San Luis Rey Stakes | Horse Racing Free Tips

Idle roughly five months since running a disappointing eighth in the Breeders' Cup Turf, Richard Mandella's classy turf star United came back running on Saturday at Santa Anita in Arcadia, Calif., as he stalked the early pace and motored to an emphatic three quarter length win in the Grade 3, $100,000 San Luis Rey Stakes. Ridden by Flavien Prat, who notched his fourth win of the day, United, a 6-year-old gelding by Giant's Causeway, got a mile and one half on turf in 2:25.51.

Prat added a fifth win in the following race about Fratelli to extend his lead in the local jockey standings to 20 over Juan Hernandez.

With speedy Acclimate going to the front as expected in the run down the hillside turf, Prat was attentive to the pace and tracked the leader while applying mild pressure to the far turn, where he took over a quarter mile out and outran second choice Masteroffoxhounds from the top of the lane prior to holding off a late run from Say the Word.

“Hat's off to Mr. Mandella, he had him ready to run a mile and one half today,” said Prat, who has now guided him to five graded stakes wins. “He was traveling well the whole way and he responded well when I asked him to go. My horse likes to be in the race and he likes it when there is a good pace. I wanted to stay close to Acclimate, I didn't want him to get too easy of a lead.

“Like I say, we were traveling well and at the three eighths pole, I was in control. He likes the turf courses out here and with the Breeders' Cup at Del Mar, that's good. Hoping to have a good year.”

Heavily favored at 4-5 in a field of five older horses, United paid $3.80, $2.60 and $2.10.

“It's always nice to be home,” said Mandella. “He's won very nicely at Del Mar also, although we like The Great Race Place.”

Owned by LNJ Foxwoods, United, who is out of Indy Punch, by Pulling Punches, now has five wins from 10 starts over the Santa Anita turf and his overall mark stands at 18-8-4-1. With the winner's share of $60,000, he now has earnings of $1,513,549.

Patiently handled by Mike Smith, Say the Word made a nice late run, easily besting Masteroffoxhounds by one length. Off at 4-1, Say the Word paid $3.60 and $2.80.

A winner of the G2 San Marcos Stakes at a mile and one quarter on turf Feb. 6, Masteroffoxhounds sat third to the top of the lane and was unable to hold off Say the Word for the place. Ridden by Umberto Rispoli, he was off at 2-1 and paid $2.20 to show while finishing five lengths clear of Acclimate.

Fractions on the race were 24.29, 47.18, 1:11.36, 1:36.01 and 2:00.80.

The post Mandella Has United Fit For Return In 12-Furlong San Luis Rey; Prat Wins Five appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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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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