santa anita | Horse Racing Free Tips

Harty Out To Prove Fair Maiden’s La Brea Upset Was No Fluke

Fair Maiden, a consistent daughter of Street Boss owned and bred by Godolphin LLC in Kentucky, is out to prove her victory at 20-1 in the Grade 1 La Brea Stakes last Dec. 26 was no fluke when she runs in Saturday's G2 Santa Monica Stakes at Santa Anita in Arcadia, Calif.

The prestigious seven-furlong race for fillies and mares four and older will be decided at seven furlongs in this, its 64th running.

“Her victory in the La Brea wasn't much of a surprise in the sense that her form was good,” trainer Eoin Harty said, alluding to her 4-1-1 record from eight starts, with earnings of $321,278. Her lone disappointing effort came in the G1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf. She finished 12th when rank, steadying and wide in the race at Santa Anita on Nov. 1, 2019.

Other than that, the 4-year-old chestnut filly has never been worse than fourth and has been working forwardly for the Santa Monica.

“She's doing well,” Harty said. 'She's trained well since the La Brea and we're looking forward to the race.”

Fair Maiden began her career at Arlington Park, had two races at Woodbine after that before starts at Santa Anita, Churchill Downs, Keeneland and at Santa Anita for the aforementioned La Brea.

“She's been with me since Day One,” Harty said. “She came out of her Breeders' Cup race with a problem, which explains her layoff (of some 10 months before winning a sprint at Churchill Downs last Sept. 19).

“Seven-eighths should be perfect for her.”

Harty, a 58-year-old native of Dublin, Ireland, enjoyed perhaps his greatest victory in 2009 when Well Armed captured the $6-million Dubai World Cup by 14 lengths under recently retired Aaron Gryder.

Harty was a top assistant to the late John Russell and Bob Baffert before becoming private trainer for Godolphin Racing in 2000.

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Mandatory Rainbow 6 Payout Drives Santa Anita Handle Over $17.5 Million

Spurred on by the prospect of a mandatory payout, $5,316,575 in new money was wagered in Saturday's 20 cent Rainbow Pick 6 Jackpot at Santa Anita in Arcadia, Calif., creating a massive total Jackpot pool of $6,214,637.

With 201 winning tickets with six winners, each ticket paid $24,654.80.

Saturday's Rainbow 6 was comprised of races five through 10 and included a pair of graded stakes, the Grade 2 San Vicente, which went as race seven and the Grade 3 Thunder Road, which was carded as race eight.

Total pari-mutuel handle on the 10-race program was $17,571,849.

Here are the winning numbers and win payoffs in Saturday's Rainbow 6:

Race 5, #10 Pawnee, $19.80; Race 6, #2 Gregdar, $22.20; Race 7, #6 Concert Tour, $2.80; Race 8, #2 Hit the Road, $8.20; Race 9, #12 Bob's Sniper, $19.80 and Race 10, #8 Agreetodisagree, $9.40.

After scratches, average field size for today's Rainbow 6 was 9.1 horses per race.

First post time for an eight-race card on Big Game Sunday at Santa Anita is at 11 a.m. For additional information, please visit santaanita.com.

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Hit The Road Gives Blacker First Graded Stakes Win In Thunder Road

Idle since winning a restricted stakes at Del Mar July 10, Hit the Road hit the comeback trail running Saturday at Santa Anita in Arcadia, Calif., as he strode home to a brilliant 3 ¾-length win in the Grade 3, $100,000 Thunder Road Stakes, providing trainer Dan Blacker with his first-ever graded stakes win. Ridden to his third consecutive win by Umberto Rispoli, Hit the Road got one mile on turf in a scintillating 1:33.35, eclipsing Om's 2018 Thunder Road record time of 1:33.54.

A comfortable third, about three lengths off the lead heading into the clubhouse turn, Hit the Road was in hand behind dueling leaders Sombeyay and Bob and Jackie three furlongs out and narrowed the gap to one length at the top of the lane. Taking his cue from Rispoli, Hit the Road, who was three-deep turning for home, engaged the leaders and in an instant, opened up by three lengths a sixteenth from home en route to a huge win.

“He's just a really special horse and I am so lucky to have him,” said Blacker, 38. “Like I said before the race, he was born a great horse. I'm just lucky to have him in my barn. Umberto worked the horse in 59 (seconds) a week ago and he called me after the work and said, 'He just worked okay.' I was kind of worried he didn't think he looked too good. Then after (today's) race he told me, 'I didn't want you to get too excited.'

“For me, the horse is a champion in my eyes and I'm just so thankful to the group of owners.”

The third choice in a field of six older horses at 3-1, Hit the Road paid $8.20, $4.40 and $3.40.

Owned D K Racing, LLC, Radley Equine, Inc., Taste of Victory Stables, Rick Gold and Dave Odmark, Hit the Road, a 4-year-old by More Than Ready, out of the U S Ranger mare Highway Mary, notched his first graded stakes win and his third overall added money victory. A perfect two for two last year, he's now five for eight lifetime and with the winner's share of $60,000, increased his earnings to $254,751.

“He's a nice horse,” said Rispoli. “We always believed in him and had faith in him. … I was on top of the race and by the five-furlong marker he was already pulling hard and I could understand he was fresh. He was so good today. At the top of the stretch, he had good acceleration and covered good ground. It was a good comeback, so now it's up to Dan (as to) what he is going to do.”

Bob and Jackie, who was in the fight from the gate, proved second best under Heriberto Figueroa and paid $4.00 and $2.60 as the 2-1 favorite.

Border Town, who was ridden by Flavien Prat, was just up to nip Sombeyay by a nose for third money and paid $4.00 to show.

Fractions on the race were 23.60, 46.80, 1:10.18 and 1:21.87.

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Baffert 1-2 As Concert Tour Edges Freedom Fighter In San Vicente

Racing as a team the final quarter of a mile, a pair of talented Bob Baffert runners, heavily favored Concert Tour and Freedom Fighter, were separated by a half length at the finish of Saturday's Grade 2, $200,000 San Vicente Stakes at Santa Anita in Arcadia, Calif. Ridden by Joel Rosario, Gary and Mary West's homebred Concert Tour got seven furlongs in 1:24.06 and stamped himself as an A-lister among Kentucky Derby hopefuls and provided Baffert with his record 11^th San Vicente win.

With Freedom Fighter and Drayden Van Dyke darting to the lead from the rail, Concert Tour, who broke from the outside in a field of five, was just one length off his stablemate and The Chosen Vron three furlongs out. The Chosen Vron, who had driven up the rail inside Freedom Fighter, dropped back a bit leaving the quarter pole and from that point it was all Baffert to the wire.

“Freedom Fighter just broke like a rocket ship, he's really fast and been doing really well,” said Baffert. “Rosario was trying to teach this horse how to rate a little bit and I thought they were going to get into a speed duel. I think it was a good race for both of them.

“I learned a lot about (Concert Tour), how he wants to run and maybe he doesn't need blinkers…Now we go to where I can stretch them out…I think from here you can take that big jump that you want to take, he's going to have to really step it up for now, but now he's ready for it.”

A 3 ½ length first-out maiden winner going six furlongs on Jan. 15, Concert Tour was off at 2-5 and paid $2.80, $2.40 and $2.10.

“After the other horse (Freedom Fighter) went to the lead, I thought the two horse (The Chosen Vron) was going to go faster, but he took his time and I thought I was in a good spot,” said Rosario. “He was a little green and cut away a little bit at the last part when I took the lead. I thought it was a good race.”

By Street Sense, out of the Tapit mare Purse Strings, Concert Tour picked up $120,000 for the win, increasing his earnings to $156,600.

Freedom Fighter, who had been idle since breaking his maiden at first asking going five furlongs on Aug. 1, ran huge off the bench, finishing 2 ¾ lengths in front of The Chosen Vron. Off at 5-1, Freedom Fighter paid $3.60 and $2.20.

The Chosen Vron, who didn't appear to like being inside a quarter mile from home, kept to his task through the lane in a solid effort. Ridden by Mike Smith, he was off at 7-2 and paid $2.10 to show while finishing six lengths clear of Found My Ball.

Fractions on the race were 23.41, 45.98 and 1:10.56.

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