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Runhappy Santa Anita Derby Card Produces High Handle Number

The card for the 84th GI Runhappy Santa Anita Derby produced all-sources pari-mutuel handle of $24,282,400 Saturday. This was the largest Santa Anita Derby day handle since 2007. In addition, fans returned to the Arcadia oval on a restricted basis, with 8,246 on-track for the 12-race program. It was the first time in over a year that fans were allowed back at Santa Anita since the COVID-19 pandemic began last winter.

Rock Your World (Candy Ride {Arg}) saluted in the day's feature event, the GI Runhappy Santa Anita Derby for Hronis Racing and trainer John Sadler. Soothsay (Distorted Humor) gave trainer Richard Mandella his fourth GII Santa Anita Oaks for Claiborne Farm, Perry Bass II, Ramona Bass and Adele Dilschneider. Trainer Phil D'Amato leads in the trainers' standings with 29, one better than Bob Baffert. Flavien Prat holds a sizeable advantage in the jockeys' equivalent with 80 wins to 50 for Juan Hernandez.

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Gamine Preps For Bigger Prizes in Las Flores

'TDN Rising Star' Gamine (Into Mischief), the reigning Eclipse Award-winning female sprinter, kicks off her 4-year-old season in Sunday's GIII Las Flores S. at Santa Anita, where she faces just three other rivals.

Not among the original nominees to the race, Michael Lund's speedster was supplemented to the six-furlong test for $2,000, and the owner of the fastest five speed figures should make light work of it. The $220,000 Keeneland September yearling turned $1.8-million Fasig-Tipton Midlantic topper was devastating going one turn last season, winning those four races by a combined 38 1/4 lengths. Those included an 18 3/4-length romp in the GI Longines Acorn S. going a mile on the GI Belmont S. undercard June 20 and a seven-length thumping of Venetian Harbor (Munnings) in the GI Longines Test S. at Saratoga Aug. 8. Unable to see out the nine furlongs of the GI Kentucky Oaks–from which she was subsequently DQd from third to ninth–she was back to her best, defeating Serengeti Empress (Alternation) and Bell's the One (Majesticperfection) by a record 6 1/4 lengths in the GI Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint. Gamine is expected to use the Las Flores as a steppingstone to the GI Derby City Distaff May 2 and John Velazquez sticks around to ride.

Stablemate and fellow 'Rising Star' Qahira (Cairo Prince) looks most likely to finish closest to Gamine. Winner of five of her nine career starts, including the Jan. 10 Kalookan Queen S., the 5-year-old exits a third to the Baffert-trained Merneith (American Pharoah) in the GII Santa Monica S. Feb. 13.

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Seven Fillies Hope to Make Oaks Fantasy a Reality

Regally bred Pauline's Pearl (Tapit) is among seven fillies hoping to stamp their tickets to the GI Kentucky Oaks in Saturday's GIII Honeybee S. at Oaklawn. A daughter of Grade I winner Hoot Dixie Chick (Dixie Union), the gray earned her diploma at third asking in a sloppy two-turn test at Fair Grounds Feb. 12 and rallied to be a close second next out in this venue's GIII Honeybee S. Mar. 6.

Honeybee third-place finisher Sun Path (Munnings) looks to break through at the black-type level here. A second-out graduation at Churchill in November, the 'TDN Rising Star' dominated by 12 3/4 lengths in an allowance at Fair Grounds Dec. 18. The chestnut was fourth in the Silverbulletday S. there Jan. 16 prior to the Honeybee last time out.

Sun Path's trainer Brad Cox also saddles Honeybee fifth-place finisher Coach (Commissioner). Opening her account with a trio of victories, including the Rags to Riches S. last fall, the dark bay checked in third behind leading Oaks contenders Travel Column (Frosted) and Clairiere (Curlin) in Churchill's GII Golden Rod S. in November. She was runner-up to GI Central Bank Ashland S. contender Will's Secret (Will Take Charge) in a muddy renewal of Oaklawn's Martha Washington S. Jan. 30 and finished behind that foe again in the Honeybee.

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Santa Ysabel Rematch in Santa Anita Oaks

After only a head separated Beautiful Gift (Medaglia d'Oro) and Moraz (Empire Maker) in a thrilling renewal of the GIII Santa Ysabel S. Mar. 7, the two sophomore fillies will meet again in Saturday's GII Santa Anita Oaks.

The streaking Baoma Corp homebred Beautiful Gift, a half-sister to the Chu Family's GIII Sunland Derby hero and Bridlewood Farm sire Chitu (Henny Hughes), graduated by a half-length at second asking in her previous trip to the post for Bob Baffert Oct. 23.

The rail-drawn Don Alberto homebred Moraz, an 11-length maiden winner second out in Arcadia Jan. 8, was third behind the sidelined Moonlight d'Oro (Medaglia d'Oro) two starts back in the GIII Las Virgenes S. Feb. 6. Moraz's dam Malvinia (A.P. Indy), an $800,000 purchase at the 2013 FTKNOV sale, is a half-sister to the dam of Spendthrift stallion Temple City.

Godolphin homebred Javanica (Medaglia d'Oro), runner-up in four straight stakes tries, returns to her division after giving males all they could handle in the El Camino Real Derby at Golden Gate Feb. 13. She came up a neck short to favored Rombauer (Twirling Candy) that day, who returns in Saturday's GII Toyota Blue Grass S. at Keeneland. The half-sister to recent The Very One S. heroine Antoinette (Hard Spun) makes her first start on dirt in the Oaks.

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