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Mandella’s Cup Runneth Over With Memorial Day Weekend Runners At Santa Anita

Memorial Day weekend at Santa Anita could remind Richard Mandella of a Breeders' Cup in miniature.

The Hall of Fame trainer, winner of nine Breeders' Cup races including four of the eight at Santa Anita on Oct. 25, 2003, has 11 nominations to stakes races this holiday weekend starting this Saturday through Memorial Day, Monday, May 31.

He plans to run most of them, two in Grade 1 events on Memorial Day, Royal Ship in the Hollywood Gold Cup with Mike Smith and Dogtag in the Gamely under Umberto Rispoli.

Multiple graded turf stakes winner United goes in the Grade 2 Charles Whittingham on Saturday with regular rider Flavien Prat. “He's doing great,” Mandella said of United, who won the Whittingham by a nose last May.

Winner of eight races with a bankroll surpassing $1.5 million, Mandella refers to the 6-year-old Giant's Causeway gelding as “a big pet” around the barn.

Soothsay, unbeaten in two starts including the Grade 2 Santa Anita Oaks, goes in next Sunday's Grade 2 Summertime Oaks. “She's doing real well,” Mandella said of the bay daughter of Distorted Humor.

Last but not least, Bombard seeks his first graded stakes win in Saturday's Grade 3 Daytona Stakes at 6 ½ furlongs on turf.

“I hope we do the best we can,” Mandella said in anticipation of a successful and prosperous holiday.

Santa Anita presents seven graded stakes on Memorial Day weekend, three of them Grade 1 on May 31: the Hollywood Gold Cup for 3-year-olds and up at a mile and a quarter; the Shoemaker Mile, a Breeders' Cup 'Win and You're In' Challenge Race on turf; and the Gamely for fillies and mares, thr3ee and up at 1 1/8 miles on turf.

Next Saturday's features are the aforementioned Whittingham for 3-year-olds and up at 1 ¼ miles on turf, the Grade 2 Triple Bend Stakes for 4-year-olds and up at seven furlongs, and the Grade 3 Daytona Stakes for 4-year-olds and up at 6 ½ furlongs on turf.

Next Sunday's headliner is the Grade 2 Summertime Oaks at 1 1/16 miles. In all, seven lucrative stakes will be decided over the holiday weekend offering $1.6 million in purse money.

Mandella's four Breeders' Cup winners in 2003 were Action This Day (Juvenile), Halfbridled (Juvenile Fillies), Johar (dead-heat in Turf) and Pleasantly Perfect (Classic).

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Powell Sees Residual Value In Santa Anita Record $150,000 Claim

Trainer Leonard Powell made a Santa Anita record claim of $150,000 Saturday for Nimbostratus, a 3-year-old French-bred filly that won the third race at six furlongs on turf by a neck under Abel Cedillo in 1:09.28.

The previous Santa Anita record of $125,000 was made in 1997. There have been three claims this meet for $100,000 at the Arcadia, Calif., track.

Claimed from trainer Peter Miller, the filly's new owner is Mathilde, wife of Leonard, who comes from an accomplished family of horsemen and as a youth in France rode as an amateur on both the flat and over jumps.

A bay daughter of Wootton Bassett out of the Invincible Spirit dam Bahama Spirit, Nimbostratus was third in the Grade 3 Sweet Life Stakes at Santa Anita on Feb. 14, won an overnight race by a nose on March 6 and was last of 10 in the Grade 3 Senorita Stakes on May 1.

She has won three of 10 career races, breaking her maiden in Ireland on July 3, 2020.

“She has residual value as a broodmare,” said Powell, a 44-year-old native of Deauville, France. “That was the main reason for claiming her. We have no immediate plans (for her next race).

“We'll see how she comes out and find the best possible spot for her.”

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‘Blossoming Before Our Eyes’: Irish-Bred Going Global Crushes Honeymoon Rivals

In one of the most impressive performances of the entire 64-day meeting, trainer Phil D'Amato's Irish-bred Going Global split horses turning for home and rocketed to a 4 ¾-length win in Saturday's Grade 3, $100,000 Honeymoon Stakes at Santa Anita in Arcadia, Calif. Ridden by Flavien Prat, Going Global got 1 1/8 miles on firm turf in 1:46.37 and registered her fourth consecutive North American stakes win.

Taken in-hand out of the gate, Going Global had two horses beat while fifth, about eight lengths off pacesetter Pizzazz heading into the clubouse turn. Fifth in a field of seven sophomore fillies, about four lengths off the lead while under restraint mid-way around the far turn, Prat angled out turning for home, shooting a gap between Pizzazz and longshot Midnight Diva.

From there, Going Global ran like a wild horse to the wire in a performance that could well have national implications.

“I think that she's a filly that is just blossoming before our eyes right now,” said D'Amato, the meet's leading trainer with 41 wins and co-leader, along with Baffert in stakes wins with 14. “Each performance, I thought was better than the next and this one I thought, was many lengths better than the last. It's just exciting to have a filly like this going into Del Mar and hopefully, the sky's the limit.

“For a 3-year-old filly at this time of the year, she's probably the best filly I've ever had. I've had a lot of good Grade 1-winning mares, but this early on in their career, I'd say she's definitely the best 3-year-old filly.”

A winner of three turf stakes dating back to her U.S. debut, the Grade 3 Sweet Life Stakes on Feb. 14, Going Global came off a hard-fought neck win in the Grade 3 Providencia Stakes at the Honeymoon distance and was 4-5 favorite Saturday afternoon, returning $3.60, $2.40 and $2.20.

“We had a good pace and she relaxed very well,” said Prat, who's been aboard in all of her local starts. “We were able to save ground and when she found that hole, she was very impressive. She has a great turn of foot and yes, that was a pretty good race for her, her best race so far.”

Owned by CYBT, Michael Dubb, Saul Gevertz, Michael Nentwig and Ray Pagano, Going Global is now unbeaten in four stateside starts and has five wins from eight overall races. With today's winner's share of $60,000, she increased her earnings to $248,792.

Last to the quarter pole, Golden, who was ridden by Umberto Rispoli, rallied three-wide into the stretch and out-finished Midnight Diva by a half length for second. Off at 5-1, Golden paid $4.60 and $3.60.

Ridden by Abel Cedillo, Midnight Diva was an attentive third early and stayed in game fashion late to run third by 2 ¼ lengths over Quattroelle. Off at 29-1, Midnight Diva paid $7.20 to show.

Fractions on the race were 22.89, 45.66, 1:09.79 and 1:34.59.

Racing resumes on Sunday with first post time for a nine-race card at 1 p.m.

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Santa Anita Boosts Closing Day Stakes Purses

California's Santa Anita Park has boosted purses for the Fasig-Tipton Debutante and the Fasig-Tipton Futurity, both 2-year-old stakes scheduled to run Sunday, June 20, which is also closing day. Each will have purses of $100,000, an increase from their original purses of $75,000.

Both black-type events are slated to run over five furlongs on the dirt and will be forerunners to Fasig-Tipton's 2-year-olds in training sale at Santa Anita, which will be held June 23. An under-tack preview is scheduled for June 21.

“We've boosted the purses on both of these races to $100,000 because we want to continue to provide tangible incentives for those owners and horsemen that are investing in our future,” said Chris Merz, Santa Anita's director of racing and racing secretary. “We'll have all of these sales horses on the grounds here during our final week of the meet and this is going to attract a great deal of interest.”

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