Tag: santa anita

Count Again Will Try To Maintain Momentum In San Gabriel

Canadian-bred Count Again, fresh off the biggest win of his career in what was his first start for Phil D'Amato, will try to employ similar tactics under Juan Hernandez as he heads a field of seven older horses going a mile and one eighth on turf in Saturday's Grade 2, $200,000 San Gabriel Stakes at Santa Anita.

A 6-year-old gelding by Awesome Again, Count Again is one of five horses exiting the G2 Seabiscuit Stakes, which was run at a mile and one sixteenth over the Del Mar turf on Nov. 28. Previously headquartered in Toronto at Woodbine Racecourse, Count Again took a G3 turf stakes there three starts back at a mile and one quarter and should relish the added sixteenth of mile on Saturday. With four wins from eight starts, Count Again earned a career best 100 Beyer Speed figure in the Seabiscuit.

Peter Miller's Anothertwistafate, fourth as the 2-1 favorite with Joel Rosario in the Seabiscuit, will try to turn the tables on Count Again in what will be his second turf try. A lightly raced 5-year-old colt by Scat Daddy, he won the G3 Longacres Mile in his first start of 2020 on Sept 10. With Rosario riding him back in the San Gabriel, he'll be seeking his fifth win from 10 career starts.

Richard Baltas will be represented by a pair of horses coming off solid third place finishes, Bob and Jackie, who was third going a mile on turf in the G3 City of Hope Mile here Oct. 3, and the venerable Next Shares, who rallied to be third in the Seabiscuit at odds of 20-1.

Off the board in just two of eight starts, Bob and Jackie sat a close second early in the City of Hope and finished third, beaten three lengths while earning a career best 100 Beyer with Heriberto Figueroa, who has guided him to four wins from eight overall starts. A three-time minor stakes winner, this 5-year-old horse by Twirling Candy will seek his first graded win on Saturday.

Next Shares, an 8-year-old gelding by Archarcharch, rallied to be beaten 1 ½ lengths by Count Again in the Seabiscuit and must be respected as a late threat. A winner of the 2019 San Gabriel, Next Shares is the leading money earner in the field with $1,833,071 from an overall mark of 36-7-5-4.

THE GRADE II SAN GABRIEL WITH JOCKEYS & WEIGHTS IN POST POSITION ORDER

Race 7 of 9 Approximate post time 3:30 p.m.

  1. Cleopatra's Strike—Kent Desormeaux—120
  2. Next Shares—Jose Valdivia, Jr.—120
  3. Bob and Jackie—Heriberto Figueroa—120
  4. Multiplier—Abel Cedillo—120
  5. Count Again—Juan Hernandez—124
  6. Anothertwistafate—Joel Rosario—122
  7. Bowies Hero—Flavien Prat—120

First post time for a nine-race card on Saturday is at 12:30 p.m. All of Santa Anita's races are offered free of charge at santaanita.com/live and fans can watch and wager at 1st.com/Bet.

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Derby Prep: Dazzling Maiden Winner Life Is Good Stretches Out In Saturday’s Sham Stakes

A dazzling 9 ½ length maiden winner in his first start, Bob Baffert's Life Is Good will no doubt be a short priced favorite as he stretches out to a flat mile and heads a field of five sophomores in Saturday's Grade 3, $100,000 Sham Stakes at Santa Anita.

Named in honor of the winner of the 1973 Santa Anita Derby, the Sham winner will receive 10 Kentucky Derby qualifying points, with four to second, two to third and one Derby qualifying point to the fourth place finisher.

Off at 1-5 with Mike Smith up in a field of five going 6 ½ furlongs on Nov. 22 at Del Mar, Life Is Good earned a lofty 91 Beyer Speed figure in his maiden win, easily best of those competing in the Sham. Purchased as a Keeneland September Yearling for $525,000, he made the lead easily through splits of 21.80, 44.80 and 1:09 flat en route to a smashing 9 ½ length score while getting the distance in 1:15.40.

Bred in Kentucky by Gary and Mary West, Life Is Good is by top stallion Into Mischief and is out of the Distorted Humor mare Beach Walk, who was winless in five starts. Owned by China Horse Club, Inc. and WinStar Farm, Life Is Good will be making his second start as he tries to provide Baffert, who won the 2020 Sham with eventual Kentucky Derby winner Authentic, with his record seventh Sham Stakes winner.

Baffert will also be represented by first-out maiden winner Medina Spirit, who sped to a three length score going 5 ½ furlongs at Los Alamitos on Dec. 11 while earning a 76 Beyer.

The John Shirreffs-conditioned Parnelli, a $500,000 Keeneland September Yearling, was attentive to the early pace en route to a huge 5 ¾ length maiden win as the 1-5 favorite going a flat mile at Del Mar on Nov. 28. Owned by Lee and Susan Searing's C R K Stable, Parnelli, who is by Quality Road, out of the unraced Bernardini mare Sip Sip, will likely set a close second to Life Is Good in what will be his fifth start. Second in his first three assignments, the last two at one mile, Parnelli earned a 79 Beyer in breaking his maiden and will be ridden back by Drayden Van Dyke.

Shirreffs will also saddle Waspirant, who also broke his maiden at one mile, winning by three quarters of a lengths after stalking the pace on Aug. 29 at Del Mar with regular rider Umberto Rispoli. Subsequently a well beaten fourth in the G1 American Pharoah going a mile and one sixteenth here Sept. 26, he'll be making his fourth start and third consecutive try at two turns in the Sham.

Owned and bred by Pam and Martin Wygod, Waspirant is by Union Rags out of the Storm Cat mare Life is Sweet, who was a multiple Grade I stakes winning earner of more than $1.8 million.

A first-out maiden $32,000 claiming winner going 5 ½ furlongs here on Oct. 12, trainer Andrew Lerner's Uncle Boogie came back to be a solid second in a first condition allowance going 5 ½ furlongs as the even money favorite at Del Mar Oct. 31. Most recently second to runaway winner Red Flag in the G3 Bob Hope Stakes at seven furlongs Nov. 15, Uncle Boogie, a Florida-bred colt by Ride On Curlin who was purchased for $38,000 at an Ocala Sales 2-year-old in training sale in July, retains the services of Flavien Prat will likely seek a stalking trip in his first try around two turns. Owned by Eric Homme, he'll be making his fourth overall start.

THE G3 SHAM STAKES WITH JOCKEYS & WEIGHTS IN POST POSITION ORDER

Race 8 of 9 Approximate post time 4 p.m. PT

  1. Medina Spirit—Abel Cedillo—120
  2. Waspirant—Umberto Rispoli—120
  3. Parnelli—Drayden Van Dyke—120
  4. Uncle Boogie—Flavien Prat—120
  5. Life Is Good—Mike Smith—120

First post time for a nine-race card on Saturday is at 12:30 p.m. All of Santa Anita's races are offered free of charge at santaanita.com/live and fans can watch and wager at 1st.com/Bet.

The post Derby Prep: Dazzling Maiden Winner Life Is Good Stretches Out In Saturday’s Sham Stakes appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Ricardo Gonzalez Wins First Grade 1, Voted Jockey Of The Week

Ricardo “Ricky” Gonzalez's decision to move his tack from Northern California to Southern California was a decision that brought him his first career Grade 1 win and Jockey of the Week honors for the week of Dec. 21 through Dec. 27. The award, which is voted on by a panel of racing experts, is for jockeys who are members of the Jockeys' Guild, the organization which represents more than 950 active riders in the United States as well as retired and permanently disabled jockeys.

Trainer Eoin Harty gave Gonzalez a leg up on Fair Maiden in the G1 La Brea for 3-year-old fillies on Santa Anita's opening day. Off at odds of 20-1 and seventh of 10 in the early portion of the seven-furlong race, she gained ground on the far turn, kicking clear to win by 2-1/4 lengths in 1:22.69.

“I've been watching Ricky since he came down here and I think he's the next superstar,” said Harty.

On his first career G1 win Gonzalez remarked, “I was just so happy and excited, just to ride these kinds of horses, it feels great. I am very thankful to Eoin and all the trainers for all the opportunities.”

In the final stakes of opening day, Gonzalez was aboard Nasty for trainer Richard Baltas in the one mile Lady of Shamrock Stakes for 3-year-old fillies. Nasty took a commanding lead in the first half of the turf contest and held off a furious rally from East Coast invader Counterparty Risk for the win.

A native of Sinaloa, Mexico, Gonzalez came to the United States in 2013 first to Turf Paradise. He soon moved his tack to Golden Gate Fields where he rode regularly until this summer beginning with the Del Mar meet where he rode 16 winners.

Gonzalez's weekly stats were 10-2-1-3 with purse earnings of $257,160.

Gonzalez out-polled fellow riders Flavien Prat who won two stakes at Santa Anita, Mike Smith who also won two stakes races at Santa Anita, Jevian Toledo with three stakes wins at Laurel and Edgard Zayas who led all jockeys in wins with nine.

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Wildman Jack Has 10 New Year’s Day Foes In Joe Hernandez Stakes At Santa Anita

W.C. Racing's homebred Wildman Jack, a graded stakes winning 5-year-old gelding by 2013 Santa Anita Derby winner Goldencents, heads a wide-open field of 11 older horses in Friday's New Year's Day feature, the Grade II, $200,000 Joe Hernandez Stakes at 6 ½ furlongs over the Santa Anita turf in Arcadia, Calif.

Most recently seventh, beaten three lengths after taking the lead turning for home in the G1 Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint at Keeneland on Nov. 7, Wildman Jack, who is trained by Doug O'Neill, was a big second, beaten one length two starts back in the 5 ½ furlong turf Eddie D Stakes here on Sept. 25.

A nose winner of the G3 Daytona Stakes five starts back on May 23, 2020, Wildman Jack has a win and two seconds from three tries over the Santa Anita turf and like the rest of the field, he'll be running out of Santa Anita's newly christened turf chute for the first time on Friday.

Out of the Orientate mare Orientatious, Wildman Jack is 12-4-3-1 overall with earnings of $439,005.

Other prominent contenders include trainer Graham Motion's venerable Irish-bred True Valour, who is based at Fair Hill Training Center in Maryland and will be will be making his 30th career start at age seven.  No stranger to Santa Anita, True Valour, who was based in Southern California with Simon Callaghan for parts of three racing seasons beginning in 2018, he's a two time graded stakes winner going one mile over the local lawn from nine tries.

Although primarily a router throughout his career, True Valour transitioned to sprinting two starts back, taking a 6 ½-furlong classified allowance over Woodbine's synthetic Tapeta on Nov. 14 and he comes off a solid third in an ungraded six furlong turf stakes at Aqueduct Nov. 28.

Owned by R.L. Johnson, True Valour is 29-6-2-8 overall with earnings of $462,237.

In addition to Wildman Jack, Doug O'Neill will also be represented by Blitzkrieg, a winner of the G3 American Stakes here five starts back who will be shortening up out of three consecutive turf routes.  Owned by R3 Racing, LLC and Calara Farms, Blitzkrieg has four wins from 11 tries over the Santa Anita turf and he has earnings of $411,457 from an overall mark of 25-6-1-1.

Hronis Racing's classy Encoder, idle since February 1 for John Sadler, rates a huge chance with Tyler Baze engaged to ride.  A first-out five-furlong turf maiden winner at Del Mar in August 2019, he followed that up with a game head victory in the Del Mar Juvenile Turf on Sept. 1, 2019.

A well beaten fifth on dirt in the G3 Robert B. Lewis Stakes Feb. 1, he pressed the early pace en route to a half-length score in the one-mile turf Eddie Logan Stakes two starts back on Dec. 29, 2019.  Back on his preferred surface on Friday, Encoder should plenty tough while attentive to the pace.

The Joe Hernandez is named in honor of the original voice of Santa Anita, who called more than 15,000 consecutive races from Dec. 25, 1934 until he collapsed while calling his final race on January 27, 1972.

JOE HERNANDEZ STAKES WITH JOCKEYS & WEIGHTS

IN POST POSITION ORDER

Race 7 of 9    Approximate post time 3:30 p.m. PT

  1. Texas Wedge—Flavien Prat—120
  2. P R Radio Star—Juan Hernandez—120
  3. Encoder—Tyler Baze—120
  4. Hembree—Joel Rosario—120
  5. True Valour—Drayden Van Dyke—120
  6. Blitzkrieg—Victor Espinoza—122
  7. Wildman Jack—Abel Cedillo—122
  8. Chaos Theory—Umberto Rispoli—122
  9. Oiseau de Guerre—Ruben Fuentes—120
  10. Mesut—Mike Smith—120
  11. Ohio—Ricky Gonzalez—120

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