santa anita | Horse Racing Free Tips

‘She’s Got A Big Future’: Dogtag Takes Possibly Perfect As Heavy Favorite

Trainer Richard Mandella's heavily favored Dogtag rallied from mid-pack to take Sunday's $75,000 Possibly Perfect Stakes by 1 ¼ lengths, thus providing Santa Anita's runaway leading rider Flavien Prat with his fourth win of the day and his 79^th victory through 56 racing days at the Arcadia, Calif., track.

With a hillside start, Dogtag was allowed to settle into stride in the first run by the wire as Prat had her on a long rein, about 3 ½ lengths off pacesetter Desert Oasis heading into the far turn. Despite the fact Dogtag had moderate fractions to run into, she unfurled a dazzling turn of foot around the turn and hit the front turning for home, from where she was not seriously challenged.

A handy 1 ½-length second condition allowance winner while pressing the pace at a flat mile here on May 16, Dogtag, a 4-year-old filly by War Front who is owned by her breeder, LNJ Foxwoods, was off as the 4-5 favorite in a field of seven fillies and mares and paid $3.60, $2.80 and $2.20.

“She was very professional and she handled the course beautifully,” said Prat, who was aboard for the first time today. “The mile and a quarter is always a question, but just about everybody was trying it for the first time and the way she relaxed, it was no problem at all. When I asked her around the turn, she took me to the lead very nice, it looks like she's got a big future.”

Out of the Unbridled's Song mare Diamond Necklace, Dogtag who was Grade 3 stakes placed last July at Saratoga when trained by Chad Brown, picked up her third non-graded stakes win in her third start for Mandella and improved her overall mark to 9-4-1-2. With the winner's share of $48,360, Dogtag increased her earnings to $247,511.

“She seems to be getting better and better,” said Mandella. “I thought she'd break sharp and be on the lead, but Flavien got her to settle real nice, which was good. He usually does the right thing. We'll go ahead and point to the John Mabee at Del Mar (Grade 2, 1 1/8 miles on turf Sept. 5).”

Ridden by Tiago Pereira, Don't Blame Judy rallied from next to last to finish second, besting a late closing Pretty Point by a head. Off at 10-1, Don't Blame Judy paid $6.60 and $4.20.

Ridden by Mike Smith, Pretty Point got rolling late from last and paid $3.80 to show while off at 9-1.

With three days remaining in the current stand which concludes next Sunday, Prat has built an unsurmountable 23-length advantage over Abel Cedillo, 83-60.

Fractions on the Possibly Perfect were 23.70, 48.20, 1:12.82 and 1:37.26.

Racing resumes on Friday with first post time for a nine-race card at 1 p.m.

The post ‘She’s Got A Big Future’: Dogtag Takes Possibly Perfect As Heavy Favorite appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Son Of Hot California Sire Clubhouse Ride Takes Aim At Snow Chief Stakes

Margot's Boy, yet another son of the “now” California stallion Clubhouse Ride, goes for his fourth straight victory and his first stakes triumph in Saturday's $150,000 Snow Chief Stakes at a mile and an eighth on turf at Santa Anita in Arcadia, Calif.

The race is named for the Eclipse Award winner as champion 3-year-old male of 1986 who retired in 1987 as the all-time California-bred earnings leader with $3,383,210.

He was trained by Mel Stute.

Clubhouse Ride stands at Pete and Evelyn Parrella's 145-acre Legacy Ranch in Clements, California, for $3,500.

Owned and bred by Alfred Pais (pronounced pie-EEZ), Margot's Boy's style is one of catch me if you can. In his last three races, he went to the front and stayed there, although at a mile and one eighth the Snow Chief will mark his longest race yet.

“We'll see how it develops; he doesn't have to be in front,” said Craig Lewis, who also conditioned multiple Grade 2 winner Clubhouse Ride.

“But I prefer to be in front if nobody else wants to be there and if he doesn't have to go too fast.”

Drayden Van Dyke has ridden Margot's Boy in all of his races and will be aboard again Saturday in the Snow Chief, one in the lucrative Golden State Series, this restricted to 3-year-olds.

“I won't have to tell Drayden anything,” Lewis said. “He knows the horse very well. He's a smart rider; I'm sure everything will be fine.

The post Son Of Hot California Sire Clubhouse Ride Takes Aim At Snow Chief Stakes appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Ward ‘n Jerry Making Quick Turnaround For San Juan Capistrano

There's an old saying in racing about a horse that “can run all day,” and it applies wholeheartedly to Ward 'n Jerry, a 7-year-old California-bred son of Lucky Pulpit whose forte is marathon turf races.

That's why the gelding owned and bred by Mr. and Mrs. Larry Williams is coming back on a quick turnaround in next Sunday's traditional closing day feature, the Grade 3 San Juan Capistrano Stakes at a mile and three-quarters on turf.

One might say Ward 'n Jerry tuned up for the race in his last start on June 6 when he made a mild rally to finish fifth in the one-mile Crystal Water Stakes under 126 pounds.

“That wasn't quite his distance,” said Mike Puype, who sent out Ward 'n Jerry to win the G3 San Luis Rey Stakes at a mile and a half on grass March 21 at Santa Anita. “There's not really anything at Del Mar at a distance he likes so we have nothing to lose coming back here in just two weeks.

“Looking at the field, there's not that many horses of quality that can run that far, either. It's a good spot. … He's going to be pretty tough to beat in there.”

In 21 career races, Ward 'n Jerry has won six, with two seconds and three thirds for earnings of $375,579. All but his first three races–all sprints–have come on turf, the last 18 in a row at a mile or longer.

Puype, 53, a native of Phoenix, has been training since 1986, and has the utmost respect for Mr. and Mrs. Williams. “I've been with them a long time,” he said. “They're great clients.”

They live in Boise, Idaho, and in 1979 Williams founded the Idaho Timber Corporation, which grew into one of the top 10 private corporations in Idaho.

Should Puype capture the San Juan, it would still leave him in pursuit of a record that will never be broken, established by Charlie Whittingham, who won the race a remarkable 14 times.

The post Ward ‘n Jerry Making Quick Turnaround For San Juan Capistrano appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Texas Red’s Connections Send Out His First Winner at Santa Anita

MY GIRL RED (f, 2, Texas Red–Morakami {SP, $145,432}, by Fusaichi Pegasus), sent off at 2-1 for the same connections that campaigned her sire (by Afleet Alex) to victories in the 2014 GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile and 2015 GII Jim Dandy S., became the freshman’s first winner with a sharp showing at Santa Anita Sunday. Sharp from the blocks, the bay dueled along the fence with a longshot early before shaking loose at the top of the stretch. She ran up the score from there, streaking away to don cap and gown by five good-looking lengths. Favored Miss Baylee (Dominus) finished well to be second. The winner’s stakes-placed dam was purchased by Erich Brehm for just $21,000 at Keeneland January in 2017 carrying a Street Boss colt who would eventually become Gold Street (Street Boss), MSW, $229,468. My Girl Red is also half to Over Thinking (Overanalyze), SP, $241,081; and Oh Marvelous Me (Bluegrass Cat), GSP, $201,798. Her second dam is MSW Astrid (Concern). Morakami produced another Texas Red filly in 2019 and a Kitten’s Joy filly May 5. Sales history: $70,000 RNA ylg ’19 OBSOCT. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0.
O/B-Erich G. Brehm (Ky). T-J. Keith Desormeaux.

The post Texas Red’s Connections Send Out His First Winner at Santa Anita appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post