Tag: richard mandella

Siberian Iris Stays In Kentucky For Sunday’s Dowager Stakes

Calumet Farm's Siberian Iris (IRE), second against the boys this summer in the San Juan Capistrano (G3) at Santa Anita, tops a field of six fillies and mares entered Thursday for Sunday's 29th running of the $125,000 Rood & Riddle Dowager (G3) at Keeneland.

The 1½-mile grass test, the final stakes race of the Fall Meet, is scheduled as the eighth race on Sunday's nine-program with a 4:57 p.m. ET post time. First post Sunday is 1:05 p.m.

Trained by Richard Mandella, Siberian Iris stayed at Keeneland following a fifth-place finish in the TVG Stakes at Kentucky Downs on Sept. 15. She worked a half-mile on Keeneland's all-weather training track in :50.80 Thursday morning.

Florent Geroux will have the mount and break from post position five.

The unknown commodity in the race is Brownwood Farm's Naomi Broadway (BRZ), who was supplemented into the race.

Trained by Paulo Lobo, Naomi Broadway made her U.S. debut Sept. 28 at Indiana Grand, where she finished third going a mile in her first start in more than 10 months. A Group 1 winner in Brazil with four other Group 1 or 2 placings, Naomi Broadway will be ridden by Joe Talamo and break from post six.

The field for the Rood & Riddle Dowager, with riders and weights from the inside, is: With Dignity (Julien Leparoux, 121 pounds), Blame Debbie (Manny Franco, 118), Over Thinking (Rafael Bejarano, 121), Always Shopping (Tyler Gaffalione, 121), Siberian Iris (IRE) (Geroux, 121) and Naomi Broadway (BRZ) (Talamo, 121).

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Sharp Samurai, Mo Forza Face Brazilian Royal Ship In City Of Hope Mile At Santa Anita

Trainer Mark Glatt's venerable 6-year-old gelding Sharp Samurai and Peter Miller's razor sharp 4-year-old colt Mo Forza head a field of seven 3-year-olds and up in Saturday's Grade 2, $200,000 City of Hope Mile at Santa Anita in Arcadia, Calif.

A winner of the 2018 City of Hope Mile and most recently a solid second on dirt in the G1 Pacific Classic at Del Mar Aug. 22, Sharp Samurai will also be cutting back in distance a quarter mile, while Mo Forza, a 4-year-old colt by Uncle Mo, comes off a stirring 4 1/4-length win on turf in the G2 Del Mar Mile Handicap Aug. 23.

Along with the top pair, Richard Mandella's promising Brazilian-bred Royal Ship and Val Brinkerhoff's hard knocking Restrainedvengence help make the City of Hope Mile a wide open affair on Saturday.

SHARP SAMURAI
Owner:  Red Baron's Barn & Rancho Temescal
Trainer:  Mark Glatt
Second, beaten three lengths by Maximum Security in the Pacific Classic, he returns to his preferred surface and retains the services of upstart Juan Hernandez.  A huge second, beaten a half length by repeat winner United two starts back on turf in the mile and one eighth G2 Eddie Read Stakes July 26, Sharp Samurai has two seconds and a third from three starts this year and will hope to use the City of Hope Mile as a springboard to a berth in the G1 Breeders' Cup Mile Nov. 7 at Keeneland.  A winner of five out of his nine starts over the Santa Anita lawn, Sharp Samurai is 8-2-2-2 at one mile on grass.  With eight wins from 21 overall starts, he has earnings of $981,270 and will be seeking his fifth graded stakes victory.

MO FORZA
Owner:  Bardy Farm & OG Boss
Trainer:  Peter Miller
Idle since well beaten in the G1 Pegasus World Cup Invitational Turf at Gulfstream Park Jan. 25, Mo Forza came back ready for Miller on Aug. 23, earning a career-best Beyer Speed Figure of 101 in taking the G2 Del Mar Handicap.  With top jock Flavien Prat set to ride him back, Mo Forza will be bidding for his sixth win from 12 overall starts.  Three for five at one mile on turf at Santa Anita, Mo Forza has won five out of his last six starts, including the G1 Hollywood Derby four starts back on Nov. 30.  Bred in Kentucky and owned in-part by former trainer Barry Abrams' Bardy Farm, Mo Forza is out of the Unusual Heat mare Inflamed and is a four-time graded stakes winner with earnings of $614,460.

ROYAL SHIP
Owner:  Fox Hill Farms, Inc. & Siena Farm, LLC
Trainer:  Richard Mandella
A Group 1 stakes winner two starts back in his native Brazil, this 4-year-old colt by Midshipman lagged far back early and closed with a rush to be third, beaten 4 1/4 lengths in the G2 Del Mar Mile Handicap Aug. 23 and he figures to improve by many in his second start with Mandella.  With Mike Smith riding him back, Royal Ship seeks his sixth win from nine overall starts.

RESTRAINEDVENGENCE
Owner:  Kelly Brinkerhoff & Bob Grayson, Jr.
Trainer:  Val Brinkerhoff

Second, beaten 4 1/4  lengths by Mo Forza two starts back in the Del Mar Mile Handicap, this hard hitting 5-year-old gelding by the Giant's Causeway stallion Hold Me Back comes off a game head victory in a $200,000 stakes going a mile and one eighth on dirt at Albuquerque Downs as the 4-5 favorite on Sept. 19.  Second, beaten a head in last year's City of Hope Mile, Restrainedvengence is equally as effective on turf and dirt and will be ridden back by Ruben Fuentes.  With eight wins from 25 starts and earnings of $625,222, he seeks his first graded stakes win in his 26th career start.

G2 CITY OF HOPE MILE WITH JOCKEYS & WEIGHTS IN POST POSITION ORDER

Race 8 of 10  Approximate post time 12:30 p.m. PT

  1. Sharp Samurai—Juan Hernandez—122
  2. Restrainedvengence—Ruben Fuentes—122
  3. Majestic Eagle—Ricardo Gonzalez—122
  4. Royal Ship—Mike Smith—124
  5. Bob and Jackie—Heriberto Figueroa—122
  6. Blitzkrieg—Abel Cedillo—122
  7. Mo Forza—Flavien Prat–126

First post time for a 10-race card on Saturday is at 12:30 p.m.  Santa Anita's races can be viewed live and free of charge at santaanita.com.

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United Takes Flight In Wire-To-Wire John Henry Turf Championship Win

With little early speed in the seven-horse field, jockey Flavien Prat put LNJ Foxwoods' United in front at the start and the 5-year-old Giant's Causeway gelding was never seriously challenged en route to an easy victory as the 3-5 favorite in Saturday's Grade 2 John Henry Turf Championship at Santa Anita in Arcadia, Calif.

Irish-bred Originaire finished second, followed by Another Mystery in third, French-bred Proud Pedro fourth and Irish-bred Oscar Dominguez fifth in the field of seven older horses. Kazan was scratched.

United, produced from the Pulling Punches mare Indy Punch, was bred in Kentucky by Rosemont Farm. He is trained by Hall of Famer Richard Mandella.

United paid $3.40 to win and covered 1 1/4 miles on firm turf in 1:59.17 after setting fractions of :24.57, :49.07, 1:1;3.20 and 1:36.46. The final time was just over one second faster than Mucho Unusual took to win the G1 Rodeo Drive Stakes for fillies and mares going the same distance.

Mandella indicated the Breeders' Cup Turf at Keeneland would be next for United, who has now won seven of 16 starts, with four seconds. One of those runner-up performances came in the 2019 Breeders' Cup Turf when second, beaten a head by eventual Horse of the Year Bricks and Mortar.

United has won four of five starts in 2020, all of the wins coming in G2 races: the San Marcos in February, Charles Whittingham in May,  Eddie Read in July and now the John Henry in September. His only defeat this year came in his most recent outing when second, beaten a head by Red King, in the G2 Del Mar Handicap on Aug. 22.

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Wide Open Field Of Seven To Contest Sunday’s Tokyo City Cup

In a marathon devoid of any clear standout, Richard Mandella's Tizamagician, Bob Baffert's Azul Coast and John Sadler's Combatant all figure prominently among a field of seven 3-year-olds and up in Sunday's Grade 3, $100,000 Tokyo City Cup, to be contested at a mile and one half at Santa Anita Park.

A gate to wire first condition allowance winner going one mile on Sept. 5 at Del Mar, Tizamagician broke his maiden on Jan. 1 and now has two wins from six starts this year. A non-threatening fifth on turf in the Grade 3 La Jolla Handicap Aug. 9, Azul Coast was second to his eventual Kentucky Derby winning stablemate Authentic five starts back in the Grade 3 Sham Stakes Jan. 4.

Combatant, an upset winner of the Grade 1 Santa Anita Handicap on March 7, has been well beaten in three subsequent graded stakes.

TIZAMAGICIAN

Owner: MyRacehorse.com & Spendthrift Farm, LLC

Trainer: Richard Mandella

The only horse in the field to exit a win in his last start, this 3-year-old Tiznow colt will hope to stretch his considerable speed an additional half mile on Sunday. A close fourth to current Preakness hopeful Thousand Words subsequent to his maiden win in the Grade 3 Robert B. Lewis Stakes on Feb. 1, Tizamagician ran what appears to be the best race of his career on Sept. 5 and will retain the services of Drayden Van Dyke.

AZUL COAST

Owner: Mike Pegram, Karl Watson & Paul Weitman

Trainer: Bob Baffert

Fifth, beaten 7 ¾ lengths on turf in the Grade III La Jolla Handicap last time out, Azul Coast showed much promise early, breaking his maiden going one mile at first asking on Dec. 8 at Los Alamitos and then running a respectable second to an outstanding horse in the Grade III, one mile Sham. Last, beaten 13 ½ lengths by Honor A.P. two starts back in the Santa Anita Derby, Azul Coast, a colt by Super Saver, was then a handy 1 ¼ length winner of the El Camino Real Derby three races back at Golden Gate Fields. Ridden by five different jockeys in as many starts, he'll be handled for the first time on Sunday by Luis Saez as he bids for his first graded stakes win in his sixth career start.

COMBATANT

Owner: Hronis Racing, LLC

Trainer: John Sadler

Although a winner at 9-1 of the Grade I Santa Anita Handicap four starts back on March 7, he's been soundly beaten in three consecutive races since; the Grade 2 Del Mar Handicap (turf) on Aug. 22, the Grade 2 San Diego Handicap on July 25 and the Grade 2 Oaklawn Handicap May 2. Like the rest of the field, he'll be trying a mile and one half for the first time. With his Big 'Cap win, he does have proven ability at a mile and one quarter but he'll have to overcome an unattractive form cycle with Umberto Rispoli up.

THE GRADE 3 TOKYO CITY CUP WITH JOCKEYS & WEIGHTS IN POST POSITION ORDER

Race 10 of 11 Approximate post time 5 p.m. PT

  1. Cupid's Claws—Flavien Prat—122
  2. Combatant—Umberto Rispoli—126
  3. Tizamagician—Drayden Van Dyke—118
  4. Bold Endeavor—Tyler Baze—122
  5. Muralist—Juan Hernandez—122
  6. Potantico—Abel Cedillo—122
  7. Azul Coast—Luis Saez—120

First post time for an 11-race card on Sunday is at 12:30 p.m. Although there is no pubic admittance, Santa Anita's races can be viewed free of charge via the track's livestream video at santaanita.com

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