santa anita | Horse Racing Free Tips

Mucho Gusto Returns in San Antonio

GI Pegasus World Cup S. victor Mucho Gusto (Mucho Macho Man) returns to action in Saturday’s GII San Antonio S. after 10 months on the sidelines. A three-time graded winner as a sophomore last term, the $625,000 EASMAY buy hit the board in both the GI Haskell Invitational S. and GI Runhappy Travers S. last summer. Closing out 2019 with a fourth as the favorite in the GIII Oklahoma Derby last September, the ‘TDN Rising Star’ was privately purchased from Michael Lund Petersen by HRH Prince Faisal Bin Khaled with an eye on the inaugural Saudi Cup. The chestnut prepped for that with a dominant score in the Pegasus World Cup Jan. 25 and was fourth to champion Maximum Security (New Year’s Day) in the $20-million Saudi Cup Feb. 29. Given some time off as his Hall of Fame conditioner Bob Baffert picked up some of the top trophies in the older dirt male division with Maximum Security and Improbable (City Zip), Mucho Gusto displays a bullet laden worktab leading up to this event, which his trainer is likely using as a prep for next month’s Pegasus.

The top three from the GIII Native Diver S.–Extra Hope (Shanghai Bobby), Midcourt (Midnight Lute) and Combatant (Scat Daddy)–take a crack at the Baffert heavy hitter here. Combatant scored a career-high earlier this year with a neck success in the GI Santa Anita H. Midcourt is still awaiting a top-level score, but has placed in several Grade Is this term, including the Aug. 22 GI Pacific Classic and Sept. 26 GI Awesome Again S.

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Smooth Like Strait Headlines Mathis Brothers Mile

Cannon Thoroughbreds’ Smooth Like Strait (Midnight Lute) is the 8-5 morning-line favorite for the GII Mathis Brothers Mile at Santa Anita Saturday. The Mike McCarthy trainee, first or second in five of six starts so far this year, won the Oct. 18 GII Twilight Derby and missed by just a head when second in the Nov. 28 GI Hollywood Derby last time out.

Three Diamond Farms’ Field Pass (Lemon Drop Kid), winner of the July 12 GIII Transylvania S. at Keeneland, was third in the Twilight Derby and returns to the turf following a win over the synthetic surface at Woodbine in the Nov. 21 GIII Ontario Derby.

Storm the Court (Court Vision), still looking for his first win since his 45-1 upset of last year’s GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, will be making his third turf appearance Saturday. The bay colt was second behind Smooth Like Strait in the Aug. 9 GIII La Jolla H. before running sixth in the GI Kentucky Derby. He returned to the lawn to be seventh in the Hollywood Derby last time out.

The post Smooth Like Strait Headlines Mathis Brothers Mile appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Santa Anita Announces Five Finalists for Woolf Award

Santa Anita has announced a group of five finalists for the 2021 George Woolf Memorial Jockey Award, with the winner to be announced in February. One of the most prestigious awards for American jockeys, the Woolf Award, which is determined by a vote of jockeys nationwide, can only be won once.

Jockeys Alex Birzer, Jorge Martin Bourdieu, Kendrick Carmouche, Aaron Gryder and Deshawn Parker, veteran riders who have stood the test of time and have earned the respect of their peers and horsemen in various geographic regions, comprise 2021’s select group of Woolf finalists.

Presented annually by Santa Anita since 1950, the Woolf Award recognizes those riders whose careers and personal character garner esteem for the individual and the sport of Thoroughbred racing. The trophy is a replica of the life-sized statue of legendary Hall of Fame jockey George Woolf, which adorns Santa Anita’s Paddock Gardens area. The 2020 Woolf Award was won by Luis M. Quinones and the 2021 winner will become the 72nd jockey, dating back to Gordon Glisson in 1950, to be so honored.

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Malibu: McCarthy Remains Faithful In Underdog Independence Hall

While bettors ponder whether Charlatan or Nashville will win the Grade 1 Runhappy Malibu Stakes on opening day at Santa Anita Saturday, they can be sure of this: one of them will be the odds-on betting favorite.

Charlatan has been odds-on in the last two of his three career races; Nashville has been odds-on in all three, and each has earned a Beyer figure over 100 in five of their six outings.

All that publicity hubbub aside, that didn't deter Michael McCarthy from entering Independence Hall in the seven furlong race for 3-year-olds as Santa Anita begins its 84th season of world-class racing with six added-money events, two others also ordained with G1 status, the La Brea Stakes for 3-year-old fillies at seven furlongs and the American Oaks, also for 3-year-old fillies but at 1 1/4 miles on turf.

Independence Hall, winner of four races including the G3 Nashua by 12 ¼ lengths going a mile at Aqueduct as a 2-year-old on Nov. 3, 2019, was ridden to victory by Mike Smith last out at Del Mar on Nov. 8, but Joel Rosario returns to ride for the Malibu.

The future Hall of Famer has ridden the son of Constitution twice previously, winning his debut race at Parx on Sept. 21, 2019, and finishing an eventful fifth in the G1 Florida Derby on March 28 of this year.

“We have Rosario back, he's excited to ride him and we're happy to have him,” said McCarthy, scheduled to have a busy opening weekend with stakes performers.

McCarthy's multiple graded stakes winner Smooth Like Strait is set for Saturday's G2 Mathis Brothers Mile, cutting back from the 1 1/8 miles of the G1 Hollywood Derby in which he was second by a head under Umberto Rispoli, who retains the mount on Saturday.

On Sunday, Altea and Rideforthecause make their Southern California debuts for McCarthy in the G3 Robert J. Frankel Stakes for fillies and mares three and up at 1 1/8 miles on turf. “They're both training like nice fillies,” McCarthy said. “I've had them since early November.”

Altea is a well-traveled 5-year-old French-bred daughter of Siyouni, a leading sire of two-year-olds in Europe, who has raced at nine different tracks in her last nine races: Aqueduct, Gulfstream, Tampa, Fair Grounds, Churchill Downs, Keeneland, Saratoga, Monmouth and Belmont Park.

Rideforthecause is a 4-year-old Candy Ride filly with four wins in 11 career starts, nearly all of them at Woodbine where she captured the G2 Canadian on Sept. 12. Rideforthecause worked five furlongs Saturday in 1:01.60, while Smooth Like Strait went four furlongs in 50 flat.

Meanwhile, McCarthy expects his two G1-winning fillies, Ce Ce and Speech, back at Santa Anita from Kentucky “in the middle of January,” along with Pat Day Mile winner Rushie.

Santa Anita's traditional opening day is saturated with stakes, six in all, three of them G1's: the $300,000 Runhappy Malibu; the $300,000 La Brea for 3-year-old fillies at seven furlongs; and the $300,000 American Oaks for three-year-old fillies at 1 ¼ miles on turf.

The post Malibu: McCarthy Remains Faithful In Underdog Independence Hall appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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