Fast Draw Munnings Turns The Stables On Straight Up G In Cal Cup Derby

Soundly beaten by Straight Up G when last they met, the Jeff Mullins-trained Fast Draw Munnings turned the tables on his heavily favored rival in Saturday's $200,000 California Cup Derby at Santa Anita, as they battled head and head the final three sixteenths of a mile with “Fast Draw” gaining the advantage late to prevail by a neck. Ridden by Drayden Van Dyke, Fast Draw Munnings, a California-bred colt by the Kentucky-based stallion Munnings, got a mile and one sixteenth in 1:46.99.

The seeds of Straight Up G's defeat were sown early, as Highland Ghost, under Flavien Prat, gunned to the early lead from his rail post position with Straight Up G lapped on him to the five sixteenths pole, where he took the lead but was immediately tackled by the winner leaving the quarter pole.

“The main thing was hoping somebody went with the favorite, I mean that horse got away with an easy lead last time and we thought that if somebody goes with him, I told Drayden to make sure he gets a good jump out of there and be right off their heels,” said Mullins. “It worked out, the one horse went with the favorite and I think kind of softened him up and gave us the opportunity to get by.

“It's kind of waiting game most of the time, so we will just enjoy the moment now and see what comes up for him. Obviously, he's pretty versatile. I think he can go one turn, two turns and he may even like the turf. With these kind of Cal-breds you have to jump wherever you can and I think he's proved that he can.”

Bred in California by Glenn Porter and owned by Red Baron's Barn and Rancho Temescal, Fast Draw Munnings is out of the Bedford Falls mare Zuzu's Petals. A first-out maiden winner going 5 ½ furlongs at Los Alamitos Sept. 17, Fast Draw Munnings was most recently third, beaten 5 ¼ lengths by gate to wire winner Straight Up G in the one mile King Glorious Stakes versus statebreds Dec. 12 at Los Alamitos.

Off at 4-1 in a field of six California-bred or sired sophomores, Fast Draw Munnings paid $10.40, $3.80 and $2.10.

“The main thing was to get a good break and hopefully (Straight Up G and Highland Ghost) battle like they did and just sit off of them and bide my time,” said Van Dyke. “That was exactly how it played out and we got lucky with the win. I knew it was going to be a good battle because (Straight Up G) kicked on when I asked my horse to go, but my horse dug in. I've always loved this horse, he's kind of a hard-headed horse, he doesn't give you all that he has but he showed what he could do today and I'm proud of him.”

In his fourth career start, Fast Draw Munnings notched his first stakes win and second overall victory. With the winner's share of $110,000, he increased his earnings to $170,600.

Straight Up G, off at 4-5 with Ricky Gonzalez, finished 3 ¼ lengths in front of Finneus and paid $2.60 and $2.10.

The second choice at 9-5 with John Velazquez, Finneus paid $2.10 to show while finishing 17 lengths clear of longshot Agador Spartacus.

Early pacesetter Highland Ghost tired badly and was distanced while checking in last.

Fractions on the race were 23.56, 48.01, 1:13.52 and 1:39.78.

Run as Saturday's third race, the Cal Cup Derby was the first of five stakes for California-bred or sired horses on a 10-race card.

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Feel-Good Story Continues For Brinkerhoff With Restrainedvengence

One of racing's feel-good stories has another chapter waiting to be written for the old warhorse Restrainedvengence.

The seven-year-old cash cow trained by Val Brinkerhoff returned to Santa Anita yesterday after being turned out at Sunshine Ranch in Bradbury following his eventful third-place finish at 40-1 in the Bad Ass Fans Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile at Del Mar on Nov. 6.

“He needed a rest,” said Brinkerhoff of the $65,000 gelded son of Hold Me Back who earned $90,000 for his third behind front-running Life Is Good and runner-up Ginobili. “He ran his guts out for us last year, as he aways does.”

Restrainedvengence ran his guts out in the Dirt Mile despite a slow start and a four-wide trip under Edwin Maldonado.

“He ran 55 feet further than any horse in the race,” Val said. “That's probably about six lengths right there. He wasn't going to beat the winner, but he could have been second (beaten only three-quarters of a length by Ginobili, who earned $170,000, almost double that of the $90,000 for third).”

Restrainedvengence won his first graded stakes when he captured the Grade 3 American at Santa Anita last June 20, and won the Downs Albuquerque Handicap at Sunland Park in New Mexico last Sept. 18 for the second straight year, this time by a nose, again wasting no margin for victory.

He won by a head in 2020.

Restrainedvengence has 10 wins from 35 starts with career earnings of just over a million, at $1,007,682.

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Santa Anita: With Carryover Of $418,628, Saturday’s Rainbow Six Pool Could Reach $4 Million For Mandatory Payout

With a carryover from Friday of $418,628 serving as a pari-mutuel catalyst, Santa Anita Park will offer fans a mandatory payout in Saturday's 20 cent Rainbow Pick Six Jackpot, with the possibility of a massive $4 million Rainbow Six pool up for grabs.

With first post time for a 10-race card 30 minutes early at 12 noon, Saturday is also California Cup Day, with five races for California-bred or sired horses highlighting the program. Four of the Cal-Cup races fall within the Rainbow Six and a total of 56 horses have been entered to run, making for an average field size of 9.3 runners per Rainbow Six race.

Assigned post time for race five, the beginning of the Rainbow Six, is at 2:05 p.m. PT.

Santa Anita's admission gates will open at 10 a.m. and the track's spacious Infield Area, accessible via Gate 6 off of Colorado Place, will be open on both Saturday and Sunday.

For additional information, including complete morning lines for all 10 races on Saturday, please visit santaanita.com or call (626) 574-RACE

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Spielberg Could Target Big ‘Cap After Comeback Allowance Win

With his well fancied stablemate Classier duking it out on the front end with second choice Vittorio, Bob Baffert's Spielberg, idle since well beaten in the Grade 1 Florida Derby March 27, was more than happy to pounce on the tiring duo a quarter mile from home and he promptly waltzed to a three length score in Friday's $72,000 allowance feature at Santa Anita.

Ridden by Flavien Prat, Spielberg, a 4-year-old colt by Union Rags, got a flat mile in 1:38.89 registering his third win from 10 lifetime starts.

“We gave him plenty of time and unfortunately the other horse didn't run well,” said Baffert. “I just told Flavien to sit back there and let him run his race. We gave him some time off, he's filled out and we'll stay here with him. Something like the Big 'Cap (Santa Anita Handicap, G1 on March 5) would be more like it. He won't be shipping anywhere, he'll stay here.”

A comfortable third, about six lengths off the leaders heading up the backside, Prat began asking Spielberg to close in at the 3 ½ furlong pole and turning for home he had a length on Vittorio as Classier dropped back readily.

A winner of the G2 Los Alamitos Futurity in his final start at age two on Dec. 19, 2020, Spielberg was winless in three starts at three and was off at 5-2 in a field of five older horses, returning $7.40, $4.80 and $4.00.

Owned by Golconda Stables, Madaket Stables, LLC, SF Racing, LLC, Siena Farm, LLC, Starlight Racing and Robert Masterson, Spielberg, who is out of the Smart Strike mare Miss Squeal, fetched $1 million as a Keenland September Yearling. With today's winner's share of $43,200, he increased his earnings to $463,700 and improved his overall mark to 10-3-3-1.

Ridden by Edwin Maldonado, Wicked Trick, a 7-year-old gelding, rallied from last to finish 2 ¾ lengths in front of longshot Surfing Star. Off at 10-1, Wicked Trick paid $8.20 and $4.40.

Next to last in the early going, Surfing Star was up to touch Vittorio for third money by three quarters of a length. Ridden by Jessica Pyfer, Surfing Star was off at 24-1 and paid $6.40 to show.

Classier, with John Velazquez up, was eased through the lane and finished a distant last as the 4-5 favorite.

Fractions on the race were 23.09, 46.85, 1:12.16 and 1:25.29.

Special early first post time for a 10-race California Cup Day card on Saturday is at 12 noon. There is also a mandatory payout in the 20 cent Single Ticket Rainbow Pick Six Jackpot, with the possibility of a $4 million total pool. Admission gates open at 10 a.m.

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