Tag: santa anita

A More Aggressive Masteroffoxhounds Proves Best In San Marcos

Confidently handled by Joel Rosario, Rockingham Ranch's Masteroffoxhounds sat a reserved second to the top of the lane and unleashed an impressive stretch run while hand ridden to take Saturday's Grade 2, $200,000 San Marcos Stakes at Santa Anita in Arcadia, Calif.  Trained by Richard Baltas, the 4-year-old colt by War Front got a mile and one quarter on turf in 2:01.39.

With a hillside start, veteran 7-year-old Acclimate made an easy lead and set relatively mild splits of 24.41, 49.37, 1:14.19 and 1:38.49 under Tyler Baze, but Rosario had his prey measured and went on to a solid score in his third start for Baltas since being imported from Ireland late last summer.

“I was worried it was going to be a slow pace, and it was slow at 14 and change,” said Baltas.  “He was impressive last time and (trained) well going into this race…I told Joel to sit second and he did it perfectly.  He let the horse in front relax, but (that) horse is getting old.

“I changed the bridle and I changed the exercise rider.  I just wanted him to be more aggressive. … He's trained forwardly and we're fortunate to have him.”

A rousing 4 ¼-length allowance winner at 1 3/8 miles on turf Nov. 28 at Del Mar, Masteroffoxhounds was the second choice at 8-5 and paid $5.40, $2.60 and $2.40.

Masteroffoxhounds, who is out of the Galileo mare Outstanding, was one for six in Ireland and registered his first graded stakes victory today, improving his overall mark to 9-3-1-1.  With the winner's share of $120,000, he increased his earnings to $172,942.

“The whole time I was tracking the horse in front with a nice stride,” said Rosario, who was aboard Masteroffoxhounds for the first time in the San Marcos.  “I had a lot of confidence in my horse.  I was keeping him focused a bit in the last part, but (he) was much the best in the end.”

A multiple graded stakes winning California-bred gelding, Acclimate was second best on the day, finishing 1 ½ lengths in front of Starting Over.  Off at 6-5, Acclimate, in his 21st career start, paid $2.60 and $2.40.

Ridden by Drayden Van Dyke, Starting Over was off at 19-1 and paid $5.00 to show.

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Street Sense ‘Rising Star’ Gets the ‘Bob’ as Baffert Completes San Vicente Exacta

'TDN Rising Star' Concert Tour (Street Sense) had to work a bit harder Saturday than his 2-5 odds for Santa Anita's GII San Vicente S. might have predicted, but it's never easy to hook a Bob Baffert runner–even when you're one yourself. A 3 1/2-length debut winner while earning a solid 88 Beyer Speed Figure going a furlong shorter Jan. 15, the Gary and Mary West homebred broke on top from the outside six hole, but was soon outsprinted by stablemate Freedom Fighter (Violence). The bay sat perched in third behind splits of :23.41 and :45.98, and sidled up to the leader heading for home. Freedom Fighter put up plenty of resistance, but Concert Tour found a little bit more late to earn the decision by a half length.

“Freedom Fighter just broke like a rocket ship, he's really fast and been doing really well,” said Baffert, who has now won a record 11 San Vicentes and the last two renewals. “[Joel] Rosario [on Concert Tour] 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. He's pretty sharp. That's why we have these races. Now they go to where I can stretch them out. This horse has two races under his belt, but those were two really good horses.”

With another uber deep bench of sophomores, Baffert will be taking a wait-and-see approach as to who will run where along the GI Kentucky Derby trail.

“[Concert Tour] will be nominated everywhere, we will see how he comes out of it,” said the Hall of Famer. “He's pretty keyed up as well. He showed his heart and determination. I knew the other horse was going to give him a run for his money and he did. He's going to improve off of that also.”

Saturday, Santa Anita
SAN VICENTE S.-GII, $200,000, Santa Anita, 2-6, 3yo, 7f, 1:24.06, ft.
1–CONCERT TOUR, 120, c, 3, by Street Sense
1st Dam: Purse Strings, by Tapit
2nd Dam: My Red Porsche, by Mt. Livermore
3rd Dam: Wind Chime, by Marfa
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. 'TDN Rising Star' O-Gary & Mary West; B-Gary & Mary West Stables Inc (KY); T-Bob Baffert; J-Joel Rosario. $120,000. Lifetime Record: 2-2-0-0, $156,600. Werk Nick Rating: A+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Freedom Fighter, 120, c, 3, Violence–Canadian Ballet, by City Zip. ($120,000 Ylg '19 KEESEP). O-SF Racing LLC, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables LLC, Golconda Stables, Siena Farm LLC & Robert E Masterson; B-Troy Reed (KY); T-Bob Baffert. $40,000.
3–The Chosen Vron, 120, g, 3, Vronsky–Tiz Molly, by Tiz Wonderful. O-J Eric Kruljac, Robert Fetkin, John Sondereker & Richard Thornburgh; B-Tiz Molly Partners (CA); T-J Eric Kruljac. $24,000.
Margins: HF, 2 3/4, 6. Odds: 0.40, 5.00, 3.50.
Also Ran: Found My Ball, Uncle Boogie. Scratched: Mr. Impossible. Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.

Pedigree Notes:

Concert Tour is the 77th stakes winner (35 graded) for champion juvenile and fellow 'Rising Star' Street Sense and second out of a Tapit mare, joining track-and-trip 2019 GII Triple Bend S. winner Air Strike. Baffert also trained Street Sense's highest earner to date in MGISW 'Rising Star' McKinzie, and for the Wests conditioned 2013 GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile hero New Year's Day, by Street Sense's sire Street Cry. New Year's Day in turn sired the West's champion 3-year-old Maximum Security.

Concert Tour is one of a growing 42 stakes winners (18 graded) for top sire Tapit. The Wests paid $240,000 for his dam Purse Strings at the 2012 Keeneland September sale. After six runner-up finishes, mostly routing, she cut back to break through in her 12th and final lifetime start at the end of her 4-year-old season. One of Tapit's early standouts, champion 2-year-old filly Stardom Bound, is out of a SW/MGSP half-sister to Concert Tour's second dam My Red Porsche. That second dam is by Mt. Livermore, the broodmare sire of Street Sense's top filly and second leading earner Sweet Reason.

Purse Strings produced a Lookin At Lucky colt in 2020 before being bred back to American Freedom.

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Moonlight D’Oro Overtakes Kalypso In Las Virgenes

Although even-money favorite Kalypso gunned to an uncontested early lead, Richard Mandella's Moonlight d'Oro rallied powerfully off the turn for home to win Saturday's Grade 3, $200,000 Las Virgenes Stakes by 1 ½ lengths at Santa Anita in Arcadia, Calif.  Ridden by Flavien Prat, Moonlight d'Oro got a flat mile in 1:38.01.

With an avalanche of late money coming her way, Kalyspo darted to the Las Virgenes lead under Joel Rosario and maintained a one-length advantage over Honor America and Moraz as the field headed up the backside five furlongs out.

Last but only 2 ½ lengths off the leader while on the move mid-way around the far turn, Moonlight d'Oro wheeled three-wide turning for home and met little resistance from the favorite as she won going away under a hand ride.

“I was trying to see if I should stay inside or go around, and I decided to go around,” said Prat. “She was there for me when I asked her to go.  Rosario was at the front and nobody was really bothering him, but when I came around the turn, I made that great move and tried to get some momentum out of it. She was traveling nicely behind horses, and I was very happy with how she ran.”

An impressive three-length maiden winner at the same distance on Dec. 13 at Los Alamitos, Moonlight d'Oro was the second choice at 6-5 in field of five sophomore fillies and paid $4.60, $2.20 and $2.10.

“It turned out good. I was worried she got a little washy going to the gate, and she was a lamb over at Los Alamitos where she should have gotten upset,” said Mandella. “Sometimes you take them over to something like that and then the next time they're looking for the excitement.”

Owned by MyRacehorse and Spendthrift Farm, LLC, Moonlight d'Oro, a Kentucky-bred daughter of Medaglia d'Oro, out of the Bernardini mare Venetian Sonata, now has two wins from four starts and with the winner's share of $120,000, increased her earnings to $163,040.

“How can you do any better than they have done?” Mandella said of the owners. “Kentucky Derby and Breeders' Cup.”

An important prep to the G2 Santa Anita Oaks on April 3, the Las Virgenes winner will receive 10 Kentucky Oaks (April 30) qualifying points, with four, two and one given to those finishing underneath.

Trained by Bob Baffert, Kalypso finished 1 ¾ lengths in front of Moraz and paid $2.40 and $2.10.

Ridden by Umberto Rispoli and trained by Michael McCarthy, Moraz was off at 4-1 and paid $2.10 to show.

Fractions on the race were 23.25, 47.47, 1:12.72 and 1:25.17.

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