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Charlatan Romps in Runhappy Malibu

A pair of Speightstown ‘TDN Rising Stars’–Nashville and Charlatan–looked to have their four rivals over a barrel in Saturday’s GI Runhappy Malibu S., the traditional post-Christmas opening day feature at Santa Anita Park. The former had the benefit of recency, his three wins from as many starts coming by 24 3/4 lengths combined, while the latter was resurfacing for the first time since crossing the line best in the faster of the two divisions of the GI Arkansas Derby May 2. Nashville was sent off the 13-10 favorite to continue his streak, but Charlatan belied his absence with a thoroughly dominating victory, treating those who maintained the faith to a relatively juicy $5.20 as the second betting choice. Express Train (Union Rags) and Collusion Illusion (Twirling Candy) filled out the minors, as Nashville struggled home a well-beaten fourth.

“They were rolling early, there was a really good horse he was chasing,” said Baffert. “I’m just happy for the whole team and everybody involved, to show he is a really special horse. Hopefully, we will have a good year [2021] with him.”

The early part of the Malibu played out as most pace handicappers had mapped it–Nashville was quickest out and made the lead with a minimum of fuss, and Charlatan–perhaps not quite as brilliantly fast–was content to chase from second beneath Hall of Famer Mike Smith. Nashville’s opening couple of furlongs were covered in :21.81 and his half-mile split of :43.95 was in line with the :43.87 he’d clocked in winning his debut at Saratoga Sept. 2 and again in his Perryville S. romp Nov. 7. Comparisons with those two races ended right about the quarter pole. Nashville was confronted by Charlatan, but the colt offered little resistance, and Charlatan was off and gone, geared down by Smith in the final 100 yards to score with something left in the tank.

“To run against these types of horses was a feat itself, but I always thought he was a special horse,” said Smith, who won the Malibu aboard McKinzie (Street Sense) and Omaha Beach (War Front) in 2018 and 2019, respectively. “I’ve had the opportunity to watch him, California is his home base, so I’ve seen a lot of him and always wanted a chance to ride him. When Bob told me I got the call, man I’ve been kind of on cloud nine ever since. He is extremely special.”

Charlatan was deemed a no-brainer ‘Rising Star’ off a 5 3/4-length thrashing of the solid Shooters Shoot (Competitive Edge) on his Feb. 16 debut before treating future GSW Rushie (Liam’s Map) to a 10 1/4-length beating in a one-mile allowance Mar. 14. Forced to ship out of town when coronavirus put a halt to racing locally shortly thereafter, Charlatan was 40 cents on the dollar and reported home six lengths to the good at Oaklawn in early May, only to be disqualified for a drug positive. Charlatan was being pointed for the first leg of the reconstituted Triple Crown–the June 20 GI Belmont S.–but suffered an ankle injury and had not been heard from since.

Pedigree Notes:

Charlatan is the 20th Grade I/Group 1 winner, 59th GSW and 120th black-type winner for Speightstown and the stallion’s fourth top-level winner in 2020, joining Echo Town, Mozu Superflare and Lady Speightspeare. Quiet American is now the broodmare sire of 123 SWs and 43 GSWs and 15 at G1/GI level, including Horse of the Year Saint Liam (Saint Ballado), champion Bernardini (A.P. Indy) and Whywhywhy (Mr. Greeley) from the same Gone West sire line as Charlatan. Authenticity, who was second in the GI Zenyatta S. and third in the GI Breeders’ Cup Distaff at Santa Anita, is the dam of the 2-year-old Bennyfromthebronx (Tapit), a $300,000 Keeneland September yearling who breezed five furlongs in 1:03.80 (6/10) at Payson Park Dec. 22, and a yearling Into Mischief filly.

Saturday, Santa Anita
RUNHAPPY MALIBU S.-GI, $300,500, Santa Anita, 12-26, 3yo, 7f, 1:21.50, ft.
1–CHARLATAN, 120, c, 3, by Speightstown
            1st Dam: Authenticity (MGSW & MGISP, $883,362),
                    by Quiet American
            2nd Dam: Court of Appeal, by Deputy Minister
            3rd Dam: Appealing Missy, by Lypheor (GB)
1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN, 1ST GRADE I
WIN. ‘TDN Rising Star’ ($700,000 Ylg ’18 KEESEP). O-SF Racing
LLC, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables LLC, Stonestreet Stables
LLC, Frederick Hertrich, III, John D. Fielding, and Golconda
Stables; B-Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings LLC (KY); T-Bob
Baffert; J-Mike E. Smith. $180,000. Lifetime Record: 4-3-0-0,
$247,200. *1/2 to Hanalei Moon (Malibu Moon), SW-USA,
SP-Can, $296,840. Click for eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
   Werk Nick Rating: C+.
2–Express Train, 120, c, 3, Union Rags–I’m a Flake, by
Mineshaft. ($500,000 Ylg ’18 KEESEP). O-C R K Stable LLC;
B-Dixiana Farms LLC (KY); T-John A. Shirreffs. $60,000.
3–Collusion Illusion, 124, c, 3, Twirling Candy–Natalie Grace, by
First Dude. ($50,000 Ylg ’18 KEESEP; $300,000 2yo ’19
OBSAPR). O-Dan J Agnew, Jerry Schneider, Rodney Orr &
MyRacehorse.com; B-Donald R. Dizney, LLC (FL); T-Mark Glatt.
$36,000.
Margins: 4HF, HF, 3 1/4. Odds: 1.60, 16.80, 10.00.
Also Ran: Nashville, Independence Hall, Thousand Words.
Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.

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Million Dollar Baby: Spielberg Tops Sunday’s Bob Hope At Del Mar

SF Racing, Starlight Racing or Madaket Stables, et al's Spielberg, a $1-million yearling purchase at last year's Keeneland September Yearling Sale, takes the next step in his racing career at Del Mar on Sunday as he heads a field of six juveniles in the seventh edition of the G3 Bob Hope Stakes, a seven-furlong spin that carries a $100,000 purse.

Del Mar's morning line maker Jon White has hung the chestnut colt as the 6-5 favorite in the extended sprint, a race named for the show business icon who laid the path for his big Hollywood breakout when he became good pals with Bing Crosby during post-race parties at the shore oval in its first season (1937). Crosby and Hope went on to make nine “Road to….” movies, considered by many to be the most successful “buddy” pictures ever.

Spielberg, of course, has a Hollywood connection all his own, having been named for Steven Spielberg, the towering Tinsel Town figure who has proven to be one of cinema's quintessential figures as a director, producer and screenwriter with dozens and dozens of major movie credits on his ledger.

Spielberg, the racehorse, is a son of the top stallion Union Rags and has had a four-race career this season that has seen him twice go stakes-placed in Grade I races and then finally find the winner's circle in a straight maiden race at Del Mar on November 1. Trainer Bob Baffert sends his charge back two weeks later and will have the meet's leading rider, Abel Cedillo, in the tack for his run in the Hope.

Here's the full field for the Sunday stakes in post-position order with riders and morning line odds:

Reddam Racing's Ambivalent (Mario Gutierrez, 7/2); Spielberg; Drakos or Hanson's Weston (Drayden Van Dyke, 3-1); Saratoga West's Coastal Kid (Tyler Baze, 15-1); Tina and Jerome Moss' Red Flag (Victor Espinoza, 6-1), and Eric Homme's Uncle Boogie (Flavien Prat, 5-1).

Spielberg's chief threat would appear to be Weston, a gelded son of the War Front stallion Hit It a Bomb who has a pair of wins under his belt, including a tally in the Best Pal Stakes during the Del Mar summer meet. His last start saw him chase home Dr. Schivel and Spielberg in the Grade I Del Mar Futurity on September 7. The bay since has put in a series of sharp workout at Santa Anita for trainer and part-owner Ryan Hanson.

Ambivalent will have his backers in the sprint, too. The Constitution colt, a $550,000 2-year-old-in-training purchase earlier this year in Florida, is still a maiden, but it isn't for want of trying. This will be his sixth start and he's got a pair of stakes placings on his resume, as well as a pair of second-place finishes in straight maiden races. He runs out of the stable of trainer Doug O'Neill.

First post Sunday is the usual 12:30 p.m. with the featured Hope scheduled to go off at approximately 4 p.m.

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Baffert 1-2 As Improbable Defeats Maximum Security In Awesome Again

With his highly regarded stablemate pressured while a joint second between horses going to the far turn, Bob Baffert's rapidly improving Improbable kicked into high gear from dead last and swept to an emphatic 4 1/2-length score in Saturday's Grade 1, $300,000 Awesome Again Stakes at Santa Anita in Arcadia, Calif., a key prep for the G1, $6 million Breeders' Cup Classic at Keeneland Nov 7.

Ridden by Drayden Van Dyke, Improbable got a mile and one eighth in 1:49.01 while notching his third consecutive G1 victory.

The Awesome Again, named for the 1998 Breeders' Cup Classic winner that was bred in Ontario, Canada, by Frank Stronach and owned by his Stronach Stables, is a Breeders' Cup “Win & You're In” Challenge Race qualifier, with the winner earning a fees-paid berth into the Grade I, $6 million Breeders' Cup Classic at Keeneland on Nov. 7.

Longshot Take the One O One, ridden by Jose Valdivia, Jr., set a solid pace while Maximum Security, regarded by many as the best horse in America, sat a joint second between Sleepy Eyes Todd and Midcourt, while Take the One O One opened up to a two-length lead a quarter mile out, only to see the winner sweep by four-deep turning for home.

“I knew I was coming in here with two really good horses,” said Baffert, who collected his fourth Awesome Again win. “Maximum Security was in that scrum and they were really running up close (together). I saw Drayden, he knew what was happening, so he just sat back. He rode a great race, he knew what was going on, he took his time, rode him with patience.

“He's had good luck with this horse. He loves this track. He seems to be better in the gate here, that's why we ran him here. I hate to see my horses have to beat the other horse but 'Max' ran gallantly. He fended off the speed, but the next one is the big one. But today, it was all about Improbable.”

Owned by WinStar Farm, LLC, China Horse Club International, Ltd. and SF Racing, LLC, Improbable, fifth as the favorite behind Maximum Security in the 2019 Kentucky Derby and most recently a winner of the G1 Whitney at Saratoga Aug. 1 and the G1 Hollywood Gold Cup at Santa Anita June 6, was off at 9-5 and paid $5.60, $2.40 and $2.10.

“The gate guy did a fabulous job with him, holding him still, he got out clean,” said Van Dyke, who has now won six races with Improbable, including the Hollywood Gold Cup. “I was going to see what everyone else was gonna do, and they did what they did and I did what I did and it worked out good.”

With regard to his thoughts on the upcoming Breeders' Cup Classic, Van Dyke took an introspective approach. “I take it a day at a time and I'm grateful for this win. He showed a different tactic today, which he showed before when he was two. He used to come off the pace more than usual…He's been training super, so I was just waiting for the stretch to come.

“It's awesome, especially for Bob and the owners, everyone involved. I'm grateful for the chance. He's gotten better and better. He's a great horse.”

With today's win, Improbable, a 4-year-old colt by City Zip out of the A.P. Indy mare Rare Event, collected his fourth G1 win and improved his overall mark to 14-7-3-0. With the winner's share of $180,000, he increased his earnings to $1,709,520.

Maximum Security, who became the only horse in Kentucky Derby history to be disqualified from victory for a racing infraction, had a six-race winning streak snapped in what was his third start for Baffert. Pressured between horses throughout, he battled gamely for the place, finishing a half length in front of Midcourt.

Reunited with Luis Saez, who last rode him in the $20 million Saudi Cup three starts back on Feb. 29, Maximum Security was the 1-2 favorite in a field of five and paid $2.10 and $2.10.

“There was a lot of pressure along the way and he couldn't get comfortable, but that's how these races go,” said Saez. “You win sometimes and don't others. The good thing is he pulled up pretty good, so let's see how next time goes. He was fighting at the end of the race, but we lost.”

Off at 12-1 with Victor Espinoza, Midcourt paid $2.40 to show.

Fractions on the race were 23.33, 46.36, 1:09.79 and 1:35.65.

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Monday’s Insights: Saratoga, Del Mar Meets End with a Bang

Sponsored by Alex Nichols Agency

3rd-Saratoga, $72k, Msw, 2yo, f, 1 1/16mT, 12:33 p.m.
Bill Mott saddles Godolphin’s debuting SERENE (Tapit), an $800,000 Keeneland September Yearling purchase last year. The chestnut filly is a daughter of multiple Grade I-placed Fascinating (Smart Strike). Out of graded stakes winner Untouched Talent (Storm Cat), Fascinating is a half-sister to Grade I winner Bodemeister (Empire Maker). Also debuting is Peter Brant’s Editor at Large (Ire) (Lope de Vega {Ire}). The Chad Brown trainee was a 260,000gns purchase at last year’s Tattersalls October sale. Todd Pletcher sends out firster Ready Seeker (More Than Ready). The Charles Fipke homebred is out of Title Seeker (Monarchos) and is a half to graded winner Seeking the Title (Seeking the Gold), dam of Grade I winner Seeking the Soul (Perfect Soul {Ire}), and a full to multiple graded placed Title Ready. TJCIS PPs

7th-Saratoga, $72k, Msw, 2yo, f, 1 1/16mT, 2:37 p.m.
Allen Stable’s NO ORDINARY TIME (Not This Time), a $600,000 KEESEP yearling, debuts for trainer Shug McGaughey. Out of Crosswinds (Storm Cat), the bay filly is a half-sister to Grade I winner Weep No More (Mineshaft) and graded winner Current (Curlin). Godolphin homebred Lovestruck (Tapit) is a half-sister to multiple Grade I winner and late leading sire Scat Daddy (Johannesburg), as well as to graded winner Antipathy (A.P. Indy). She makes her first trip to the post for for trainer Bill Mott. TJCIS PPs

9th-Saratoga, $72k, Msw, 2yo, 6f, 3:39 p.m.
Jimmy Jerkens sends out firster GREATHEART (Empire Maker), a $400,000 KEESEP yearling, for Shortleaf Stable. He is a half-brother to graded placed Whiskey Echo (Tiznow). Courtlandt Farms’ Ten for Ten (Frosted), a $410,000 KEESEP yearling, makes his first start for trainer Shug McGaughey. He is out of Summer Vacation (Eskendereya), a half-sister to Creative Cause (Giant’s Causeway), Destin (Giant’s Causeway), and to recent GI Personal Ensign S. winner Vexatious (Giant’s Causeway). TJCIS PPs

3rd-Del Mar, $55k, 2yo, 1mT, 5:00 p.m.
SF Racing, Starlight Racing and Madaket Stable’s TARANTINO (Pioneerof theNile), a $610,000 KEESEP yearling, debuts for trainer Bob Baffert. The bay colt is out of Without Delay (Seeking the Gold) and is a half-brother to graded-placed Before You Know It (Hard Spun) and Instant Reflex (Quality Road). C R K Stable’s Union Soldier (Union Rags) makes his first trip to the post for trainer John Shirreffs. The bay colt, a $650,000 KEESEP purchase, is out of graded winner Sky Girl (Sky Mesa). TJCIS PPs

8th-Del Mar, $57k, Alw/Opt Clm, 3/up, f/m, 6 1/2f, 7:30 p.m.
Baoma Corp’s HAPPIER (Street Sense) looks to follow up on her ‘TDN Rising Star’ debut. The Bob Baffert trainee, an $800,000 KEESEP yearling in 2018, went wire-to-wire to graduate by 3 1/4 lengths going seven furlongs at Del Mar July 31. TJCIS PPs

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