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Leggs Galore Goes All The Way In Sunshine Millions Filly & Mare Turf SPrint

Fresh and dangerous, William Sims' homebred Leggs Galore burst out of the gate and never looked back in taking Saturday's $150,000 Sunshine Millions Filly & Mare Turf Sprint Presented by John Deere by 2 ¼ lengths under Ricky Gonzalez. Trained by Phil D'Amato, the 5-year-old mare by 2014 Breeders' Cup Classic winner Bayern got about 6 ½ furlongs down Santa Anita's hillside turf course in 1:12.99.

Idle since running fourth in the one mile turf Solana Beach Stakes versus statebreds at Del Mar Aug. 15, Leggs Galore was plenty ready today, rattling off splits of 22.27, 44.66 and 1:06.86 while never challenged at any point.

“She saddled great, she was fresh and happy,” said D'Amato. “She just needed a little rest and recuperation after a long year last year. She has come back great. I think she is a double threat, I think she can (get a) mile just as easily as she can sprint on the grass. We will check our options, but down the road we want to see if we can get a graded stake win and make her a broodmare at the end of the year.”

The defending champ in the race and a three-time turf stakes winner coming into Saturday, Leggs Galore was off as the 5-2 second choice in a field of 12 older fillies and mares bred or sired in California and she paid $7.20, $5.20 and $4.60.

Out of the Indian Charlie mare Cashing Tickets, Leggs Galore notched her fourth stakes win and seventh overall win from 12 career starts. With the winner's share of $90,000, she increased her earnings to $440,208.

“I was a little worried about crossing the dirt (at the top of the lane) because she has a tendency of jumping in the other chute (off of Santa Anita's Club House turn), but she took it like the champ she is. She just skipped right over it and kicked for home really good.”

D'Amato ran one-two, as his Alice Marble, who was close to the pace throughout, was easily second finishing 2 ½ lengths in front of Eddie's New Dream. Off at 9-1 with Flavien Prat, Alice Marble paid $9.40 and $6.60.

Eddie's New Dream, who was also attentive to the pace, finished a head better than favored Warren's Showtime and paid $6.60 to show with Mario Gutierrez up.

Warren's Showtime, whose customary late bid fell short today, was off at 5-2 with Juan Hernandez and was beaten by less than four lengths.

Carded as race eight, the Sunshine Millions Filly & Mare Turf Sprint Presented by John Deere was the third of five stakes for California-bred or sired horses on a 10-race Cal Cup program.

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Aligato Steps Up For Glatt In Unusual Heat Turf Classic

In his first stakes assignment and first time around two turns, the Mark Glatt-conditioned Aligato wheeled four deep turning for home and unleashed an impressive turn of foot to take Saturday's $200,000 Unusual Heat Turf Classic Presented by City National Bank at Santa Anita to win going away by 1 ¾ lengths. Ridden by Flavien Prat, the 5-year-old gelding by Kitten's Joy got a mile and one eighth on turf in 1:48.29.

Unhurried while fifth, about six lengths off dueling leaders Whooping Jay and Ferrariano in a field of seven leaving the half mile pole, Aligato began to close in three furlongs from home and had the leaders measured mid-way around the far turn.

“We always thought he would improve when we had a chance to go further with him,” said Glatt. “It wasn't the most ideal circumstances today, but I think that just shows you how good of a horse he is. He's just a very good horse, particularly for a Cal-bred. He's a natural two-turn horse, which helps when you're stretching one out.

“We kind of trained him up to it. We had a different plan getting here to the Unusual Heat Turf Classic, but unfortunately, the rain kind of dismissed that plan, so I called Double L (owners) and told them that we had to kind of train up to it or run him two weeks ago six furlongs. So, I said, 'Well at least it will be a good workout.' I'm very happy for the owners, they've given me a nice to train and we'll see that happens next time.”

Owned by Double L Racing and bred in California by Bob Liewald and Joe Mishak, Aligato, who is out of the Rock Hard Ten mare Pretty Hard, closed much ground to be second, beaten a nose in a six furlong turf allowance on Jan. 1 and was off as the second choice at 3-1, returning $8.40, $4.80 and $3.40.

“He broke okay, but I was expecting him to show a bit more speed early on which he didn't,” said Prat, who was aboard for the first time today. “Later on I was travelling well and when I got him to the outside, he kicked home well. I thought it was an impressive race because it is always hard to go from six furlongs to a mile and one eighth. It was a great race.”

Never worse than third in four prior turf sprints, Aligato improved his overall mark to 5-2-1-2 and with the winner's share of $110,000, he increased his earnings to $177,440.

Attentive to the early pace while third at the rail heading into the first turn, Golden Gate Fields-based Camino Del Paraiso rallied gamely for second money, finishing a nose in front of Ferrariano. Off at 8-1 with Ricky Gonzalez, Camino Del Paraiso paid $6.80 and $4.40.

Ridden by Abel Cedillo, Ferrariano was also off at 8-1 and paid $5.00 to show while finishing 2 ¼ lengths better than Luvluv.

Whooping Jay, the 2-1 favorite with Joe Bravo, tired through the drive to finish last by 5 ¼ lengths.

Fractions on the race were 23.81, 48.05, 1:12.32 and 1:36.64.

The Turf Classic, carded as race six, was the second of five stakes for California-bred or sired horses on a 10-race Cal Cup day program.

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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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