Tizamagician Overpowers Competition In Tokyo City Cup At Santa Anita

An attentive second to the quarter pole, Richard Mandella's Tizamagician took charge from there as he romped to a massive nine-length win in Sunday's Grade 3, $100,000 Tokyo City Cup at Santa Anita.  Ridden by Flavien Prat, the 4-year-old colt by Tiznow got a marathon mile and one half in 2:32.45.

With a backstretch start and a short run to the far turn, Edwin Maldonado, aboard Zestful, gunned his mount to the lead from his outside post, with Tizamagician content to sit a close second for the first mile and a quarter.

“I wanted the other horse to clear me, because you can't take a hold of my horse,” said Prat, Santa Anita's runaway leading rider with 87 wins and 15 added money triumphs.  “He settled very nice and it looks like a mile and a half is a great distance for him.”

Second in last year's Tokyo City on Sept. 27 and most recently fifth, beaten four lengths going a mile and one quarter in the G1 Santa Anita Handicap on March 6, Tizamagician, who was paired for the first time today with Prat, picked up his first-ever stakes win and paid $3.20, $2.20 and $2.10 as the 3-5 favorite in a field of five older horses.

Owned by racing syndicate MyRacehorse and Spendthrift Farm, LLC, Tizamagician picked up $60,000 for the win, increasing his earnings to $287,851.  With the win, Tizamagician, who is out of the Dixie Union mare Magic Union, improved his overall mark to 16-4-6-0.

“Not only does (the MyRacehorse syndicate) create people to own a piece of the horse, but they all have friends and the idea is, if they get their friends, they get people into racing and that's what we need,” said Mandella, who along with Prat, collected his third career win in the Tokyo City Cup.  “We need people here, it's not the same without them.  It's so strange to win races and nobody is here to cheer and celebrate with.  It means everything in the world that people are here.”

Off as the second choice at 7-2, Zestful was easily second, finishing 2 ¾ lengths in front of Lure Him In and paid $3.40 and $2.20.

Lure Him In, who was third throughout, finished 12 lengths in front of Ronamo and paid $2.20 to show with Juan Hernandez up.

Fractions on the race were 24.12, 47.87, 1:13.01, 1:38.66 and 2:05.18.

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Tizamagician Will Try To Go One Better In Tokyo City Cup

Second in last year's renewal, Richard Mandella's talented Tizamagician heads Sunday's Grade 3, $100,000 Tokyo City Cup at Santa Anita. To be contested at the marathon distance of a mile and one half, the Tokyo City has attracted a field of five older horses.

A close second early, Tizamagician tired to finish fifth, beaten four lengths in the Grade 1 Santa Anita Handicap at a mile and one quarter on March 6. A solid second, beaten 3 ¼ lengths two starts back in the Grade 2 San Pasqual Stakes at a mile and one eighth Jan. 30, Tizamagician has been facing tough horses and rates top billing on Sunday.

With his most recent win coming in a mile and one sixteenth allowance three starts back on Jan. 2, Tizamagician tried front-running tactics in the Grade 3 Tokyo City Cup four starts back on Sept. 27, but had to settle for second money, finishing 7 ¼ lengths behind Cupid's Claws.

Owned by MyRacehorse and Spendthrift Farm, LLC, Tizamagician, a 4-year-old colt by Tiznow, will hope for clear sailing on the lead under leading man Flavien Prat, who will be aboard for the first time. With an overall mark of 15-3-6-0, Tizamagician has earnings of $227,851.

Although Tizamagician would benefit from an unchallenged early lead, that's unlikely, as the Mark Glatt-trained Zestful, ridden by front-running Edwin Maldonado, will no doubt be sent from the gate as he tries the marathon mile and one half for the first time.

Head and head throughout, Zestful came up a head short as the 9-5 favorite when second in a one mile starter allowance on April 3. Claimed 11 starts back for $40,000 on July 4, 2019 at Pleasanton, Zestful is battle tested at marathon distances, as he led early and finished second, beaten three quarters of a length, in the Grade II Marathon Stakes here at a mile and three quarters, eight starts back on Nov. 1, 2019.

A 6-year-old Kentucky-bred gelding by Ghostzapper, Zestful will be ridden for the sixth consecutive time by Maldonado, who coaxed a gate to wire allowance win out of him at a mile and one eighth on Nov. 20 at Del Mar.

In the money in 20 out of his 32 starts, Zestful, has 10 wins and one stakes win to his credit, a sixth length triumph going a mile and one quarter in a restricted stakes at Los Alamitos nine races back on Sept. 15, 2019. Out of the Smoke Glacken mare Sweet Relish, Zestful has career earnings of $327,092.

THE GRADE 3 TOKYO CITY CUP WITH JOCKEYS & WEIGHTS IN POST POSITION ORDER

Race 3 of 9 Approximate post time 2 p.m. PT

  1. Multiplier—Ruben Fuentes—124
  2. Ronamo—Umberto Rispoli–120
  3. Tizamagician—Flavien Prat—120
  4. Lure Him In—Juan Hernandez–120
  5. Zestful—Edwin Maldonado—122

First post time for a nine-race card on Sunday is at 1 p.m. For additional information, please visit santaanita.com or call (626) 574-RACE.

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Express Train Breaks Through With San Pasqual Triumph At Santa Anita

C R K Stable's Express Train sat a perfect trip and rallied through the stretch to take Saturday's Grade 2, $200,000 San Pasqual Stakes by 3 ¼ lengths, with his next stop scheduled to be the G1 Santa Anita Handicap on March 6.  Trained by John Shirreffs and ridden by Juan Hernandez, Express Train got 1 1/8 miles over a Santa Anita main track listed as “good” in 1:52.13.

A close fourth, about two lengths off of Tizamagician around the clubhouse turn, Express Train saved ground at the rail, angled out a quarter mile from home and rallied three-deep through the lane while finding his best stride late in a very impressive effort.

“The difference was the distance (of) a mile and an eighth and different horses,” said Hernandez, who had ridden Express Train to a second place finish behind top rated Charlatan going seven furlongs in the G1 Malibu Stakes on Dec. 26.  “He loves going short and going long, so you can do whatever you want with him, he's a really nice horse.

“…There were three horses that tried to go to the lead and my horse relaxed pretty well behind them. … I was just waiting to (get into) the stretch to let him run, that's what (he) did.  Around the turn before the stretch, I checked, I went outside and I was clear and he started running again.”

The second choice at 5-2 in a field of five, Express Train paid $7.20, $3.60 and $2.20.

“We knew there was plenty of speed in the race and it worked out fine,” said Shirreffs.  “Juan fits this horse very well, show me a horse that he doesn't fit.  When you speak to him, he exudes confidence.  He's a rider.  We'll stay home and run in the Big 'Cap (1 ¼ miles on March 6).”

A 4-year-old colt by Union Rags, out of the Mineshaft mare I'm a Flake, Express Train notched his first stakes win in his eighth career start.  With the winner's share of $120,000, he increased his earnings to $293,300 from an overall mark of 8-3-3-0.

Tizamagician, ridden by Drayden Van Dyke, proved extra game, holding off even money favorite Idol by a neck for the place.  Off at 5-1, Tizamagician paid $5.00 and $2.60.

Idol, unhurried early while an attentive last to the far turn, never threatened for the win, finishing 1 ¼ lengths in front of longshot Zestful.  Ridden by eastern-based Gabriel Saez, Idol paid $2.10 to show.

Although Saturday turned out to be a spectacularly sunny day with the snow-capped San Gabriel Mountains serving as a backdrop, the track took on 2.4 inches of rain through noon Friday, resulting in slower times throughout the afternoon.

Fractions on the San Pasqual were 23.84, 48.74, 1:13.70 and 1:39.26.

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Frontrunning Tizamagician ‘Doing Real Well’ Ahead Of San Pasqual

Richard Mandella was a relatively young pup of 33 when he won the 1983 San Pasqual Stakes for the first time, with a horse named Regal Falcon ridden by Eddie Delahoussaye.

In 2005, he captured his second San Pasqual, this time with Congrats under Tyler Baze. On Saturday the Hall of Fame trainer, now a sprightly 70, sends out committed front-runner Tizamagician in a bid for number three at Santa Anita Park.

A 4-year-old Tiznow colt, Tizamagician won an overnight race in game fashion last out on Jan. 2, leading throughout as is his wont. It was his first race in more than three months.

“He likes to be in front and came off a nice win,” Mandella said of the four-old Kentucky-bred colt owned by MyRacehorse.com and Spendthrift Farm, who will be ridden for the fourth straight time by Drayden Van Dyke.

Mandella was speaking of an overnight victory Jan. 2 at a mile and one-sixteenth, Tizamagician's first race in more than three months.

“He's doing real well,” said Mandella, who could use the San Pasqual as a steppingstone to the Grade 1 Santa Anita Handicap on March 6, a race the Hall of Fame trainer has won three times, with Siphon in 1997, Malek in 1998 and Rock Hard Ten in 2005.

“That makes sense,” Mandella said, alluding to the San Pasqual as a logical forerunner to the Big 'Cap, Santa Anita's marquee race for older horses, which will be presented for the 84th time this year.

The San Pasqual, race five: Tizamagician, Drayden Van Dyke, 9-2; Idol, Gabriel Saez, 9-5; King Guillermo, Abel Cedillo, 2-1; Express Train, Juan Hernandez, 2-1; and Zestful, Edwin Maldonado, 15-1.

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