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Sugar Fix Surges Late To Take Claiming Crown Tiara Stakes

Beaten after looking like a winner at the top of the stretch last year, Big Frank Stable and Mad Dog Racing Stable's Sugar Fix came from off the pace and surged late to earn a 1 ¼-length victory in the $95,000 Claiming Crown Tiara.

It was the second straight victory for jockey Edgard Zayas and trainer Saffie Joseph Jr., who also teamed up with Face of Victory in the $75,000 Express. The winning time was 1:40.19 for about 1 1/16 miles on a firm turf course.

“The race before, I told Edgard to be aggressive. This race I said, 'patience,' and he executed,” Joseph said. “Like most of the Claiming Crown races, you know your horse is doing well but like I was telling the owner, you can run third or fourth having run your race. Thankfully she ran her best today.”

Centsless Drama was quickest from the gate and led though a quarter-mile in :22.91, pressed by fellow longshot Act Like Artie. Zayas settled Sugar Fix in fourth, where they still were after a half in :47.26. They tipped outside and moved into a contending position on the turn, reeled in the leaders, and slingshot past for her 10th career victory.

Passion Plus got up for second, with Whimsical Muse third and 8-5 favorite Kahiko fourth.

Sugar Fix, a bay 4-year-old daughter of Treasure Beach, hadn't raced since finishing fourth in a one-mile, 70-yard allowance Sept. 8 at Kentucky Downs in Franklin, Ky., a race she won last year heading into the Claiming Crown. In the 2020 Tiara, she took a 1 ½-length lead into the stretch but couldn't hold it and wound up second to Queens Embrace.

“Last year, she got a good trip, she just got beat. This year, I think she actually went into the race better,” Joseph said. “Last year, she won her prep at Kentucky Downs, and then kind of lost her way. I don't think she was at her best. This year, she got beat out there and then we couldn't get a race to go so she had a good freshening. I thought today she ran a good race. It was a tough race. You never know if you're going to win.”

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Imperador Gets First American Win In Calumet Turf Cup, Earns BC Turf Berth

Toward the back of the pack during the first half of the 1 1/2-mile Calumet Turf Cup, Imperador went wide on the last bend, closed fast, and held off Arklow late to win the Grade 1 stakes race at Kentucky Downs and earn a spot in the starting gate for the Breeders' Cup Turf at Del Mar in November.

In his sixth start in North America, Imperador with jockey Joseph Talamo broke cleanly from the rail post and settled in eighth as Epic Bromance and Big Dreaming traded the lead throughout the first mile of the Turf Cup. On the race's final bend, Channel Cat made a move for the lead, with Talamo taking Imperador to the outside of horses to find running room for their closing run.

Into the long stretch at the Franklin, Ky., track, Imperador challenged Channel Cat and Epic Bromance, ranging up on the outside as they shortened stride and fell back. As Imperador dueled with Glynn Country for the lead, favored Arklow was trapped behind a wall of horses, finally finding running room on the outside to make his bid. Imperador got clear of the field, holding off a surging Arklow to win by a neck. Glynn County was third. Ajourneytofreedom, Epic Bromance, Channel Cat, Breakpoint, Big Dreaming, Dynadrive, Artemus Eagle, Tide of the Sea, and Crossfirehurricane rounded out the order of finish.

The final time for the 1 1/2 mile was 2:25.70, a new track record. Find this race's chart here.

Imperador paid $19.20, $8.00, and $5.00. Arklow paid $4.00 and $2.80. Glynn County paid $3.80.

The Grade 1 Calumet Turf Cup is part of the Breeders' Cup Challenge Series. Winners of Challenge Series events receive a fees-paid, guaranteed spot in the corresponding race at the Breeders' Cup World Championships Nov. 6 at Del Mar Thoroughbred Club in Del Mar, Calif.

Bred in Argentina by Haras Rio Dois Irmaos S. R. L., Imperador is out of Treasure Beach (GB) out of the Danehill mare Duchess Royale. The 5-year-old horse is owned by Bonne Chance Farm and Stud R.D.I. LLC and trained by Paulo Lobo. With his win in the Calumet Turf Cup, Imperador's 2021 record is one win in four starts, with his lifetime record improving to four wins in 14 starts.

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Thursday Feature At Del Mar: Can ‘Raymundos’ Shorten Up?

The question, much more often than not, is “Can he/she go long?' The vast majority of American horses start out their careers sprinting, or going around one turn. The distance issue rears its head when he/she is asked to go long for the first time, or around two turns. Can they handle the extra distance?

But this coming Thursday at Del Mar in the snappy third-level allowance race that is the day's feature, the question isn't can they go long, it is – in the case of the classy mare Raymundos Secret – can she shorten up?

The 5-year-old daughter of the Galileo sire Treasure Beach, who races for Little Red Feather Racing or Sterling Stables, has had 10 starts in her late-blooming career, all of them on turf and all around two turns. She'll try turf once more Thursday, but shorten up to the flat-out sprint distance of five furlongs. She'll have six rivals who'll try to outspeed her in the $76,000 headliner, which will go as Race 6 on the eight-race card.

All of Raymundos Secret's foes have won sprinting, several of them several times. Now the question is can she?

Raymundos Secret brings class to the party, there's little doubt of that. She won the Grade 2 John C. Mabee Stakes at Del Mar last September, a race contested over nine furlongs. She also won a trio of allowance races on the grass, all at a mile. Can she pull another one off going five furlongs instead of eight? Well, you get to bet your money and find out Thursday as trainer Phil D'Amato will give leading rider Flavien Prat a leg up on his charge and see what they can do.

Here's the field for the turf sprint from the rail out with riders:

Red Barons Barn or Rancho Temescal's Gypsy Spirit (Edmund Maldonado); Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners' She's So Special (Abel Cedillo); Red Barons Barn or Rancho Temescal's Rakassah (apprentice Jessica Pyfer); Holly and David Wilson's Hear My Prayer (Juan Hernandez); Raymundos Secret; Hronis Racing's Candura (Umberto Rispoli), and Barber and Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners' Bulletproof One (Ricky Gonzalez).

Bulletproof One is a double-quick filly who undoubtedly will be on the lead in this one. The daughter of the fast horse Idiot Proof has won seven times and sports a bankroll of $374,242. She finished a close-up third in the Daisycutter Handicap at the feature's distance at Del Mar on July 25 in her most recent start.

Hear My Prayer is making her west coast debut after running nine times on the east coast. She shows four wins and earnings of $149,375 for her efforts so far and will be running out of the barn of trainer Vladimir Cerin for the first time.

First post for the Thursday card is 2 p.m.

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Unbeaten Argentine Star La Renoleta Returns Saturday At Oaklawn Park

When the racing world last saw Argentine-bred star La Renoleta, she was crushing allowance opponents early last year at Oaklawn in an audition for one of the country's biggest two-turn races for older fillies and mares.

Then, there was an injury. Now, there's a comeback.

Unbeaten La Renoleta (5 for 5) is scheduled to make her first start in over a year in Saturday's seventh race at Oaklawn, a 1-mile allowance, for Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen.

After winning her first four career starts in Argentina, including the Estrellas Distaff (Gr. 1) in June 2019 – her last race in South America – La Renoleta was privately purchased by Kentucky bloodstock agent Peter Bradley III (Bradley Thoroughbreds) and sent to Asmussen in the United States.

La Renoleta resurfaced in a Feb. 8, 2020, allowance race at 1 1/16 miles and was a 9 ¾-length winner under perennial Oaklawn riding champion Ricardo Santana Jr., earning a solid 89 Beyer Speed Figure in her American debut. Bradley said La Renoleta was being considered for Oaklawn's $1 million Apple Blossom Handicap (G1) when a minor soft-tissue injury was discovered, prompting a lengthy break from racing.

“While it wasn't career ending, it was one of those things that took a long time to come around,” Bradley said Thursday morning. “We gave her every bit of time she needed, so it looks like she's back on top of her game and we can't wait for her to run this weekend.”

Bradley assembles racing partnerships, or racing ventures, focusing primarily on fillies. After dipping into South America to privately purchase Chilean-bred filly Dacita, who became a multiple Grade 1 winner in the United States for four-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer Chad Brown, Bradley said he began tracking La Renoleta in June 2019 before finalizing a deal roughly three months later.

A 6-year-old daughter of grass standout Treasure Beach (a Grade 1 winner in the United States and Group 1 winner in Europe), La Renoleta will again be running at Oaklawn following a lengthy layoff. Bradley said retirement was never seriously considered following her injury, adding four months of recovery stretched to seven out of caution.

“There was a hemorrhage along with it, that made it look worse,” Bradley said. “Essentially, we just wanted to be extra careful and we took some time. Knock on wood, it's paid off. We may have even overreacted a little bit, but that's OK. We wanted to make sure she's 100 percent. That's what we have right now.”

Bradley said La Renoleta resumed training around New Year's Day. The mare has seven published workouts at Oaklawn since March 10 in advance of her 2021 debut.

“We figured she would be ready for a spring/summer campaign,” Bradley said. “We hoped we could have been ready early in the Oaklawn meet and could have made a decision on the Apple Blossom. There's two ways you find out if a horse is ready to run. The horses tell you and then Steve tells you.”

Mexican champion Letruska won last Saturday's $1 million Apple Blossom (G1), nosing out two-time Eclipse Award winner Monomoy Girl. La Renoleta's allowance race is an “extra,” meaning it wasn't in the condition book and is a substitute race written by Oaklawn racing secretary Pat Pope. Bradley said Saturday's comeback spot isn't a prep for something specific, just a gateway to, hopefully, graded stakes events this summer.

“We always hope to do that with them, if they look like they've got this type of talent,” Bradley said. “Again, one step at a time. We've got this race Saturday. After that, we'll see. If she runs up to our expectations, we'll most probably look for a stakes race. If it turns out that she needs a race, we'll go to Plan B. I would hope that some races at Saratoga would be in her future this summer, some of their top races.”

Co-owners of La Renoleta are Swift Thoroughbreds Inc. (Mark Mache), Paul Braverman and Tim and Anna Cambron. Bradley, in partnership, won the $200,000 Bayakoa Stakes (G3) for older fillies and mares in 2019 at Oaklawn with the Asmussen-trained She's a Julie.

La Renoleta is the 8-5 program favorite for Saturday's seventh race at Oaklawn, which carries a $107,000 purse. Probable post time is 4:04 p.m. (Central).

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