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Rock Your World Coast-To-Coast in Runhappy Santa Anita Derby

Hronis Racing and Talla Racing's Rock Your World (Candy Ride {Arg}) threw his hat in the ring for the GI Kentucky Derby with a front-running upset in his first try on dirt in Saturday's GI Runhappy Santa Anita Derby.

A debut winner sprinting on the grass at Santa Anita on New Year's Day, the $650,000 KEESEP purchase scored a decisive victory in the one-mile Pasadena S. over the local lawn Feb. 27. He prepped for this with a best-of-82 five-furlongs in :59 1/5 over the Arcadia main track Mar. 28.

Given a 5-1 chance in this step up to the big leagues, Rock Your World showed good early foot, pushing his way up between foes to seize the early advantage. The dark bay was hard-pressed by 45-1 shot Parnelli (Quality Road) with 4-5 favorite Medina Spirit (Protonico) perched on that one's outside in third through opening splits of :22.42 and :46.11. Umberto Rispoli let Rock Your World out a notch at the three-eighths pole and he readily responded, shaking free of his foes as he entered the bend. A determined Medina Spirit tried his best to reel in the pacesetter in the lane, but Rock Your World had plenty left in the tank and effortlessly rolled clear of the chalk to win for fun by 4 1/4 lengths. 'TDN Rising Star' Dream Shake (Twirling Candy) completed the trifecta.

It was the second Santa Anita Derby victory for trainer John Sadler. Coincidentally, his first also came with a son of Candy Ride, when winning the 2010 edition with Sidney's Candy.

“We have been laying in the weeds,” said Sadler, who also won Saturday's GIII Commonwealth S. at Keeneland with Flagstaff (Speightstown). “I thought it would be good to start this horse off on the turf, much like Omaha Beach (War Front), and develop. The plan was to run him a couple of times on the turf and now it was time to get the points. We gotta get the points to get to Kentucky.”

He continued, “The post [position] dictated our strategy. I saw Umberto in the paddock this morning at 8 a.m. and I told him 'Go big or go home.' We had to get out of there with the scratch inside of us. It worked out great and I'm very excited.”

Sadler and the Hronis family have campaigned the likes of champions Accelerate (Lookin At Lucky) and Stellar Wind (Curlin), as well as Grade I winners Combatant (Scat Daddy), Higher Power (Medaglia d'Oro), Gift Box (Twirling Candy), Cistron (The Factor), Hard Aces (Hard Spun), Iotapa (Afleet Alex) and Lady of Shamrock (Scat Daddy).

“Things came together and thank God, John Sadler has done a great job, Juan Leva and Alex Bosano, everybody on the backside they made all this happen,” said Kosta Hronis. “They did a great job with the horse. We told Umberto to be aggressive, but if somebody was going to go let them go. But I think he just felt comfortable, it was just kind of the thing you had to come out and compete right off the bat and he did. He rode a great race, think he knew he had the horse to do it. We get to go to the Kentucky Derby, that's going to be a fun day. We're going to try to enjoy this for today. He's only had three starts, making his fourth start in his career in the Kentucky Derby, I guess we really have nothing to lose. Just go in there and enjoy it.”

Pedigree Notes:

Rock Your World is the 17th Grade I winner and 50th graded winner for the timeless Candy Ride. The Lane's End stallion is responsible for 98 black-type winners in total and also earned another graded winner as a broodmare sire earlier in the day courtesy of GIII Gazelle S. heroine Search Results (Flatter).

Juddmonte homebred Empire Maker, who died last January, continues to burnish his legacy as a sire and broodmare sire. Rock Your World is bred on the same cross as GI Frizette S. and GI Test S. heroine Separationofpowers (Candy Ride {Arg}) and GIII Hanshin Cup winner Crewman (Candy Ride {Arg}). Already one of 55 black-type winners out of a daughter of the 2003 GI Belmont S. victor, the winner is his 26th at the graded level and fifth Grade I winner as a broodmare sire.

Saturday, Santa Anita
RUNHAPPY SANTA ANITA DERBY-GI, $752,000, Santa Anita, 4-3, 3yo, 1 1/8m, 1:49.17, ft.
1–ROCK YOUR WORLD, 124, c, 3, by Candy Ride (Arg)
                1st Dam: Charm the Maker (MSW & MGISP, $340,290),
                                by Empire Maker
                2nd Dam: Charm the Giant (Ire), by Giant's Causeway
                3rd Dam: Olympic Charmer, by Olympio
1ST GRADED STAKES WIN, 1ST GRADE I WIN. ($650,000 Ylg
'19 KEESEP). O-Hronis Racing LLC & Talla Racing LLC; B-Ron
& Deborah McAnally (KY); T-John W. Sadler; J-Umberto Rispoli.
$450,000. Lifetime Record: 3-3-0-0, $546,600. *Full to She's
Our Charm, GSP, $144,598. Werk Nick Rating: A+++ *Triple
Plus* Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Medina Spirit, 124, c, 3, Protonico–Mongolian Changa, by
Brilliant Speed. ($1,000 Ylg '19 OBSWIN; $35,000 2yo '20
OBSOPN). O-Zedan Racing Stables Inc; B-Gail Rice (FL); T-Bob
Baffert. $150,000.
3–Dream Shake, 124, c, 3, Twirling Candy–Even Song, by Street
Cry (Ire). ($32,000 Ylg '19 KEESEP; $75,000 2yo '20 OBSAPR).
'TDN Rising Star' O-Exline-Border Racing LLC, SAF Racing &
Richard Hausman; B-Dunwoody Farm (KY); T-Peter Eurton.
$90,000.
Margins: 4 1/4, 2 1/4, 4 3/4. Odds: 5.20, 0.90, 4.50.
Also Ran: Defunded, Law Professor, Parnelli, The Great One, Back Ring Luck, Ottothelegend. Scratched: Roman Centurian. Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

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Stonestreet Further Impacts Oaks Picture in Fantasy

Already with its GII Rachel Alexandra S. Presented by Fasig-Tipton winner Clairiere (Curlin) among the short list of GI Kentucky Oaks contenders, and having bred and sold GI Central Bank Ashland S. heroine Malathaat (Curlin) to Shadwell, Barbara Banke's Stonestreet was represented by another serious contender for the run for the lillies with GIII Fantasy S. heroine Pauline's Pearl (Tapit) Saturday at Oaklawn.

Moved up to fourth after a very tough trip sprinting at Fair Grounds Dec. 19, the grey improved to be third going two turns there Jan. 15. She put it all together in the NOLA slop Feb. 12, and most recently finished a close second at nearly 19-1 in the track-and-trip Mar. 6 GIII Honeybee S. behind Will's Secret (Will Take Charge), who was third in the Ashland.

Installed as the 4-5 favorite facing five foes and a seemingly softer bunch than the one that lined up in Lexington, Pauline's Pearl broke alertly from her outside post but was hung four deep around the first turn before eventually working her way closer to the rail. Lightly raced and stretching out Ava's Grace (Laoban) showed the way through a :46.86 half, but Pauline's Pearl tugged her way closer behind six furlongs in 1:11.84 as Coach (Commissioner) also revved up out wide from farther back. Pauline's Pearl proved to have the deepest stamina reserves in the lane, and powered away late under a pumped-up Ricardo Santana, Jr.

Pauline's Pearl, who is also Triple Crown nominated, earned 100 Oaks points for the win, putting her in fourth in the standings with 120 total.

“With who she is and the confidence that race [Honeybee] gave us, I think Ricardo used more of her today, put her in a better position,” said Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen. “He said how confident he was around there. He used a little of her away from there, just to not hand it to them; said down the backside she was traveling extremely comfortably and obviously we're very pleased with the results.

“She's all class. Has a tremendous pedigree. She's gotten better every day. She's gotten faster with each race. She's getting extremely good at the perfect time.”

Saturday, Oaklawn Park
FANTASY S.-GIII, $600,000, Oaklawn, 4-3, 3yo, f, 1 1/16m, 1:43.64, ft.
1–PAULINE'S PEARL, 117, f, 3, by Tapit
                1st Dam: Hot Dixie Chick (GISW, $343,252),
                by Dixie Union
                2nd Dam: Above Perfection, by In Excess (Ire)
                3rd Dam: Something Perfect, by Somethingfabulous
1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN.
O-Stonestreet Stables LLC; B-Stonestreet Thoroughbred
Holdings LLC (KY); T-Steven M. Asmussen; J-Ricardo Santana,
Jr. $360,000. Lifetime Record: 5-2-1-1, $461,500. *1/2 to
Union Jackson (Curlin), MSW & GSP, $273,874. Werk Nick
   Rating: A++. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Ava's Grace, 117, f, 3, Laoban–Cover Girl Elle, by Out of
Place. O-Cypress Creek Equine; B-Southern Equine Stables, LLC
(KY); T-Robertino Diodoro. $120,000.
3–Coach, 121, f, 3, Commissioner–And Stay Out, by Exchange
Rate. ($65,000 Ylg '19 FTKOCT). O-Kueber Racing, LLC; B-Three
Lyons Racing LLC (KY); T-Brad H. Cox. $60,000.
Margins: 1, 3/4, 3HF. Odds: 0.80, 8.40, 3.30.
Also Ran: Take Charge Lorin, Sylvia Q, West Side Girl. Scratched: Sun Path. Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

Pedigree Notes:

Pauline's Pearl becomes the 89th graded stakes winner for Tapit, sire of 2014 Kentucky Oaks heroine and fellow Asmussen trainee Untapable and 2011 Fantasy winner Joyful Victory. Dixie Union is the broodmare sire of 21 graded winners.

Brilliant and precocious Hot Dixie Chick was a $435,000 FTFFEB '09 juvenile who took that year's GI Spinaway S. She is the dam of two prior winners for the connections, including MSW/GSP 'TDN Rising Star' Union Jackson (Curlin), who stands in New York and has first 2-year-olds. A half-sister to 2017 GI Kentucky Derby winner Always Dreaming (Bodemeister), Hot Dixie Chick has a 2-year-old colt by Curlin and produced a Constitution colt Feb. 21.

The post Stonestreet Further Impacts Oaks Picture in Fantasy appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Essential Quality Guts It Out in the Blue Grass

Godolphin homebred Essential Quality (Tapit) gave his connections a few anxious moments in the stretch, but, in the end, he proved why he is a champion with a gutsy score in Keeneland's GII Toyota Blue Grass S. Saturday evening.

Hustling up to contest the early pace, the 1-2 favorite allowed Highly Motivated (Into Mischief) to take control, settling on his outside hip through a :23.83 first quarter and :48.21 half-mile. The top two continued to duke it out as three-quarters went in 1:12.08 with the rest of the field watching from a few lengths back. Essential Quality glided up alongside his foe, looking him in the eye as they entered the far turn. Highly Motivated regained a narrow lead at the top of the stretch, but Essential Quality stuck right with him. Both colts proved all class as they battled down the lane, each refusing to yield as they pulled away from their competition. But, in the end, the relentless Essential Quality muscled past his determined foe to win by a neck. It was 5 1/2 lengths back to Rombauer (Twirling Candy) in third.

“It's a tremendous feeling,” said winning trainer Brad Cox. “He had to dig in today. It was probably what he needed. It was good for him to get a good test today. He did everything easy enough in his last race. I was proud of what he was able to overcome today. Big effort.”

He continued, “I was happy where we were [turning for home]. I could tell the horse on the inside [Highly Motivated], Javier [Castellano] had horse, and we really had to work to get by him. [Highly Motivated] ran a huge race. Both of them really duked it out the whole way. It set up for both of them, and they both responded well. That was a good race four weeks out [from the GI Kentucky Derby]. Four weeks from today. Hopefully we're ready.”

“That other horse was fighting, and I thought we weren't going to get him,” said winning rider Luis Saez. “But I always had faith in Essential Quality. He's a nice horse. No matter how fast or slow the pace, he always wants to be first at the wire.”

Tabbed a 'TDN Rising Star' off an impressive four-length score in his six-panel career bow at Churchill Downs Sept. 5, Essential Quality scored a decisive victory when extended to two turns in Keeneland's GI Claiborne Breeders' Futurity S. Oct. 3. He rallied from off the pace to capture the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile in Lexington Nov. 6, clinching the Eclipse award for top 2-year-old male. Making his seasonal bow in a sloppy renewal of Oaklawn's GIII Southwest S. Feb. 27, the homebred proved he was only getting better as he matured, charging home a 4 1/4-length winner.

Pedigree Notes:

Essential Quality is one of 27 Grade I winners for Gainesway kingpin Tapit, and is one of 142 black-type winners overall (88 graded) for the leading sire. The Eclipse winner joins Frosted as a three-time Grade I winner for their sire, sitting only behind Tonalist, Tapit's most accomplished Grade I-winning son with four victories at the highest level. The late Darley sire Elusive Quality's daughters have been churning out stakes winners for some time, with Essential Quality being one of their 126 black-type winners (54 graded). Third in the GIII Bed o' Roses H., Delightful Quality is a half-sister to champion juvenile filly Folklore (Tiznow), a winner of the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies, as well as stakes winner and GIII Tempted S. runner-up Divided Attention (A.P. Indy). She has a 2-year-old filly by Uncle Mo; was barren to that sire for 2020; and was covered by the Coolmore stallion's GI Kentucky Derby-winning son Nyquist last spring. Folklore is the granddam of 2020 Japanese Triple Crown hero Contrail (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}), who returns in the G1 Osaka Hai Sunday.

Saturday, Keeneland
TOYOTA BLUE GRASS S.-GII, $800,000, Keeneland, 4-3, 3yo,
1 1/8m, 1:48.50, ft.
1–ESSENTIAL QUALITY, 123, c, 3, by Tapit
                1st Dam: Delightful Quality (GSP, $253,900),
                                by Elusive Quality
                2nd Dam: Contrive, by Storm Cat
                3rd Dam: Jeano, by Fappiano
'TDN Rising Star'. O/B-Godolphin, LLC (KY); T-Brad H. Cox;
J-Luis Saez. $480,000. Lifetime Record: Ch. 2yo Colt-US,
5-5-0-0, $2,265,144. Werk Nick Rating: A. Click for the
   eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Highly Motivated, 123, c, 3, Into Mischief–Strong Incentive,
by Warrior's Reward. ($240,000 Wlg '18 KEENOV). O-Klaravich
Stables, Inc.; B-Klaravich Stables (KY); T-Chad C. Brown.
$160,000.
3–Rombauer, 123, c, 3, Twirling Candy–Cashmere, by Cowboy
Cal. O-Fradkin, John and Fradkin, Diane; B-John Fradkin &
Diane Fradkin (KY); T-Michael W. McCarthy. $80,000.
Margins: NK, 5HF, 4 1/4. Odds: 0.50, 3.60, 24.00.
Also Ran: Hidden Stash, Keepmeinmind, Sittin On Go, Hush of a Storm, Untreated, Leblon.
Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

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Rosario Roll Continues With Kimari in the Madison

The temperatures were on the cool side Saturday in Central Kentucky, but jockey Joel Rosario was hot. As in en fuego. The Dominican sensation had ridden, in succession, Flagstaff (Speightstown) to victory in the GIII Commonwealth S.; Bound For Nowhere (The Factor)–who was drawn somewhere in the middle of Versailles Road–to win the GII Shakertown S.; and produced 'TDN Rising Star' Malathaat (Curlin) at just the right time to snatch the GI Central Bank Ashland S. Rosario completed a spectacular stakes four-timer in the day's penultimate race, riding Ten Broeck Farm's 'TDN Rising Star' Kimari (Munnings) to absolute perfection in the GI Madison S.

Not always the quickest away from the stalls, the $152,000 Fasig-Tipton July yearling jumped well–indeed, almost too well–as she raced freely through the early stages while tracking second favorite Mundaye Call (Into Mischief) through an opening quarter-mile in a modest :22.90. Stalking the Audubon Oaks winner into and around the turn, Kimari claimed that one under a hold at the three-sixteenths marker, was asked for more speed entering the final furlong and was more or less ridden hands-and-heels to the victory. Estilo Talentoso (Maclean's Music) bid three wide in upper stretch and stayed on nicely to dead-heat for second with Bell's the One (Majesticperfection).

“She broke better than she usually does, which put her right into the race,” said trainer Wesley Ward, who also saddled Bound For Nowhere earlier in the day. “On paper, there really wasn't a lot of speed up front. Everything went our way. As soon as she turned for home, [Rosario] started riding her. I was a little worried the last part; I wasn't sure seven-eighths is really her game. But this is her track, and this guy [Rosario] is on fire. So we had all the luck with us today.”

Named a no-brainer 'Rising Star' when galloping home a 15-length winner on debut over this main track two years ago, Kimari was a dual stakes winner sprinting on the turf that season, then won the Purple Martin S. on the dirt at Oaklawn before finishing a bang-up second against the boys in the G1 Commonwealth Cup at Royal Ascot last June. Rested off a slow-starting third in the Sept. 15 Music City S. at Kentucky Downs, she returned to the main track to romp by 4 1/4 lengths in a sloppy-track renewal of the Spring Fever S. in Hot Springs Feb. 27.

Pedigree Notes:

Kimari is the 19th graded winner for Munnings and joins A.G. Vanderbilt H. hero El Deal and Cotillion S. and Delaware H. victress I'm A Chatterbox as his Grade I winners. Kimari's dam was herself a Grade III winner, having annexed the Chicago H. at this same seven-furlong distance in 2013, and was purchased by China Horse Club for $300,000 at the 2014 Fasig-Tipton November Sale. The dam of the 2-year-old colt Imola (Quality Road), Cozze Up Lady was barren to Always Dreaming for 2020 and foaled a Constitution colt this past Feb. 15.

Saturday, Keeneland
MADISON S.-GI, $300,000, Keeneland, 4-3, 4yo/up, f/m, 7f, 1:21.53, ft.
1–KIMARI, 118, f, 4, by Munnings
1st Dam: Cozze Up Lady (GSW, $407,169),
                                by Cozzene
2nd Dam: The White Lady, by Johannesburg
3rd Dam: Maha Al Iman, by Pulpit
1ST GRADED STAKES WIN, 1ST GRADE I WIN.
'TDN Rising Star'. ($152,000 Ylg '18 FTKJUL). O-Ten Broeck Farm, Inc.; B-China Horse Club International Limited (KY); T-Wesley A. Ward; J-Joel Rosario. $180,000. Lifetime Record: G1SP-Eng, 10-6-2-1, $758,777. Werk Nick Rating: A+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
(DH) 2–Bell's the One, 120, m, 5, by Majesticperfection
                1st Dam: Street Mate, by Street Cry (Ire)
                2nd Dam: Day Mate, by Dayjur
                3rd Dam: Possible Mate, by King's Bishop
($155,000 Ylg '17 FTKJUL). O-Lothenbach Stables, Inc. (Bob
Lothenbach); B-Bret Jones (KY); T-Neil L. Pessin. $45,000.
(DH) 2–Estilo Talentoso, 118, f, 4, by Maclean's Music
                1st Dam: Bazinga Baby, by Afleet Alex
                2nd Dam: Elizaveta, by Quiet American
                3rd Dam: Carezza, by Caro (Ire)
($77,000 Ylg '18 FTKOCT; $95,000 RNA 2yo '19 OBSAPR;
$15,000 2yo '19 OBSOPN). O-Juan Arriagada; B-Mile High
Bloodstock LLC (KY); T-Juan Arriagada. $45,000.
Margins: 3/4, 2 1/4, 2 1/4. Odds: 0.70, 4.30, 50.80.
Also Ran: Sanenus (Chi), Mundaye Call, Fair Maiden, Sconsin.
Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

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