Richard Baltas | Horse Racing Free Tips

Going to Vegas Ready to Roll in the Buena Vista

Trainer Richard Baltas sends out expected favorite GI Rodeo Drive S. winner Going to Vegas (Goldencents) in Saturday's GII Buena Vista S. at Santa Anita. Last seen finishing 11th in a 12-horse field after setting the early pace in the GI Maker's Mark Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf, Going to Vegas shook off the rust with a five-furlong drill in 1:00 (2/20) Feb. 26 in Arcadia. Flavien Prat, who won the GII John C. Mabee S. aboard the 5-year-old mare last September, has the mount.

To win, she'll have to get by likely frontrunner Leggs Galore (Bayern), sent out by Phil D'Amato, who is coming off a big effort, winning last out down the hill in the Jan. 15 Sunshine Millions Filly and Mare Turf Sprint S. She carries four fewer pounds than Going to Vegas and will almost certainly set the pace.

Coming after them both will be George Krikorian's homebred Mucho Unusual (Mucho Macho Man), who, after a strong 2021 season, looks to improve on her second-place finish in last year's Buena Vista S. where she finished in front of Going to Vegas. She and Going to Vegas will both need to overcome outside post positions (Going to Vegas in the 10, Mucho Unusual in the 11), but have the class to do so.

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Santa Anita Trio Finishes Preparations For Pegasus World Cup Day Turf Races

Three Santa Anita-based horses finished final preparations for a pair of graded stakes to be run this Saturday on Pegasus World Cup Day at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Fla.

Trainer Dan Blacker's Hit the Road drilled five furlongs on turf prior to Sunday's Santa Anita races, as did the Richard Baltas-trained Bob and Jackie, both in preparation for the Grade 1, $1 million Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational, while the Baltas-trained Bodhiccta went the same distance while readying for Gulfstream's G3, $500,000 Pegasus Filly & Mare Turf.

All three came onto Santa Anita's one-mile main track via the quarter mile chute at about 11:45 a.m. and worked separately over the turf oval.

The G1 stakes-winning Hit the Road drilled five furlongs under assistant trainer and regular exercise rider Juan Landeros in 1:01.42 in what appeared to be a maintenance move. In his penultimate Pegasus work last Sunday, the 5-year-old horse by More Than Ready smoked five furlongs on turf in in 58.42.

Bob and Jackie, a winner of the G3 San Gabriel Stakes at Santa Anita on Dec. 26, was the first horse on the turf and he went three furlongs in 35.80 en route to a final clocking of 59.77 under Jose Valdivia, Jr.

A 6-year-old horse by Twirling Candy, Bob and Jackie, a four-time stakes winner, will be looking for his second graded stakes win.

Bodhicitta, a 6-year-old English-bred mare, broke off about three furlongs behind her stablemate and worked five furlongs in preparation for the G3, $500,000 Pegasus Filly & Mare Turf with Umberto Rispoli up in 59.61.

The G1, $3 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational heads a total of seven graded stakes on Saturday at Gulfstream Park and will feature a showdown between presumptive Horse of the Year Knicks Go and recent G1 Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile winner Life Is Good.

Santa Anita will offer three graded stakes on Saturday, the G2, $200,000 San Vicente, the G3, $200,000 Palos Verdes and the G3, $100,000 Megahertz.

First post time on Saturday at Santa Anita will be at 12:30 p.m. PT. For additional information, please visit santaanita.com or call (626) 574-RACE.

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Hit The Road, Bodhicitta Prep At Santa Anita For Pegasus World Cup Day Races

Trainer Dan Blacker's Grade 1 stakes winning Hit the Road and the Richard Baltas-conditioned Bodhicitta, a Grade 2 winner, both worked over the Santa Anita turf late Sunday morning in preparation for major stakes engagements at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Fla., on Pegasus World Cup Invitational Day, Jan. 29.

Hit the Road, a 5-year-old horse by More Than Ready, and Bodhicitta, a 6-year-old English-bred mare, came on Santa Anita's main track via the quarter mile chute at 11:42 and back-tracked around to the finish line, where they then came onto the turf and proceeded to the clubhouse turn.

Hit the Road, with Umberto Rispoli up, was a winner of the G1 Frank E. Kilroe Mile (turf) at Santa Anita on March 6, 2021, and was most recently a close third in the G2 City of Hope Mile on turf at Santa Anita on Oct. 2. A winner of six races from 12 starts and $563,751, Hit the Road is prepping for the G1, $1 million Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational at 1 1/8 miles.

With Bodhicitta taking the lead, Hit the Road came onto the turf course about an eighth of a mile behind her and cantered with his pony near the outside fence to the 5 ½-furlong pole, where he shifted down to the rail and in an aggressive move, was in full stride at the five-furlong marker. Clocked by Santa Anita track timer Dane Nelson going three furlongs in 36.14, he finished up five eighths of a mile in 58.42.

Owned by D K Racing, Radley Equine, Inc., Taste of Victory Stables, Tony Maslowski and Dave Odmark, Hit the Road has two graded stakes wins and five overall added money victories on grass included among a lifetime mark of 12-6-0-2.

Bodhicitta, who was ridden by Jose Valdivia Jr. and prepping for the G3, $500,000 Pegasus World Cup Filly & Mare Turf Invitational at 1 1/16 miles, remained well in front of Hit the Road and hit the half-mile pole running in an equally aggressive move. Clocked the first quarter mile in 24.17, she finished up her half mile drill in 47.11.

A winner of the G2 Yellow Ribbon Handicap at Del Mar Aug. 8, 2020, Bodhicitta, made her first seven starts in Ireland and all four of her wins from 22 overall starts have come with Baltas in Southern California. Owned by Calvin Nguyen, Bodhicitta has banked $364,808.

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Hit the Road Works for Pegasus

Hit the Road (More Than Ready), aiming for the Jan. 29 GI Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational at Gulfstream Park, worked five furlongs in :58.40 (1/1) over the Santa Anita turf Sunday. The 5-year-old, trained by Dan Blacker, capped a four-race win streak with a win in the GI Frank E. Kilroe Mile S. last March. He has been off since a third-place effort in the GII City of Hope Mile S. last October. The nine-furlong Turf Invitational will be Hit The Road's first start beyond a mile.

Also working over the Santa Anita turf Sunday in preparation for an engagement on the World Cup card in Hallandale, Bodhicitta (GB) (Showcasing {GB}) went four furlongs in :47.00 (1/1). The 6-year-old mare trained by Richard Baltas for owner Calvin Nguyen, is expected to start next in the GIII Pegasus World Cup Filly & Mare Turf Invitational. Winner of the 2020 GII Yellow Ribbon H., Bodhicitta was second in the 2020 GI Gamely S. and third in that race in 2021. She was most recently second in the Jan. 1 GIII Robert J. Frankel S.

Working for the Pegasus Turf in Florida Sunday, Joseph Allen's Doswell (Giant's Causeway) went seven furlongs over the Palm Meadows turf in 1:22.95 (1/2). The Barclay Tagg trainee is coming off a front-running victory in the Dec. 18 GII Ft. Lauderdale S.

Three Diamond Farm's Atone (Into Mischief) and Calumet Farm's English Bee (English Channel), Pegasus Turf reserve invitees who finished second and third, respectively, in the Ft. Lauderdale, also breezed Sunday.

The Mike Maker-trained Atone breezed five furlongs in 1:01.14 (16/34) on dirt at Gulfstream, where Maker-trained Pegasus Turf invitee Field Pass (Lemon Drop Kid) also breezed five furlongs on the main track in 1:01.91 (14/34). The Graham Motion-trained English Bee breezed six furlongs in 1:12.05 (1/2) on turf at Palm Meadows.

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