped. “No one has done that in the modern era. We were hoping he would get a Derby winner this year, if not for a slightly troubled trip for Essential Quality.”

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Ricardo Santana Voted Jockey Of The Week After Arkansas Derby Victory

Ricardo Santana, Jr. not only won the G1 Arkansas Derby but set three milestones at Oaklawn Park, earning Jockey of the Week honors for April 5 through April 11. The award, which is voted on by a panel of racing experts, is for jockeys who are members of the Jockeys' Guild, the organization which represents more than 950 active riders in the United States as well as retired and permanently disabled jockeys.

Riding for his main client, trainer Steve Asmussen, Ricardo Santana, Jr. was aboard Super Stock in the G1 Arkansas Derby at Oaklawn Parkon April 10. Off at odds of 12-1 in the field of six, Santana, Jr. and Super Stock took advantage of a speed duel set by favorite Concert Tour and Caddo River to win by 2-1/2 lengths in the 1-1/8th mile race in 1:50.92 to earn 100 points and a spot in the Run for the Roses at Churchill Downs on Saturday, May 1.

“We got a beautiful trip. I was talking to Mr. Steve (Asmussen) for about two weeks before the race,” said Santana, Jr. “The post was perfect. We both liked breaking from #1. We knew there was some speed and everything came out perfect. It was a really important win for Steve and his family. I'm really blessed to be the one they chose to ride this race.”

Santana, Jr., a seven-time Oaklawn riding champion, reached three more milestones Saturday. He became the ninth rider in Oaklawn history to reach 600 career victories after winning the tenth race aboard Mighty Mischief for Asmussen and recorded 601 with his victory in the G1 Arkansas Derby.

He broke his single-season Oaklawn record for purse earnings with $4,404,778 after the Arkansas Derby victory. He set the previous record in 2019. While he became the first rider in Oaklawn history to reach $30 million in career purse earnings on April 3, he surpassed that record with Super Stock's victory.

Santana, Jr.'s stats for the week were 36-8-3-5 with a 22.2 win percentage and 44.4 in-the-money percentage. Total purse earnings for the week were $1,071,963 to lead all jockeys. He currently sits at the top of Oaklawn's jockey standings with 57 victories, 18 more than David Cabrera.

Santana, Jr. out-polled Hector Rafael Diaz, Jr. with an in-the-money percentage of 76.4, Tyler Gaffalione who won the G1 Jenny Wiley, Florent Geroux who captured the G3 Count Fleet, and Jose L. Ortiz who won a stakes race at Aqueduct and recorded five winners on a single card.

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Fantasy Winner Pauline’s Pearl Has ‘Improved Every Time,’ On To Kentucky Oaks

Pauline's Pearl continued her ascent in the 3-year-old filly division with a victory in the $600,000 Fantasy Stakes (G3) Saturday at Oaklawn.

A homebred for Stonestreet Stables LLC (Barbara Banke) and Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen, Pauline's Pearl earned a preliminary Beyer Speed Figure of 89, a career best, for her one-length victory over Ava's Grace to secure a spot in the $1.25 million Kentucky Oaks (G1) April 30 at Churchill Downs. The Kentucky Oaks is the nation's biggest race for 3-year-old fillies.

The royally bred Pauline's Pearl, by Tapit out of Grade 1 winner Hot Dixie Chick (a half-sister to 2017 Kentucky Derby winner Always Dreaming), was exiting a troubled second-place finish in her stakes debut, the $300,000 Honeybee (G3) March 6 at Oaklawn. Her Beyer figures, a numerical representation of performance, have improved throughout her five-race career, rising from 61 in her debut sprinting Dec. 19 at Fair Grounds, to 70, 74, 81 in the Honeybee and now 89. The last four starts for Pauline's Pearl have come at 1 1/16 miles.

“Just a tremendous pedigree,” Asmussen said. “Her mother, we had won a Grade 1 with, the Spinaway. Grade-1 winning mare for Stonestreet and the class shows.”

Pauline's Pearl ($3.80) represented Asmussen's record 94th career Oaklawn stakes victory and record fourth in the Fantasy. She was the 4-5 favorite after going off 18-1 in the Honeybee.

Pauline's Pearl was reunited with jockey Ricardo Santana Jr. for the Fantasy. Santana had ridden Pauline's Pearl in her career debut, but was aboard stablemate Willful Woman in the Honeybee (Will's Secret was a three-quarter length winner).

“She's a nice filly,” Santana said. “We've expected a lot from her since Day 1. I rode that filly short the first time at Fair Grounds and she ran good. We always expected to run her long. The last four races she's run long, she's improved every time.”

Pauline's Pearl collected 100 Kentucky Oaks qualifying points for her Fantasy victory and ranks No. 4 on the leaderboard with 120, according to Churchill Downs. The 1 1/8-mile Kentucky Oaks is limited to 14 starters, with starting preference given to horses with the highest point totals earned in designated races like the Fantasy. Will's Secret is No. 8 with 80 points. She also won Oaklawn's $200,000 Martha Washington Stakes Jan. 30.

Last year's Fantasy winner, Swiss Skydiver, finished second in the rescheduled Kentucky Oaks (COVID-19) en route to an Eclipse Award as the country's champion 3-year-old filly. Fantasy third Shedaresthedevil won the Kentucky Oaks for co-owner Staton Flurry of Hot Springs.

Santana, Asmussen and Stonestreet teamed to win the 2016 Fantasy with Terra Promessa, who finished 10th in the Kentucky Oaks.

Asmussen won Oaklawn's $60,000 Prima Donna Stakes for 3-year-old filly sprinters in 2010 with Hot Dixie Chick.

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