Richard Baltas | Horse Racing Free Tips

Whisper Not Earns First Graded Victory In San Francisco Mile

Sent away the 7-5 favorite under Geovanni Franco, the 4-year-old Poet's Voice colt Whisper Not scored his first graded stakes victory in Saturday's $250,000, Grade 3 San Francisco Mile Stakes at Golden Gate Fields in Albany, Calif. The Grade 1-winning 5-year-old Midnight Lute mare Keeper Ofthe Stars was a stubborn second while taking on males, with Restrainedvengence third, Brown Storm fourth and Border Town fifth in the field of eight older runners.

Trained by Richard Baltas for Electric City Racing, Madaket Stables, Christopher Dunn and Jeremy Peskoff, the English-bred Whisper Not paid $4.80 for the win, his fourth in a 10-race career that began in England in 2019. Whisper Not was purchased at a Tattersalls horses in training sale last August prior to being imported to the United States. He ran the mile on firm turf in 1:35.94.

Diamond Blitz, a 70-1 long shot who almost always races to a big early lead, ran to form, opening up a wide advantage from the outset while setting fractions of :23.51, and :46.58 for the opening half mile. Whisper Not and Keeper Ofthe Stars, along with Kiwi's Dream, raced in the next group some eight lengths behind in the run down the backstretch.

Rounding the far turn, those three inhaled Diamond Blitz, going six furlongs in 1:11.02, and Keeper Ofthe Stars seized a narrow advantage at the top of the stretch.

Franco kept to his task, drawing on even terms with Keeper Ofthe Stars with a furlong to run and inching past that one in the final yards to secure the win by a head. It was two lengths back to Restrainedvengence, who edged Brown Storm by a nose for third.

Trained in England by Richard Hannon, Whisper Not debuted for Baltas at Del Mar last Nov. 29, losing an optional claiming/allowance race by three-quarters of a length. he then ran a good third to Smooth Like Strait in the G2 Mathis Brothers Mile at Santa Anita Dec. 26. Returned to allowance company, Whisper Not finished second at Santa Anita Feb. 6, then won wire to wire over Rip City at Santa Anita on March 6.

Out of the Dansili mare, Poyle Meg, Whisper Not was bred in England by Cecil and Miss Alison Wiggins.

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Baltas Continues Santa Ana Dominance With Going To Vegas

A change in tactics and an eye-catching turn of foot resulted in a career-best performance from the Richard Baltas-trained Going to Vegas in Saturday's Grade 3, $100,000 Santa Ana Stakes at Santa Anita in Arcadia, Calif., as the 4-year-old daughter of Goldencents motored to an impressive 3 ¾-length win. Ridden for the first time by Umberto Rispoli, Going to Vegas, who was claimed eight starts back for $50,000, got a mile and one quarter on turf in 2:00.80.

Second, about a half length off of heavily favored Mucho Unusual as the field made the dirt crossing shortly after its hillside turf start, Going to Vegas took the pole position about a mile from home with French-bred Neige Blanche and Mucho Unusual in close attendance to the far turn.

With a one length advantage over Neige Blanche at the quarter pole, Going to Vegas spurted clear three sixteenths of a mile out to win as much the best.

“She ran her race today,” said Baltas, who has now won the last four runnings of the Santa Ana. “Today was the first time she showed us that kind of acceleration. The turn of foot was impressive.”

Although she had broken her maiden and won an allowance route while on or near the lead prior to being claimed on June 12, 2020, Going to Vegas had never exhibited the kind of front-running dominance she did in the Santa Ana.

“Just working on her, getting her to relax and obviously we took the blinkers off of her (four starts back),” explained Baltas. “With this distance, it's probably better for her to stay or even a little further. (A) mile and three eighths, mile and a half, because she has tactical speed and she made the lead pretty easy today…I was pleasantly surprised that she had that turn of foot at the end.”

Fourth going one mile on turf in the G2 Buena Vista Stakes Feb. 20, Going to Vegas was second two starts back in the G1 American Oaks at a mile and one quarter on turf. With the Santa Ana her second attempt at the distance, Going to Vegas was the second choice among a field of six older fillies and mares and paid $8.60, $2.80 and $2.40.

“Since last night when I watched all the races of the filly, I (thought) she probably would be the pace,” said Rispoli. “This morning I said to myself, 'The only way to beat Mucho Unusual is to go get the lead.' The race came the way I want, I took the lead before the first turn and from there, she just kept improving acceleration and she really gave me a serious turn of foot at the top of the stretch.”

Owned by Abbondanza Racing, LLC, Medallion Racing and MyRacehorse, Going to Vegas, who is out of the Johannesburg mare Hard to Resist, notched her first ever stakes win and improved her overall mark to 18-4-8-2. With the winner's share of $60,000, she increased her earnings to $283,751.

Mucho Unusual, attentive to the pace while saving ground throughout, was full of run at the top of the lane but was clearly second best on the day, finishing one length in front of a late running Red Lark.

Off at 2-5 with Flavien Prat, Mucho Unusual paid $2.10 and $2.10.

Irish-bred Red Lark rallied from last under Ricky Gonzalez and paid $2.20 to show while finishing 1 ¼ lengths in front of Neige Blanche.

Fractions on the race were 24.64, 49.17, 1:14.02 and 1:38.14.

Racing resumes on Sunday with first post time for a nine-race card at 1 p.m.

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Classy United Returns To Action In Saturday’s San Luis Rey Stakes

Richard Mandella's classy multiple stakes winning United, idle since early November, will square off with Richard Baltas' sharp recent winner Masteroffoxhounds, as they head a field of five older horses going a mile and one half on turf in Saturday's Grade 3, $100,000 San Luis Rey Stakes at Santa Anita.

A winner of four out of nine Santa Anita turf starts, United has been idle since running a disappointing eighth in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Turf on Nov. 7 at Keeneland—a race in which he finished second, beaten a head at Santa Anita on Nov. 2, 2019.

A 6-year-old gelding by Giant's Causeway, United enjoyed a terrific year in 2020, winning four out of his six starts, all in graded stakes, and finishing a close second in another, the Grade 2 Del Mar Handicap three starts back on Aug. 22.

A gate to wire winner of the Grade 2 John Henry Turf Championship at a mile and one quarter here two starts back on Sept. 26, United's lone “misfire” came in the Breeders' Cup Turf, a race in which he pressed the early pace but tired to be beaten 9 ¾ lengths.

Owned by LNJ Foxwoods, United will be ridden by Flavien Prat, who's been aboard for his last 11 starts, winning five of them. With two second place finishes in three tries at 1 ½ miles on turf, United is easily the leading money earner in the field with $1,453,549 from an overall mark of 17-7-4-1.

A 4-year-old Kentucky-bred colt by War Front, Masteroffoxhounds made his first six starts in Ireland, winning one of them. A non-threatening seventh in his U.S. debut going one mile on turf three starts back on Nov. 7, he's shown rapid improvement going longer distances for Baltas—airing by 4 ¼ lengths in a 1 3/8 mile turf allowance Nov. 28 at Del Mar and most recently, winning the Grade 2, 1 ¼ mile turf San Marcos Stakes here on Feb. 6 by 1 ¼ lengths.

Although ridden by Joel Rosario for the first time in the San Marcos, Masteroffoxhounds will get the first-time services of Umberto Rispoli. With an overall mark of 9-3-1-1, Masteroffoxhounds, who is owned by Rockingham Ranch, has earnings of $172,942 and will be trying a mile and one half for the first time.

As is often the case on grass at Santa Anita, trainer Phil D'Amato will be very well represented, in this case, by a pair of horses, Ontario, Canadian-bred Say the Word and California-bred Acclimate.

In his first start for D'Amato, the current Winter/Spring leader with 10 stakes wins, Say the Word, a dedicated deep closer, finished with a flourish two starts back to be third, beaten one length, in the Grade 2 Hollywood Turf Cup going a mile and one half at Del Mar on Nov. 27. Subsequently 11th going 1 3/16 miles in the Grade 1 Pegasus World Cup Invitational Turf Jan. 23 at Gulfstream Park, he's worked six times since over Santa Anita's inner dirt training track, a regimen that has worked well for D'Amato this winter.

A 6-year-old gelding by More Than Ready that is owned by his breeder, Sam-Son Farm and Agave Racing Stable, Say the Word's chances would be greatly enhanced by a lively pace. A Group 1 winner at a mile and one half on turf at Woodbine Race Course, he's got an overall mark of 27-5-2-5, good for earnings of $469,292.

With leading rider Flavien Prat opting to stick with United, Say the Word will be ridden for the first time by Mike Smith.

D'Amato will hope to “have 'em surrounded” in the San Luis Rey, as his 7-year-old gelding Acclimate, will likely go to the front and try to take the field as far as he can under Tyler Baze. Bet to the 6-5 favorite in the Grade 2 San Marcos on Feb. 6, this California-bred son of Acclamation showed the way until collared by Masteroffoxhounds in a 1 ¼ length defeat—which was his third start off a one year absence.

With four wins, two seconds and as many thirds from 13 tries over the Santa Anita turf, Acclimate's connections will hope a hillside start may bolster their front-running chances on Saturday. Owned by the Ellwood Johnston Trust, Timmy Time Racing, LLC and Ken Tevelde, Acclimate, who was bred in-part by Old English Rancho, has earnings of $439,872.

THE GRADE 3 SAN LUIS REY STAKES WITH JOCKEYS & WEIGHTS IN POST POSITION ORDER

Race 7 of 9 Approximate post time 4:00 p.m. PT

Acclimate—Tyler Baze—120
Masteroffoxhounds—Umberto Rispoli—124
United—Flavien Prat—124
Say the Word—Mike Smith—124
Multiplier—Abel Cedillo—120

First post time for a nine-race card on Saturday is at 1 p.m. All of Santa Anita's races are offered free of charge at santaanita.com/live and fans can wager at 1st.com/bet. For additional information, please visit santaanita.com or call (626) 574-RACE.

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Prat Wins Six Consecutive Races At Santa Anita

Although he finished second in Friday's first race, Santa Anita's leading rider Flavien Prat was very much undeterred, as he proceeded to boot home the winners of the next six consecutive races, culminating with a masterful ride going a mile and one quarter on turf in the seventh race of the day at the Arcadia, Calif., track aboard the Richard Baltas-trained Disappearing Act—his final mount of the day.

“It's been a great day, I'm very fortunate, I was on good horses today and things turned out my way,” said Prat, 28, who now leads Santa Anita's Winter/Spring Meet jockey standings by a 56-42 margin over Juan Hernandez.

Does winning number six in a row at a mile and a quarter down the hillside turf course make this accomplishment any more special?

“When you win six, it doesn't really matter, but it feels good,” said Prat. “The turf course is really good. With the rain we've had, I thought they did a crazy job getting it in shape and it's been a pleasure to ride on it. I thought I had some good chances today, but how many times have I thought I had a good chance and come back with nothing?

“Things have to go your way and some things are out of my hands, but there are days that no matter what you do, it's going to be the right thing, so you have to take advantage of it because it's not always like this.”

Fifth at the rail and full of run a quarter mile from home, Prat swung four deep at the top of the stretch and Disappearing Act held off a stiff challenge from Witch Moon and Hernandez to prevail by a hard-fought head.

Off as the even money favorite in a field of eight maiden fillies and mares three and up, Disappearing Act, who is owned and bred in Kentucky by BHMFR, LLC, paid $4.20 to win and covered the mile and one quarter over a turf listed as “good” in 2:05.25.

Prat's earlier winners on Friday were: R2 #6 Dr. Hoffman ($3.20); R3 #2 Ippodamia's Girl ($16.00); R4 #7 Missy P. ($2.80); R5 #7 Burnin Turf ($3.80); R6 #3 Rather Nosy ($4.00) and R7 #8 Disappearing Act ($4.20).

A two-time leading rider at Santa Anita's Winter/Spring stand, Prat, who was born on Aug. 4, 1992, in Melun, France, becomes the first Santa Anita jockey to win six consecutive races since Laffit Pincay, Jr. did it on March 14, 1987 — en route to winning a record seven races on the day.

Prat becomes the 10th jockey to win six races in one day at Santa Anita, joining Bill Shoemaker (Feb. 23, 1962); Pincay (twice, on Feb. 17, 1973, & March 4, 1981); Steve Valdez (Oct. 15, 1973); Sandy Hawley (twice, on Feb. 20, 1976, & March 26, 1976); Darrel McHargue (twice, on March 5, 1978 & Oct. 25, 1979); Patrick Valenzuela (Oct. 21, 1988); Martin Pedroza (Oct. 31, 1992); Corey Nakatani (April 23, 2000) and Rafael Bejarano (April 8, 2006).

With Prat named to ride eight horses, racing resumes with a nine-race card on Saturday. First post time is at 12:30 p.m. PT.

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