santa anita | Horse Racing Free Tips

Oaks Points On The Line As Moonlight D’Oro Will Be Tested In Las Virgenes

Richard Mandella's impressive recent maiden winner Moonlight d'Oro and Bob Baffert's graded stakes winning Kalypso headline a field of five sophomore fillies going one mile in Saturday's Grade 3, $200,000 Las Virgenes Stakes at Santa Anita.

An important prep to the Grade 2 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.

The 4-5 favorite in her first try at two turns, Moonlight d'Oro pressed the early pace and drew off to a solid three length win going a flat mile on Dec. 13 at Los Alamitos under Flavien Prat, who will ride back in the Las Virgenes. A $620,000 Keeneland September Yearling, Moonlight d'Oro finished a close second as the 3-5 favorite in her five furlong debut Aug. 2 and was then third, beaten 1 ½ lengths going six furlongs on Nov. 7.

Owned by MyRacehorse and Spendthrift Farm, LLC, Moonlight d'Oro is by Medaglia d'Oro and is out of the Bernardini mare Venetian Sonata. With a Las Virgenes-best 87 Beyer Speed figure in hand, she'll be making her fourth career start on Saturday.

Never worse than third in five starts, Kalypso was second going a mile and one sixteenth in the Grade 1 Starlet at Los Alamitos on Dec. 5 and cut back in distance to register a 1 ¾ length win going seven furlongs in the Grade 2 Santa Ynez Stakes here on Jan. 3 as the 4-5 favorite. Off at 11-1 in the Starlet, she tired late, calling into question her ability to beat top caliber competition routing.

Owned by David Bernsen, LLC and Rockingham Ranch, Kalypso, a chestnut filly by Brody's Cause out of the Malibu Moon mare Malibu Cove, got an 81 Beyer in winning the Santa Ynez and retains the services of Joel Rosario.

A gutty nose maiden winner going six furlongs on Jan. 10, the Shelbe Ruis-trained Honor America will stretch out for the first time in her third start and be ridden back by leading man Juan Hernandez. Owned by Ruis Racing, LLC, Honor America is by Into Mischief, out of the Honour and Glory mare Honour Isabel, Honor America sold for $250,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Mid-Atlantic 2-year-olds in training sale in May of 2020.

Claimed two starts back on Nov. 20 out of a maiden $50,000 claiming win going six furlongs, Doug O'Neill's Brilliant Cut was then head and head with Kalypso for the early lead in the Santa Ynez and finished third, beaten 3 ¼ lengths. Owned by ERJ Racing, LLC, David Kenney, William Strauss and Dennis and Doug O'Neill, Brilliant Cut will be ridden back by Ricky Gonzalez as she tries two turns for the first time in what will be her sixth start.

THE GRADE 3 LAS VIRGENES STAKES WITH JOCKEYS & WEIGHTS IN POST POSITION ORDER

Race 3 of 10 Approximate post time 1 p.m. PT

Moraz—Umberto Rispoli–120
Kalypso—Joel Rosario—120
Moonlight d'Oro—Flavien Prat—120
Honor America—Juan Hernandez–120
Brilliant Cut—Ricky Gonzalez—120

Early first post time for a 10-race card on Saturday is at 12 noon. All of Santa Anita's races are available free of charge at santaanita.com/live and fans can watch and wager via 1st.com/Bet.

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Maiden Winners Concert Tour, The Chosen Vron Head Field Of Six For San Vicente

A pair of impressive first time maiden winners, Bob Baffert's Concert Tour and Eric Kruljac's The Chosen Vron, head a field of six sophomores going seven furlongs in Saturday's Grade 2, $200,000 San Vicente Stakes at Santa Anita.

Under a snug hold early, Concert Tour could not have been any more impressive on Jan. 15, as he drew out to a 3 ½ length win going six furlongs in a manner that suggested he should relish more distance. By Street Sense out of the Tapit mare Purse Strings, this Gary and Mary West homebred colt appeared well within himself as the even money favorite and figures to again be a short price with Joel Rosario back aboard.

A California-bred gelding by Vronsky, The Chosen Vron was very quick from the gate in his 6 ½ furlong debut Dec. 27 and he was much the best among nine statebred rivals as the 2-1 favorite, winning off by 6 ¾ lengths under eastern-based John Velazquez.

Out of the Tiz Wonderful mare Tiz Molly, The Chosen Vron is owned by Eric Kruljac, Robert Fetkin, John Sondereker and Richard Thornburgh. Although impressive in his debut, he'll be facing much tougher with Mike Smith up.

Second to Concert Tour at odds of 3-1, Simon Callaghan's Mr. Impossible will hope to turn the tables in what will also be his second start. Although a non-threatening runner-up, he finished eight lengths clear of the third horse in his debut and will retain the services of Umberto Rispoli.

A Kentucky-bred colt by Munnings, out of the Shamardal mare Qaraaba, Mr. Impossible is owned by his breeder, Alice Bamford, and Michael Tabor.

The “other Baffert” in the San Vicente field is Freedom Fighter. Idle since breaking his maiden at first asking on Aug. 1, it's worth noting he was the heavy 1-2 favorite in a field of nine, showed good speed and prevailed in game fashion by a head. Owned by SF Racing, LLC, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables, LLC, Golconda Stables, Siena Farm, LLC and Robert Masterson, this colt by Violence has been training in solid fashion for his return with Drayden Van Dyke up.

Like The Chosen Vron, Reddam Racing's homebred Found My Ball is a California-bred stepping into open company. A runaway six length maiden going six furlongs in his second start on Jan. 22, this chestnut colt by Square Eddie, out of the Ten Most Wanted mare Silar Rules, will be ridden back by Mario Gutierrez.

An important prep to the Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby on April 3, the San Vicente will be run for the 79th time on Saturday. No points to the Kentucky Derby are offered in the seven-furlong contest, but it has been used as a precursor to Derby preps in the past.

THE GRADE 2 SAN VICENTE WITH JOCKEYS & WEIGHTS IN POST POSITION ORDER

Race 7 of 10 Approximate post time 3 p.m. PT

Freedom Fighter—Drayden Van Dyke–120
The Chosen Vron—Mike Smith—120
Mr. Impossible—Umberto Rispoli—120
Uncle Boogie—Abel Cedillo—120
Found My Ball—Mario Gutierrez—120
Concert Tour—Joel Rosario–120

Early first post time for a 10-race card on Saturday is at 12 noon. All of Santa Anita's races are available free of charge at santaanita.com/live and fans can watch and wager via 1st.com/Bet.

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‘He’s Got Game’: Baffert Impressed By Medina Spirit’s Gutty Victory In Robert B. Lewis

Move over, Authentic.

In a performance even more surreal than Authentic's Kentucky Derby triumph, Medina Spirit upstaged Bob Baffert's newly minted Horse of the Year Saturday, staring defeat in the eye down the homestretch and refusing to blink, holding off two pursuers through the last quarter mile to win the Grade 3 Robert B. Lewis Stakes in a stretch run for the ages.

It wasn't Jaipur and Bill Shoemaker and Ridan and Manuel Ycaza going neck and neck for a mile and a quarter in the 1962 Travers, Jaipur on the outside eventually winning by a nose, but the three-horse battle down the lane in the Lewis will do until the next thing comes along.

(Aside to readers: It's worth watching the '62 Travers and hear announcer Fred Capossela's distinctive, halting, staccato, call. Comedian Robert Klein does a classic impression of 'Cappy' who when asked by his wife what he wants for dinner, responds with, 'I'll have Caesar salad first, roast beef second, mashed potatoes third, peas and carrots fourth …).”

Even Baffert thought he wasn't going to win after Roman Centurian and Hot Rod Charlie hooked pacesetting Medina Spirit at the head of the stretch. As it was, Medina Spirit, who led virtually from the start after breaking from the rail, prevailed by a short neck over Roman Centurian, with Hot Rod Charlie a nose back in third.

“I thought he was beat,” Baffert said after the race.

All was well on Sunday with Baffert's record 10th Lewis triumph safely in the archives.

“He was gutty as could be, showed some grit, and that's what you want to see,” Baffert said Sunday morning. “He's got game. He beat a good field and the California horses (on the Triple Crown trail) are pretty strong.”

Baffert now has the enviable but challenging assignment of deciding on Medina Spirit's next race, as he must with individual Kentucky Derby Future Wager favorite Life Is Good, among others in his barn of well-stocked sophomore bluebloods.

“We'll just go week by week,” Baffert said. “I don't really plan anything out. I'll wait a couple weeks before I decide. As a matter of fact, I wasn't even going to run in the Lewis until the last minute. I decided I liked the way he (Medina Spirit) worked, put him in there, didn't want to be sittin' on him, breezing him. Sometimes they get hurt just working them, so I'd just rather put a race into him.

“We're learning about the horse. It wasn't an ideal way for him to run that way yesterday (on the lead from the rail), but his hand was sort of set from the start when he broke a little slow and he (Abel Cedillo) couldn't really take him back. He never had a chance to really get him out like he did the last time (second to Life Is Good in the Sham).

“There was a lot of speed yesterday, and from a different post he could have relaxed more. But it was good for him, he got something out of it and showed there's a lot of quality.

“It puts him right up with what's out there now. We still haven't seen any American Pharoahs or Justifys yet, but Medina Spirit's win makes Life Is Good look better, too.

“This next couple months you'll see a lot of horses change.”

As to Spielberg, who finished a disappointing fourth, beaten just over 11 lengths, Baffert said, “He was never really in it. He didn't like dirt in his face. He didn't show up, but they'll do that.”

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O’Neill Has Plenty Of Triple Crown Horsepower With Hot Rod Charlie, The Great One

Santa Anita training leader Doug O'Neill was more than pleased with Hot Rod Charlie's 3-year-old debut in Saturday's Grade 3 Robert B. Lewis Stakes at the Arcadia, Calif., track, in which he ran a game third to Medina Spirit, beaten a neck and a nose for all the money.

“Hot Rod Charlie came out of the race in great shape,” O'Neill said. “We're so proud of him. He got a 91 Beyer in his return and ran a real game race against other really top 3-year-olds.

“I haven't really decided where we'll go next, but we're excited to get him back and kind of bridge the gap from where he left off in the Breeders' Cup (Juvenile, when second at 94-1 to Eclipse Award champion 2-year-old male of 2020 Essential Quality).”

Meanwhile, 14-length maiden winner The Great One is set for the G2 San Felipe Stakes on March 6. “He's doing super,” O'Neill said.

O'Neill also has Brilliant Cut ticketed for Saturday's G3 Las Virgenes Stakes for 3-year-old fillies at one mile. The daughter of Speightstown will be making her first start beyond seven furlongs.

“She's doing well and acts like two turns won't be a problem, but you never know until you try,” O'Neill said.

“She's in good form right now.”

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