richard mandella | Horse Racing Free Tips

Baffert Trio Faces Undefeated Astute In Starlet Stakes

Hall of Fame trainer Richard Mandella will seek his first win in the $300,000 Starlet Saturday at Los Alamitos when he sends out the undefeated Astute in the final Grade 1 of 2020 for 2-year-old fillies. The race at 1 1/16 miles is being offered at Los Alamitos for the seventh time after 33 renewals as the Hollywood Starlet (1981-2013) at Hollywood Park. Post time is 12:30 p.m. The Starlet is the fifth of nine races and has an approximate post time of 2:30 p.m.

Owned by LNJ Foxwoods, Astute, a daughter of Speightstown and the Langfuhr mare Discerning, went gate-to-wire in her Oct. 12 debut on turf, then moved to dirt and stretched out an extra eighth of a mile to win the 6 1/2 furlong Desi Arnaz Stakes by 7 1/2 lengths Nov. 14 at Del Mar. Hall of Famer Mike Smith, who won the 2015 Starlet with Street Fancy, retains the mount on Astute, who has banked $93,000.

Seeking his fourth consecutive victory in the Starlet, Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert entered a trio – Princess Noor, Kalypso and Varda. Baffert's three Starlet wins in succession – all in tandem with jockey Drayden Van Dyke, who will ride Varda Saturday – have been provided by Dream Tree (2017), Chasing Yesterday (2018) and Bast (2019).

A $1.35 million purchase at the OBS sale in April by Zedan Racing Stables Inc., Princess Noor suffered her first loss in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Nov. 6 at Keeneland after beginning her career with three easy wins in California. A Not This Time filly out of the Wilko mare Sheza Smoke Show, Princess Noor broke her maiden Aug. 22 at Del Mar, then won back-to-back graded races in a span of 20 days, taking the Grade 1 Del Mar Debutante Sept. 6 and the Grade 2 Chandelier Sept. 26 at Santa Anita.The 19-10 favorite in the Breeder's Cup Juvenile Fillies, Princess Noor wound up fifth, beaten a bit more than four lengths by Vequist. She's earned $363,000.

Owned by Rockingham Ranch and David Bernsen, Kalypso, a daughter of Brody's Cause and the Malibu Moon mare Malibu Cove has one win in three tries and has banked $64,100. The $240,000 yearling purchase earned her victory in a stakes, leading throughout in the Anoakia Oct. 18. The Starlet will be her first venture beyond six furlongs.

A Distorted Humor filly out of the Sky Mesa mare She'll Be Right owned by Baoma Corporation, Varda has been away since finishing a distant second in the Chandelier. She graduated first time out by 3 1/4 lengths Aug. 30 at Del Mar and has banked $73,000 in her two races.

Completing the field is Nasreddine, a $10,000 supplement by owners Andrew and Rania Warren. Trained by Michael McCarthy, the daughter of Nyquist and the Sky Mesa mare Appreciating, Nasreddine has a win in two starts and earnings of $45,200. The $360,000 yearling purchase scored a 7-1 upset over maidens at six furlongs Nov. 7.

From inside out, the field for the Starlet: Kalypso, Abel Cedillo rides, 120 pounds; Nasreddine, Tiago Pereira, 120; Princess Noor, Victor Espinoza, 120; Astute, Mike Smith, 120 and Varda, Drayden Van Dyke, 120.

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Extra Hope Turns Tables On Midcourt With Front-Running Native Diver Score

Last year in a four-horse field in the Native Diver Stakes at Del Mar, Jay Em Ess Stable's Extra Hope tracked C R K Stable's Midcourt from second place all the way around the track in the nine-furlong race. Midcourt drew clear late and won it by nearly six lengths.

This year – in another four-horse field at the Del Mar, Calif., track – the roles flipped.

Extra Hope and rider Juan Hernandez made the lead out of the gate and led Midcourt and Victor Espinoza from break to finish, scoring nicely in the Grade 3, $100,000 contest. His winning margin was only a length, but in the counting house and the record books a win is most certainly a win. Fractions were :23.86 :47.79 1:11.45 1:37.02 1:50.11

“That was the plan – to go for the lead right away,” said Hernandez. “He helped me a lot the way he broke so good out of there. Then he was running nice an easy for me; he was relaxed. At the quarter pole I asked him and he gave me a good reply.”

“That's (front running) what we planned with Extra Hope,” said Mandella. “I told (Juan Hernandez) 'Spin the tires' out of the gate a little bit. He (Extra Hope) kind of doesn't take life real serious, so he wasn't getting out of his training what he needed to before his first race off the layoff. But the one race did it. He's been doing good since then. We'll look at the Big 'Cap (next year) and possibly the San Antonio on opening day at Santa Anita.”

Extra Hope, a 4-year-old colt by Shanghai Bobby, earned a check for $60,000 for capturing his first stakes race and increased his bankroll to $294,831 with his fourth win in 14 starts. The victory was extra sweet for the lady behind Jay Em Ess Stable –Samantha Siegel. She also bred Extra Hope.

Finishing third in the lineup was Hronis Racing's Combatant and filling out the field was Fox Hill Farms and Siena Farm's Royal Ship, who stumbled badly out of the gate and nearly unseated rider Mike Smith.

Extra Hope ran the mile and one-eighth in 1:50.11 and paid $10.40 and $2.80. Midcourt, the 2/5 favorite, returned $2.10. There was no show wagering in the short lineup.

Leading rider Abel Cedillo had a pair of victories on the afternoon and now has 16 winners in the first 10 days of racing. Best performance by a rider on the afternoon though went to Flavien Prat, who registered three firsts. He now sits in second place in the jockey standings with 10 wins.

Racing resumes tomorrow at Del Mar with a nine-race card beginning at 12:30 p.m.

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Astute Upsets Private Mission To Win Del Mar’s Desi Arnaz In A Romp

LNJ Foxwoods' Astute, a chestnut filly by sprint champion Speightstown who fetched $425,000 at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale last year, had all of her speed Saturday at Del Mar as she ran away and hid from five rivals in the featured $100,500 Desi Arnaz Stakes at the seaside track north of San Diego, Calif.

Taking her cues from a pair of Hall of Famers — trainer Richard Mandella and rider Mike Smith – Astute went head-and-head with the odds-on favorite Private Mission through splits of :22.21 and :45.30 for the first half mile of the 6 1/2-furlong dash, shook that one off turning for home, then drew out to a sparkling 7 1/2-length tally in a final time of 1:17.28.

Finishing second was Saragol Stable Corp and Johana Viana's Queengol, a nose in front of Watson, Pegram and Weitman's Heels Up.

Astute was making only the second start of her career and her first in a stakes. She had won a straight maiden race on grass at Santa Anita last month in her debut.

“Wow, That's what I've got to say,” said Smith. “I knew she was good; I just didn't know she was this good. She was good on the grass the other day (winning a straight maiden race at 5 1/2 furlongs), but she's even better on the dirt.”

“The owners and the manager — Alex Solis Jr. — told me before I ever saw her that she's special and it's kind of held true,” said Mandella. “She got a little sick on me in the summer and I had to give her a month off, so that's why she's a little late (starting her career). I only put her in the maiden turf (debut win on October 12 at Santa Anita) because I knew she could do turf and I was afraid a dirt race the next day wouldn't fill. I expected she'd run well today, but maybe not this well. We'll think about the Starlet.”

The Grade 1 Starlet over 1 1/16-miles at Los Alamitos will be run Dec. 5.

Astute paid $12.20, $5.40 and $5.20. Queengol returned $5.60 and $4.20, while Heels Up paid $6.00 for the show.

LNJ Foxwoods is the nom du course of Larry, Nanci and Jaime Roth of Great Neck, N.Y. Mandella also trains the top grass horse United for the outfit.

Leading rider Abel Cedillo added a pair of winners to his totals after seven days of racing and now shows 12 firsts. Trainer Mandella won another race on the card and now has five firsts for the meet, second in the conditioner's standings to Peter Miller's six.

Racing resumes at Del Mar tomorrow starting at 12:30 p.m. with a nine-race card.

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Speightstown’s Astute Stays Undefeated for Mandella in Desi Arnaz

Astute debuted Oct. 12 on the Santa Anita lawn, going 5 1/2 furlongs and getting a neck win after leading throughout. The $425,000 Keeneland September yearling graduate skipped a few conditions to move straight to black-type company in the Desi Arnaz S. In addition to the jump in company, she was also switching over to the main track and upping the distance by a furlong.

Just like in her maiden, Astute went to the front, but this time she got headed by Private Mission (Into Mischief) to her inside after a :22.21 quarter and the foe had a head on her as the battle unfolded through the half in :45.30. Astute won the war, shaking clear with ease coming off the turn and simply drawing away, taking command with authority to win by 7 1/2 lengths.

“The owners and the manager–Alex Solis, Jr.–told me before I ever saw her that she’s special and it’s kind of held true,” said Hall of Fame trainer Richard Mandella. “She got a little sick on me in the summer and I had to give her a month off, so that’s why she’s a little late [starting her career]. I only put her in the maiden turf [debut win] because I knew she could do turf and I was afraid a dirt race the next day wouldn’t fill. I expected she’d run well today, but maybe not this well. We’ll think about the [GI] Starlet [S., Dec. 5 at Los Alamitos].”

Astute is the second black-type winner for her dam following 2015 GII Inside Information S. and 2014 GIII Go For Wand H. victress Classic Point. Discerning died in 2019, as did her Flatter foal that year. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.

Saturday, Del Mar
DESI ARNAZ S., $100,500, Del Mar, 11-14, 2yo, f, 6 1/2f, 1:17.28, ft.
1–ASTUTE, 120, f, 2, by Speightstown
               1st Dam: Discerning, by Langfuhr
               2nd Dam: Clandestinely, by Forty Niner
               3rd Dam: Personal Business, by Private Account
($425,000 Ylg ’19 KEESEP). 1ST BLACK TYPE WIN. O-LNJ
Foxwoods; B-WinStar Farm, LLC (KY); T-Richard E. Mandella;
J-Mike E. Smith. $60,000. Lifetime Record: 2-2-0-0, $93,000.
*1/2 to Classic Point (Flatter), MGSW, $685,794.
2–Queengol, 120, f, 2, Flashback–Nechez Dawn, by Indian
Charlie. ($22,000 Wlg ’18 KEENOV; $90,000 2yo ’20 OBSMAR).
O-Saragol Stable Corp. & Johana Viana; B-John R. Penn (KY);
T-John W. Sadler. $20,000.
3–Heels Up, 120, f, 2, Twirling Candy–Tale Untold, by Tale of
the Cat. ($17,000 RNA Wlg ’18 KEENOV; $65,000 Ylg ’19
KEESEP; $350,000 2yo ’20 OBSAPR). O-Karl Watson, Michael E.
Pegram, & Paul Weitman; B-Two Stamps Stables (KY); T-Bob
Baffert. $12,000.
Margins: 7HF, NO, HF. Odds: 5.10, 5.70, 10.40.
Also Ran: Private Mission, Canoodling, Miss Costa Rica. Scratched: Plum Sexy, Varda.

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