4C Methocarbamol Complaint Issued Against Mandella for Graded Stakes Positive

Trainer Richard Mandella has been summoned to a stewards' hearing to answer a California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) complaint of an over-threshold test finding for methocarbamol, a Class 4 and Penalty Category C skeletal muscle relaxant that turned up in the post-race test of Jolie Olimpica (Brz) (Drosselmeyer) after the multiple graded stakes winner ran third in the GIII San Simeon S. at Santa Anita Mar. 13.

According to the May 7 complaint, split-sample blood testing confirmed the presence of the drug.

Methocarbamol's 4C categorization is on the least-severe side of the scale on the Uniform Classification Guidelines for Foreign Substances list published by the Association of Racing Commissioners International (ARCI).

Mandella, a Hall-of-Fame conditioner who has been training since 1974, shows three low-category medication fines of $500 each in the ARCI's rulings database: One for phenylbutazone and flunixin in 2018 at Santa Anita, one for methocarbamol at Santa Anita in 2011, and one for naproxen at Arlington Park in 2007. Fines for two scopolamine positives in 1994 were rescinded after a lengthy investigation.

In California, a trainer's first violation within a 365-day period for a Category C drug violation can result in a minimum fine of $500 to a maximum fine of $1,000 (absent mitigating circumstances).

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After Disappointing 2021 Debut, Decorated Invader Could Target Shoemaker Mile

Trainer Christophe Clement said Grade 1-winner Decorated Invader could be a possibility for the $100,000 Seek Again on Saturday in a one-mile turf contest for 4-year-olds and up at Belmont Park after breezing five furlongs in 1:02.87 yesterday over Belmont's inner turf course.

Owned by West Point Thoroughbreds, William Freeman, William Sandbrook and Cheryl Manning, Decorated Invader might skip the Seek Again and be shipped out to California, with Clement saying the Grade 1, $300,000 Shoemaker Mile on May 31 at Santa Anita is also under consideration.

“We can run him back either this weekend or go to California, we just have to think about it,” Clement said. “The race in California is also a mile, so we'll see.”

Decorated Invader, who won the Grade 1 Summer as a juvenile going one mile in September 2019 over Woodbine's turf course, twice won graded stakes in his sophomore campaign. Back-to-back wins in the Grade 2 Pennine Ridge last June at Belmont, as well as in his next start in the Grade 2 Hall of Fame going 1 1/8 miles at Saratoga Race Course, helped give the Declaration of War colt four stakes wins in his career.

In his 2021 debut, Decorated Invader ran third off a nearly five-month layoff in the Danger's Hour on April 10 going one mile over the Aqueduct Racetrack turf.

Clement said he expected more from that effort but is looking forward to the upcoming start, regardless of which coast he chooses for the Kentucky bred.

“I was actually very disappointed; he had trained OK, but I was unhappy with the race, unhappy with the trip and unhappy with everything, but that's OK, we just turned the page and moved on,” Clement said.

Creative Cairo, who also covered five furlongs in 1:02.87 Saturday on the inner turf, broke her maiden last out in her second start, edging Miss Bonnie T by a nose in a 1 1/8-mile turf route on April 10 at the Big A. The 3-year-old Cairo Prince filly, who garnered a 74 Beyer for the win, is now on target for the Grade 3, $200,000 Wonder Again on the opening day of the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival on Thursday, June 3.

Owned and bred by Brereton C. Jones, Creative Cairo made her debut in March, running fourth in a one-mile turf contest at Gulfstream Park.

“She worked yesterday morning very well and now we'll get ready for the Wonder Again,” Clement said. “We're very happy with her, so we'll just have to keep going.”

Clement said Plum Ali, owned by Michael Dubb, Madaket Stables and Bethlehem Stables, is also on target for the Wonder Again.

Plum Ali, who won the Mint Juvenile Fillies in September at Kentucky Downs and won her only previous Belmont start with a victory in the Grade 2 Miss Grillo in October at Belmont, capped her 2-year-old year with a fifth-place finish in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf in November at Keeneland.

Plum Ali returned to run third in her 2021 bow in the Grade 2 Appalachian on April 3 at Keeneland. Plum Ali breezed a half-mile in 50.55 seconds on Sunday over Belmont's inner turf course.

Bach Stables' Bye Bye handled the step up in class with aplomb Saturday, holding off Invincible Gal's late charge to win her stakes debut by a neck in the Grade 3, $100,000 Soaring Softly over firm going on Belmont's Widener turf course in her stakes debut.

Making just her third start overall – and just second on turf – Bye Bye earned an 83 Beyer for the effort, improving her number in every start. Jockey Eric Cancel piloted Bye Bye to victory from the outermost post in the 11-horse field, with Clement saying a day later he was happy to see that effort.

Clement said he was still unsure of Bye Bye's next start, though the sophomore Into Mischief filly, unraced as a juvenile, has won her last two starts.

“I was very happy and for Bach Stables, they deserve it,” Clement said. “I was thrilled. She was good enough to win. She keeps improving. She was training well coming into the race. I don't know yet where we'll go next, but we'll just enjoy it and go from there.”

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Santa Anita: Pyfer Caps Four-Win Day In Anchor Leg Of Mandatory Payout Rainbow 6

With a mandatory payout in place, there was $4,623,265 in new money wagered in Santa Anita's popular 20 Cent Rainbow Pick 6 Jackpot on Sunday, making for a total 'Rainbow Six' pool of $5,171,437 at the Arcadia, Calif., track.

There was a Jackpot carryover of $548,172 after Saturday's races, which helped generate a frenzy of parimutuel action on Sunday, resulting in a Rainbow 6 payout of $267.20 on 15,256 tickets.

The Jeff Mullins- trained, Predictable Tully, with Tiago Pereira up, initiated a form-full beginning to Sunday's Rainbow 6 as the 7-5 favorite won by 1 ½ lengths and returned $4.80 to win.

Sunday's Rainbow 6, which was comprised of races four through nine, produced the following $2 win payoffs:  R4, #7 Predictable Tully ($4.80); R5, #9 Mount Pelliar ($6.40); R6, #2 Mr. Impossible ($6.40); R7, #7 Lofty ($7.40); R8, #5 Tobacco Road ($7.40); R9, #4 Sweet Devil ($10.00). The latter gave leading apprentice Jessica Pyfer her fourth winner of the day.

Racing resumes with first post time for an eight-race card on Friday at 1 p.m.  For additional information, please visit santaanita.com or call (626) 574-RACE.

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The Chosen Vron Benefits From Pace Duel In Lazaro Barrera

With Laurel River and I'll Stand Taller duking it out on the front-end, trainer Eric Kruljac's The Chosen Vron flew off the turn for home and marched to an emphatic 3 ½-length win in Saturday's Grade 3, $100,000 Lazaro Barrera Stakes at Santa Anita in Arcadia, Calif. Ridden for the first time by Umberto Rispoli, the California-bred gelding by Vronsky got 6 ½ furlongs in 1:16.28.

In a field of four sophomores, it was readily apparent from the outset that I'll Stand Taller and Juan Hernandez were not going to allow impressive recent maiden winner Laurel River and Abel Cedillo to have their way on the front end as they blazed an opening quarter mile in 21.32.

With I'll Stand Taller shrinking noticeably a quarter mile out, The Chosen Vron was making an eye-catching move at the rail blew by Laurel River with a furlong to run.

“I could see they were going really fast, those two horses up front, and by the quarter pole my horse was right on top of them, he really kicked well in the stretch,” said Rispoli.When I first came here, (J. Eric Kruljac) gave me so many winners, I'm happy to finally give him a stakes win.”

The Chosen Vron, fresh off a sparkling 6 ½-furlong win versus Cal-Breds in the Echo Eddie Stakes on April 3, was off as the 3-5 favorite and paid $3.20 and $2.10 with no show wagering.

“Short fields sometimes end up being like match races,” said breeder and part owner Kruljac. “I knew my horse could rate. … Doug (O'Neill) had a horse in there that looked like he would use as the rabbit, so that kind of eliminates the match race. He softened them up early and I don't know if it mattered, with the way the horse fired today. He's a pretty exciting horse, when you breed them yourself there's this extra pride that goes into it. I'm as excited as I can be.”

Owned J. Eric Kruljac, Robert Fetkin, John Sondereker and Richard Thornburgh. The Chosen Vron, who is out of the Tiz Wonderful mare Tiz Molly, picked up his first graded stakes win and has three wins from four starts. With the winner's share of $60,000, he increased his earnings to $210,600.

Trained by Bob Baffert, Laurel River dominated the early wagering but went off as the second choice at 6-5 and paid $2.20 to place while finishing 10-lengths in front of Wipe The Slate.

Trained by Doug O'Neill and ridden by Mario Gutierrez, Wipe The Slate finished 14 ½ lengths in front of his stablemate I'll Stand Taller.

Complete fractions on the race were 21.32, 44.29 and 1:09.61.

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