Tag: Santa Anita Oaks

TDN Kentucky Oaks Top 10 for Apr. 8

After the busiest weekend of the year for 3-year-old fillies eyeing the GI Kentucky Oaks, the field is pretty much set for the race. There were four preps over the weekend, which was a problem. There are not enough top horses to go around to fill that many races, so the fields were six, six, six and four. It looks like the Oaks will be highly competitive. There is no one standout. Instead, you will have a number of horses in with a chance and a favorite who should be in the 3-1, 7-2 range.

1) TRAVEL COLUMN (Frosted–Swingit, by Victory Gallop)
'TDN Rising Star' O-OXO Equine. B-Mr. & Mrs. Bayne Welker, Jr. & Denali Stud (KY). T-Brad Cox. Sales History: $850,000 ylg '19 FTSAUG. Lifetime Record: MGSW & GISP, 5-3-1-1, $517,184.
Last Start: 1st GII Twinspires.com Fair Grounds Oaks, FG, Mar. 20
Accomplishments Include: 1st GII Golden Rod S., CD, Nov. 28; 2nd GII Rachel Alexandra S. presented by Fasig-Tipton, FG, Feb. 13;
3rd GI Darley Alcibiades S., KEE, Oct. 2
Equineline PPs. KY Oaks Points: 132
A Frosted filly who sold for $850,000 at the 2019 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga yearling sale, she is the likely favorite for the Kentucky Oaks for trainer Brad Cox. Cox also has the likely favorite for the GI Kentucky Derby in Essential Quality (by Frosted's sire Tapit). Travel Column established herself as one of the best in her division last year when winning the GII Golden Rod S. and, after a defeat in the Rachel Alexandra S., she pulled clear of rival Clairiere (Curlin) to score a decisive win in the GII Fair Grounds Oaks. That race is certainly in the conversation when it comes to best performance this year by a 3-year-old filly.

2) MALATHAAT (Curlin–Dreaming of Julia, by A.P. Indy)
'TDN Rising Star' O-Shadwell Stable. B-Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings (KY). T-Todd Pletcher. Sales History: $1,050,000 ylg '19 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: GISW, 4-4-0-0, $412,150.
Last Start: 1st GI Central Bank Ashland S., KEE, Apr. 3
Accomplishments Include: 1st Tempted S., AQU, Nov. 6
Equineline PPs. KY Oaks Points: 110
If Travel Column isn't the Oaks favorite, Malathaat will be. She had a few bumps in the road, which kept her sidelined until she made her reappearance in the GI Ashland S. at Keeneland. It was worth the wait. She appeared beaten at the head of the stretch as Pass the Champagne (Flatter) opened up by four lengths on the field, but Malathaat was able to run her down to win by a neck. For obvious reasons, trainer Todd Pletcher is very high on her. “She's a really special filly,” he said. “She's been great since day one. She was a spectacular yearling which is why she cost what she did ($1.05 million). She's a joy to train and she is so professional.” Will come into the Oaks having had one prep, perhaps not the ideal way to prepare for this race.

3) SEARCH RESULTS (Flatter–Co Cola, by Candy Ride {Arg})
O-Klaravich Stables Inc. B-Machmer Hall (KY). T-Chad Brown. Sales History: $310,000 ylg '19 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: GSW,
3-3-0-0, $299,000.
Last Start: 1st GIII Gazelle S., AQU, Apr. 3
Accomplishments Include: 1st Busher Invitational S., AQU, Mar. 6
Equineline PPs. KY Oaks Points: 150
Is a lot like Malathaat in that she is undefeated and lightly raced. Cemented her spot as one of the Oaks favorites with a 2 3/4-length win in the GIII Gazelle S. at Aqueduct. Her time for the mile-and-an-eighth was slow (1:54.14), but was actually faster than males ran in the GII Wood Memorial, which went in 1:54.49. Everything about her suggests that trainer Chad Brown will have her ready for an improved effort in the Oaks. She's improved with every start and her best race to date came in the Gazelle in her first start around two turns. Will be ridden by Irad Ortiz, Jr., among the hottest jockeys on the planet.

4) CLAIRIERE (Curlin–Cavorting, by Bernardini)
O/B-Stonestreet Stables (KY). T-Steve Asmussen. Lifetime Record: GSW, 4-2-2-0, $350,492.
Last Start: 2nd GII Twinspires.com Fair Grounds Oaks, FG, Mar. 20
Accomplishments Include: 1st GII Rachel Alexandra S. presented by Fasig-Tipton, FG, Feb. 13; 2nd GII Golden Rod S., CD, Nov. 28
Equineline PPs. KY Oaks Points: 94
With the big wins over the weekend from Malathaat and Search Results, she drops down two spots in our rankings. The main thing she has going for her is that she's almost as good as Travel Column. She has faced that filly three times and shows a win in the Rachel Alexandra and two second-place finishes. The main thing she has going against her is her running style. She has no early speed, which will make her vulnerable if there is not a fast early pace in the Oaks. Trainer Steve Asmussen will be shooting for his third career win in the Oaks.

5) PASS THE CHAMPAGNE (Flatter–Champagne Taste, by Distorted Humor)
O-R. A. Hill Stable, Black Type Thoroughbreds, Rock Ridge Racing LLC, BlackRidge Stables LLC & James Brown. B-Preston Madden (KY). T-George Weaver. Lifetime Record: GISP, 3-1-2-0, $115,170.
Last Start: 2nd GI Central Bank Ashland S., KEE, Apr. 3
Equineline PPs. KY Oaks Points: 40
An interesting new face on the trail to the Kentucky Oaks, she makes her debut in our top 10 off a big effort in the Ashland. Making her first start beyond seven furlongs and around two turns, the private purchase nearly pulled off what would have been a mild upset, but couldn't hold off Malathaat in the final yards. Has never run a bad race. Will likely need to improve further to win Oaks, but that is very much a possibility for the underrated George Weaver.

6) PAULINE'S PEARL (Tapit–Hot Dixie Chick, by Dixie Union)
O/B-Stonestreet Stables (KY). T-Steve Asmussen. Lifetime Record: GSW, 5-2-1-1, $461,500.
Last Start: 1st GIII Fantasy S., OP, Apr. 3
Accomplishments Include: 2nd GIII Honeybee S., OP, Mar. 6
Next Start: GI Kentucky Oaks, CD, Apr. 30
Equineline PPs. KY Oaks Points: 120
The second part of a potent double from the team of Asmussen and Stonestreet Stables, she's been doing everything right of late. Dismissed at 18-1, Clairiere's stablemate was a sharp second in the GIII Honeybee S. before winning the GIII Fantasy S. at Oaklawn as the 4-5 favorite. Surprisingly, the Fantasy did not come up very strong this year, so she might have just have been taking advantage of weak competition. Unlike a lot of Asmussen horses, she was not particularly precocious–especially considering her dam was a GIII Schuylerville S. and
GI Spinaway S. winner. Unlike Clairiere, she has enough tactical speed to suggest that she will get a good trip in the Oaks.

7) CRAZY BEAUTIFUL (Liam's Map–Indian Burn, by Indian Charlie)
'TDN Rising Star' O-Phoenix Thoroughbred III. B-Carolyn R. Vogel (KY). T-Ken McPeek. Sales History: $250,000 Ylg '19 FTKOCT. Lifetime Record: GSW & GISP, 7-3-3-0, $388,365.
Last Start: 1st GII Gulfstream Park Oaks, GP, Mar. 27
Accomplishments Include: 1st Ellis Debutante S., ELP, Aug. 9; 2nd GI Darley Alcibiades S., KEE, Oct. 2; 2nd GII Davona Dale S., GP, Feb. 27; 2nd GIII Pocahontas S., CD, Sept. 3
Next Start: GI Kentucky Oaks, CD, Apr. 30
Equineline PPs. KY Oaks Points: 128
A $250,000 purchase at the 2019 Fasig-Tipton October yearling sale, she has emerged as the top threat out of the Kenny McPeek barn. She didn't beat a stellar group in the GII Gulfstream Park Oaks, but did it the right way. Sitting last early behind a moderate pace, the grey made a sharp move on the far turn before surging past the leaders inside the eighth-pole. McPeek, the trainer of Swiss Skydiver (Daredevil), has had a lot of success of late with 3-year-old fillies, but will be looking for his first Oaks win. He's shown that he can find a good one in the sales without spending a mint.

8) SOOTHSAY (Distorted Humor–Spellbound, by Bernardini)
O-Claiborne Farm, Perry R. Bass II, Ramona S. Bass & Adele B. Dilschneider. B-Raydelz Stable (KY). T-Richard E. Mandella. Lifetime Record: GSW, 2-2-0-0, $276,600.
Last Start: 1st GII Santa Anita Oaks, SA, Apr. 3
Next Start: GI Kentucky Oaks, CD, Apr. 30
Equineline PPs. KY Oaks Points: 100
When Moonlight d'Oro (Medaglia d'Oro) went to the sidelines shortly after winning the GIII Las Virgenes S., it appeared that Hall of Fame trainer Richard Mandella had lost all chance to win the Kentucky Oaks. But he's back in the running, thanks to Soothsay. Making just her second lifetime start and coming off a maiden race, she jumped up with a half-length win in the GII Santa Anita Oaks. She'll be one of many in the Kentucky Oaks with little experience, but there's no doubt that she has some talent. “We expected a lot of her from the first start and from that start until now, she just grew up,” said Mandella. “You kind of see it happening. Otherwise, we wouldn't do something like this.”

9) BEAUTIFUL GIFT (Medaglia d'Oro–Sea Gift, by A.P. Indy)
O/B-Baoma Corporation (KY). T-Bob Baffert. Lifetime Record: GSW, 3-2-0-1, $99,600.
Last Start: 1st GII Santa Anita Oaks, SA, Apr. 3
Accomplishments Include: 1st GIII Santa Ysabel S., SA, Mar. 7
Equineline PPs. KY Oaks Points: 90
While Bob Baffert is always tough in Grade I races, he's probably not going to win this year's Kentucky Oaks. But his best shot comes in the form of this daughter of Medaglia d'Oro. She scored a gritty victory in the GII Santa Ysabel S. before coming back to finish second behind Soothsay in the Santa Anita Oaks. Everything about her says that she is a good filly, but maybe not good enough to beat the very best of her division. John Velazquez, who is getting more and more business from Baffert, has the mount.

10) ADVENTURING (Pioneerof the Nile–Questing {GB}, by Hard Spun)
O/B-Godolphin (KY). T-Brad Cox. Lifetime Record: SW, 4-2-1-1, $131,370.
Last Start: 1st Bourbonette Oaks, TP, Mar. 27
Equineline PPs. KY Oaks Points: 50
Can she run her best race on the dirt? That's the question Adventuring will have to answer after winning the Bourbonette Oaks over the Tapeta surface at Turfway Park. She did break her maiden on the dirt and is 1-for-3 on that surface. Like Essential Quality, she is owned by Godolphin and trained by Cox. With Florent Geroux committed to Travel Column, will need a new jockey for the Oaks. Will be a lonsgshot in the Oaks, but not a hopeless one.

 

The post TDN Kentucky Oaks Top 10 for Apr. 8 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

‘Let’s Go’: Early Move By Prat Helps Soothsay Capture Santa Anita Oaks

Flavien Prat, Santa Anita's runaway leading rider, seized the initiative aboard lightly raced Soothsay three furlongs from home and went on to a stellar half-length score over heavily favored Beautiful Gift in Saturday's Grade 2, $400,000 Santa Anita Oaks at Santa Anita in Arcadia, Calif.  Trained by Richard Mandella, Soothsay, in her second career start, got a mile and one sixteenth in 1:44.35.

“It (the pace) was pretty slow, so I thought twice and said 'Let's go, we better go now'” said Prat in reference to his bold move heading into the far turn.  “I asked her at the three furlong pole and she went so easy.  She responded really well.”

A 1 ½ length maiden winner going six furlongs on Feb. 26, Soothsay was off at 4-1 in a field of four sophomore fillies and paid $10.40 and $3.60 with no show wagering.

“We expected a lot of her from the first start and from that start until now, she just grew up,” said Mandella, who notched his fourth career win in the Oaks.  “You kind of see it happening.  Otherwise, we wouldn't do something like this.  If you watched her last workout, you could see how serious she was.  We'll see about the (Kentucky) Oaks (Grade I, April 30 at Churchill Downs).  We asked a lot of her to do this, so we'll make sure we pare back whatever we need.”

Owned by Claiborne Farm, Perry Bass, II, Ramona Bass and Adele Dilschneider, Soothsay is a Kentucky-bred filly by Distorted Humor out of the Bernardini mare Spellbound.  With the winner's share of $240,000, she sent her earnings to the $276,600 mark.

Although Beautiful Gift was sitting a seemingly perfect second, a half length off of pacesetter Moraz with three and a half furlongs to run, Moraz drifted out a bit, enabling the winner to scoot through at the rail and from the three furlong pole, Beautiful Gift was unable to wrest control, finishing second, 5 ¼ lengths in front of Moraz.

Ridden by John Velazquez and off as the 4-5 favorite, Beautiful Gift paid $2.60 to place.

“The other horse cut the corner at the top of the stretch and I had to go pretty wide, so that was the difference between winning and losing the race right there,” said Velazquez.  “The trip worked out just the way I planned it, except for the other horse getting through on the inside.”

With 170 Kentucky Oaks qualifying points at stake, Soothsay will receive 100, with 40, 20 and 10 points going to the second, third and fourth place (Javanica) finishers.

Fractions on the race were 24.34, 49.04, 1:13.18 and 1:38.08.

The post ‘Let’s Go’: Early Move By Prat Helps Soothsay Capture Santa Anita Oaks appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Distorted Humor’s Soothsay Upsets Santa Anita Oaks

Stepping up into graded company fresh off a debut maiden victory over six furlongs, SOOTHSAY (f, 3, Distorted Humor–Spellbound, by Bernardini) was given a tremendous ride by leading jockey Flavien Prat, met the late-stretch bid of favored Beautiful Gift (Medaglia d'Oro), and went on to a gutsy victory in Saturday's GII Santa Anita Oaks in Arcadia. While Beautiful Gift and Moraz (Empire Maker) took the bulk of the betting and battled up front in a rematch of the GIII Santa Ysabel S., Soothsay tracked those two from behind. The opening quarter of :24.34 and the half in :49.04 passed uneventfully until Soothsay suddenly made a bold move, catching a hole at the rail and surging through in an instant to seize the advantage. Moraz and Beautiful Gift made a line of three turning for home, but Moraz was the first beaten, leaving her two rivals to settle it. Soothsay had a half-length on Beautiful Gift three-quarters from home and held sway despite the pressure on the outside. Beautiful Gift dogged her all the way to the wire, but the less-experienced Soothsay would not be denied. Prat gave her two right-handed reminders in early stretch and vigorously hand rode her the rest of the way home to secure a half-length win. The field had been reduced to four after the Saturday morning scratch of Doug O'Neill's longshot Brilliant Cut (Speightstown).

“We expected a lot of her from the first start and from that start until now, she just grew up,” said Hall of Famer Richard Mandella. “You kind of see it happening. Otherwise, we wouldn't do something like this. If you watched her last workout, you could see how serious she was. We'll see about the [GI Kentucky] Oaks. We asked a lot of her to do this, so we'll make sure we pare back whatever we need.”

Soothsay received 100 qualifying points toward the Kentucky Oaks with the Santa Anita win.

The Santa Anita Oaks was only Soothsay's second lifetime start and her first with any distance. In a case of deja vu, Soothsay followed the hoofprints of Mandella's Paradise Woods (Union Rags), who, in 2017, broke her maiden in a sprint and went straight to victory in the Santa Anita Oaks. That filly would become a MGISW and bank over $1 million. Soothsay bulleted Feb. 19 with five furlongs in :59 2/5 (1/32), then debuted a week later with a sound win over this track at six furlongs. She got her second bullet of the year Mar. 26–six panels in 1:11 2/5 (1/8)–just over a week before the Oaks.

Pedigree Notes:

Veteran sire Distorted Humor is responsible for Soothsay and 159 other black-type winners. Soothsay marks the 28-year-old WinStar sire's 70th graded winner. While his progeny have won all three Classics and have won or placed in a number of Breeders' Cup events, he has yet to have a winner of the Kentucky Oaks. Like Distorted Humor, Soothsay's dam, Spellbound, doesn't lack quality. She won the 2014 GII La Canada S. for Mandella and is by stellar broodmare sire Bernardini, who counts Soothsay as his 48th stakes winner out of a daughter. Spellbound, a half to MGSW Kid Cruz (Lemon Drop Kid), hails from the same family as 2018 Broodmare of the Year Stage Magic (Ghostzapper) and $4.4-million yearling Shah Jehan (Mr. Prospector). She has a 2020 filly by More Than Ready and delivered a Mar. 11 colt by Street Sense.

Saturday, Santa Anita
SANTA ANITA OAKS-GII, $392,000, Santa Anita, 4-3, 3yo, f, 1 1/16m, 1:44.35, ft.
1–SOOTHSAY, 124, f, 3, by Distorted Humor
                1st Dam: Spellbound (GSW, $231,750), by Bernardini
                2nd Dam: Layreebelle, by Tale of the Cat
                3rd Dam: Voodoo Lily, by Baldski
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. O-Claiborne
Farm, Perry R. Bass II, Ramona S. Bass & Adele B. Dilschneider;
B-Raydelz Stable (KY); T-Richard E. Mandella; J-Flavien Prat.
$240,000. Lifetime Record: 2-2-0-0, $276,600.
Werk Nick Rating: A+++ *Triple Plus*  Click for the
eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Beautiful Gift, 124, f, 3, Medaglia d'Oro–Sea Gift, by A.P.
Indy. O/B-Baoma Corporation (KY); T-Bob Baffert. $80,000.
3–Moraz, 124, f, 3, Empire Maker–Malvinia, by A.P. Indy. O-Don
Alberto Stable; B-Don Alberto Corporation (KY); T-Michael W.
McCarthy. $48,000.
Margins: HF, 5 1/4, 8HF. Odds: 4.20, 0.90, 1.90.
Also Ran: Javanica. Scratched: Brilliant Cut.
Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

The post Distorted Humor’s Soothsay Upsets Santa Anita Oaks appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Santa Ysabel Rematch in Santa Anita Oaks

After only a head separated Beautiful Gift (Medaglia d'Oro) and Moraz (Empire Maker) in a thrilling renewal of the GIII Santa Ysabel S. Mar. 7, the two sophomore fillies will meet again in Saturday's GII Santa Anita Oaks.

The streaking Baoma Corp homebred Beautiful Gift, a half-sister to the Chu Family's GIII Sunland Derby hero and Bridlewood Farm sire Chitu (Henny Hughes), graduated by a half-length at second asking in her previous trip to the post for Bob Baffert Oct. 23.

The rail-drawn Don Alberto homebred Moraz, an 11-length maiden winner second out in Arcadia Jan. 8, was third behind the sidelined Moonlight d'Oro (Medaglia d'Oro) two starts back in the GIII Las Virgenes S. Feb. 6. Moraz's dam Malvinia (A.P. Indy), an $800,000 purchase at the 2013 FTKNOV sale, is a half-sister to the dam of Spendthrift stallion Temple City.

Godolphin homebred Javanica (Medaglia d'Oro), runner-up in four straight stakes tries, returns to her division after giving males all they could handle in the El Camino Real Derby at Golden Gate Feb. 13. She came up a neck short to favored Rombauer (Twirling Candy) that day, who returns in Saturday's GII Toyota Blue Grass S. at Keeneland. The half-sister to recent The Very One S. heroine Antoinette (Hard Spun) makes her first start on dirt in the Oaks.

The post Santa Ysabel Rematch in Santa Anita Oaks appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Verified by MonsterInsights