santa anita park | Horse Racing Free Tips

Preakness Stakes Winner Rombauer Retired; Stud Plans Pending

Rombauer, the upset winner of the 2021 Preakness Stakes, has been retired from racing after his comeback was halted by a Dec. 31 training injury at Santa Anita Park, Daily Racing Form and Thoroughbred Daily News report.

The 4-year-old son of Twirling Candy had not raced since a third-place effort in last year's Belmont Stakes, after which he'd developed some ankle issues. He'd returned to work in October with trainer Michael McCarthy, but following what owner John Fradkin called a “bad step” during morning training, it was decided to stop on the horse.

Fradkin told the TDN that Rombauer's projected 2022 campaign included the Dubai World Cup, the Grade 1 Pacific Classic, and perhaps a try on turf.

Rombauer retired with three wins in eight starts for earnings of $1,040,500. He won on debut as a 2-year-old at Del Mar, and he finished second in the G1 American Pharoah Stakes later in the year before ending his season with a sixth-place effort in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile at Keeneland.

He returned at three with a victory in the listed El Camino Real Derby at Golden Gate Fields, which earned him a guaranteed spot in that year's Preakness Stakes. Before that, he finished third in the G2 Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland, and his connections elected to skip the Kentucky Derby.

Rombauer came into the Preakness under the radar, with most of the attention going to Medina Spirit, Midnight Bourbon, and Concert Tour. However, his closing kick under jockey Flavien Prat engulfed the early speed of Medina Spirit and snuffed the stretch drive of Midnight Bourbon to win by 3 1/2 lengths at odds of 11-1.

The colt then finished third to Essential Quality in the Belmont Stakes in what would be his final start.

A homebred for John and Diane Fradkin, Rombauer is out of the unraced Cowboy Cal mare Cashmere, who is herself a Fradkin homebred.

Fradkin told DRF that stud plans were pending for the Preakness winner, acknowledging it was late in the commercial schedule to be making a deal on a new stallion and introducing him to the marketplace.

Cal-Bred Mucho Unusual Back To Defend Her Title In Robert J. Frankel Stakes

A dominant figure over the course, George Krikorian's homebred Mucho Unusual is back to defend her title in Saturday's Grade 3, $100,000 Robert J. Frankel Stakes as seven older fillies and mares go a mile and one eighth over the Santa Anita lawn.

A soon-to-be 6-year-old California-bred mare by Mucho Macho Man out of Krikorian's Unusual Heat mare Not Unusual, Mucho Unusual, a Grade 1 winner and four-time overall graded stakes winner for trainer Tim Yakteen, is a remarkable 12-6-3-3 over the local turf and sports a 22-8-5-4 overall mark with earnings of $933,415.

Idle since prevailing by a nose at 3-5 in a mile and one eighth allowance here on Oct. 30, Mucho Unusual will be reunited with John Velazquez who guided her to her Robert J. Frankel victory five starts back.

Trainer Richard Baltas is well-armed with a pair of distaffers, LNJ Foxwoods' improving Luck and Calvin Nguyen's English-bred Bodhicitta.

A 4-year-old filly by Kitten's Joy, Luck was two for four in France at marathon distances prior to taking her U.S. debut for Baltas going a mile and one sixteenth on turf in a first condition allowance Aug. 7 at Del Mar. Subsequently second, beaten a head in her last two races, the G1 Rodeo Drive at a mile and one quarter on turf here Oct. 2 and in the G3 Red Carpet Handicap at 1 3/8 miles on grass Nov. 25 at Del Mar, Luck has been knocking on the door and will hope to barrel through with Flavien Prat back aboard for the third consecutive time on Saturday.

Winless in her last six starts, the most recent a sixth place finish in the G1 Matriarch at one mile on turf Nov. 28, Bodhicitta will hope to be flying from off the pace under Kent Desormeaux.

THE GRADE 3 ROBERT J. FRANKEL STAKES WITH JOCKEYS & WEIGHTS IN POST POSITION ORDER

Race 8 of 10 Approximate post time 3:30 p.m. PT

Bodhicitta—Kent Desormeaux—121
Mucho Unusual—John Velazquez—123
England's Rose—Victor Espinoza—123
Moraz—Juan Hernandez—121
Sloane Garden—Kyle Frey—121
Global Brand—Umberto Rispoli—121
Luck—Flavien Prat—121

Special early first post time for a 10-race card including four graded stakes, is at 12 noon. For additional information, please visit santaanita.com or call (626) 574-RACE.

The post Cal-Bred Mucho Unusual Back To Defend Her Title In Robert J. Frankel Stakes appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Beer Can Mean Heads Down The Hill In Saturday’s Joe Hernandez Stakes

Trainer Mark Glatt's red-hot Beer Can Man heads a field of seven older horses going 6 ½ furlongs down Santa Anita's hillside turf course in Saturday's Grade 2, $250,000 Joe Hernandez Stakes. Named for the original Voice of Santa Anita, the Hernandez will return to a hillside start after being run in late 2020 at 5 ½ furlongs over the track's turf oval.

Forwardly placed early, Beer Can Man prevailed by a head as the 3-5 favorite in his most recent start, a five furlong turf classified allowance at Del Mar Nov. 7. Off the board in his debut going six furlongs over a sloppy track at Indiana Grand on July 22, 2020, the 4-year-old colt by Can the Man has been well at home on turf ever since, winning five races (including the G3 Cecil B. DeMille Stakes in his first start for Glatt on Nov. 29, 2020), while second twice and third once.

Owned by Little Red Feather Racing, Sterling Stables, LLC and Madaket Stable, LLC, Beer Can Man will be trying the hillside course for the first time in what will be his 11th career start. With Flavien Prat set to ride him back, Beer Can Man, who is out of the Dynaformer mare Cheesecake, has earnings of $273,556.

A head and a nose away from being unbeaten in his last three starts, French-bred Commander, a rousing two-length winner down the hill two starts back on Oct. 2, comes off a close second in a five furlong turf classified allowance on Nov. 7 at Del Mar and rates a huge chance with Juan Hernandez taking over. Owned by the Sinnott Family Trust, this 5-year-old gelding will hope to be rallying late.

Three eastern shippers, Bill Mott's Chewing Gum, Paddy Gallagher's Delaware and Michael Trombetta's Momos, are all consistent turf horses in search of their first graded stakes victories.

THE GRADE 2 JOE HERNANDEZ STAKES WITH JOCKEYS & WEIGHTS IN POST POSITION ORDER

Race 6 of 10 Approximate post time 2:30 p.m. PT

Beer Can Man—Flavien Prat—120
Bran—Joe Bravo—120
Chewing Gum—Umberto Rispoli—120
Delaware—Mike Smith—120
Commander—Juan Hernandez—120
Momos—John Velazquez—120
Cupid's Claws—Kent Desormeaux—120

First post time for a 10-race card that will include four graded stakes on Saturday is at 12 noon. For additional information, please visit santaanita.com or call (626) 574-RACE.

The post Beer Can Mean Heads Down The Hill In Saturday’s Joe Hernandez Stakes appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Park Avenue Chasing Third Straight Win In La Canada

In search of her third consecutive win in what will be her first stakes assignment, John Sadler's Park Avenue rates a big look in Saturday's Grade 3, $200,000 La Canada Stakes as six older fillies and mares go a mile and one sixteenth.

Fresh off a game victory in the G3 Bayakoa Stakes at Los Alamitos, Bob Baffert's As Time Goes By, the leading money earner in the field, looms as the probable post time favorite.

A disappointing third in the Bayakoa Dec. 5, Richard Mandella's Moonlight d'Oro will try to regain the form that saw her win the G3 Las Virgenes Stakes here three starts back on Feb. 6.

Owned by Hronis Racing, LLC, Park Avenue pressed the pace and went on to an impressive five length maiden win going one mile two starts back on Oct. 29 and she followed that up with another five-length score going a flat mile in a first condition allowance Dec. 12 at Los Alamitos when ridden for the first time by Juan Hernandez, who sticks with her on Saturday.

A $450,000 Keeneland September Yearling Sale purchase in 2019, Park Avenue is a 4-year-old filly by Quality Road out of the Indian Charlie mare Remarkable. With an overall mark of 6-2-2-1, she has earnings of $104,700.

The likely post time favorite, multiple graded stakes winning As Time Goes By enters the La Canada fresh off an impressive 1 ¼ length win as the even money favorite in the Bayakoa going 1 1/6 miles. A winner of two G2 stakes here earlier this year, the Santa Maria on May 22 and the Santa Margarita on April 24, As Time Goes By has three wins and as many second from six Santa Anita starts.

Trained by Bob Baffert and owned by Mrs. John Magnier, Michael B. Tabor and Derrick Smith, this 5-year-old daughter of American Pharoah is 12-5-3-1 with earnings of $535,600 and will be ridden back by Flavien Prat.

Second two starts back after stumbling at the break of an ungraded one mile stakes at Del Mar Nov. 3, Moonlight d'Oro fetched $620,000 out of the same Keeneland sale Park Avenue graduated from. With her Las Virgenes victory, she's 6-2-2-2 overall with earnings of $195,790 and will be ridden for the first time by Mike Smith.

THE GRADE 3 LA CANADA STAKES WITH JOCKEYS & WEIGHTS IN POST POSITION ORDER

Race 9 of 10 Approximate post time 4:30 p.m. PT

Moonlight d'Oro—Mike Smith—122
Cowboys Daughter—Kyle Frey—120
Fi Fi Pharoah—Umberto Rispoli—120
Velvet Slippers—John Velazquez—120
Park Avenue—Juan Hernandez—120
As Time Goes By—Flavien Prat–122

First post time for a 10-race card that will include four graded stakes on Saturday is at 12 noon. For additional information, please visit santaanita.com or call (626) 574-RACE.

The post Park Avenue Chasing Third Straight Win In La Canada appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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