Tag: Triple Crown

Forbidden Kingdom and Doppelganger, who finished 2 ¾ lengths apart at seven furlongs on Jan. 29, will renew acquaintances at 1 1/16 miles on Saturday as they head the 83rd running of the Grade 2, $400,000 San Felipe Stakes at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, Calif.

The San Felipe offers 50 points to the winner on the Road to the Kentucky Derby, excluding those horses trained by Bob Baffert due to Churchill Downs' ban of the Hall of Fame conditioner.

An ultra-quick chestnut colt by 2015 Triple Crown winner American Pharoah, the Richard Mandella-trained Forbidden Kingdom sped to the early lead from his rail post position and dominated the G2 San Vicente Stakes on Jan. 29, winning by 2 ¼ lengths while the Bob Baffert-conditioned Doppelganger checked in fourth as the 4-5 favorite.

Owned by MyRacehorse and Spendthrift Farm, LLC, Forbidden Kingdom, who earned a lofty 94 Beyer Speed Figure in taking the Jan. 29 San Vicente, is out of the Five Star Day mare Just Louise. With two wins, a second and a third from four starts, Forbidden Kingdom, who was purchased for $300,000 as a yearling, has earnings of $194,000 and will be ridden for the fifth consecutive time by Juan Hernandez.

“He's as quick as they come,” said Mandella following the San Vicente. “We'll have to try two turns down the road here. He's gotten better about everything. He was so professional today, everything went well. He used to get a little antsy in the gate.”

A 3 ½ length first-out maiden winner going six furlongs at Los Alamitos on Dec. 11, Doppelganger was subsequently off as the heavy favorite in the San Vicente and although he found his best stride in deep stretch he couldn't make up the necessary ground to threaten for the win while earning an 89 Beyer.

Although he disappointed in his second start, Doppelganger, a bay colt by red-hot sire Into Mischief, has come back to train in superb fashion for Baffert and should relish the added distance on Saturday. Owned by SF Racing, LLC, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables, LLC, et al, Doppelganger is out of the Quiet American mare Twice the Lady and should he win, would provide Baffert with his record sixth San Felipe win.

Cast as the “Other Baffert,” Armagnac has the advantage of breaking his maiden at the San Felipe distance. Off at 4-5 in what was his second start, Armagnac led gate to wire here on Jan. 21, winning easily by 2 ¼ lengths. A $210,000 Keeneland September Yearling, he's owned by SF Racing, LLC, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables, LLC, et al. By Quality Road out of the Lemon Drop Kid mare Kitty Wine, Armagnac looms dangerous in what will be his third start.

Versatile and battle-tested, the George Papaprodromou-trained Cabo Spirit has proven effective on both turf and dirt. Second, beaten 15 lengths by Baffert's A-List sophomore Messier in the G3 Robert B. Lewis at the San Felipe distance Feb. 6, Cabo Spirit, a winner of the one mile turf Eddie Logan Stakes two starts back on Jan. 2, has an overall mark of 8-2-2-2 with earnings of $177,220.

Owned by Kretz Racing, LLC, Cabo Spirit, who was purchased out of a 2-year-old in training sale last April, is by Pioneerof the Nile and is out of the Shamardal mare Fancy Day.

THE GRADE 2 SAN FELIPE STAKES WITH JOCKEYS & WEIGHTS IN POST POSITION ORDER

Race 6 of 11 Approximate post time 2:30 p.m. PT

1. Happy Jack—Abel Cedillo—120
2. Worse Read Sanchez—Mario Gutierrez—120
3. Armagnac—John Velazquez—120
4. Beautiful Art—Mike Smith–120
5. Doppelganger—Flavien Prat—120
6. Forbidden Kingdom—Juan Hernandez—120
7. Cabo Spirit—Victor Espinoza–122

Early first post time for an 11-race card on Saturday is at 12 noon with admission gates opening at 10 a.m.

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C2 Racing Stable and La Milagrosa Stable's White Abarrio returned to the Gulfstream Park worktab Sunday morning for the first time since capturing the Holy Bull Stakes (G3) by a dominating 4 ½ lengths Feb. 5.

The 3-year-old son of Race Day breezed three furlongs in :36.22. The move was first in a scheduled series of works leading up to the $1 million Curlin Florida Derby (G1) at Gulfstream April 2.

“We gave him three weeks and he came back at three-eighths,” trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. said. “He worked well, very easy. His last quarter was :23 and change. We're happy with him overall. He came out of that race as good as you could ask, health-wise, condition-wise and attitude-wise.

White Abarrio, who finished third behind Smile Happy and Classic Causeway in the Kentucky Jockey Club (G2) at Churchill in his juvenile finale, will sit out Saturday's Fasig-Tipton Fountain of Youth (G2) and be trained up to the Florida Derby.

“Going into his last race, he really didn't have ideal preparation. He actually missed two works. When you go into a race like that after missing two works, you're giving up some kind of fitness,” Joseph said. “When a horse runs such a big race and you don't have him as fit as he should be, I think it's taxing for a horse. You don't want to bring them back too quick off a layoff.”

Gentry Farm's A. P.'s Secret breezed a half-mile in :48.72 for Joseph Sunday morning in preparation for a start the Fountain of Youth Stakes (G2).

“It went really good. He had two quick breezes back-to-back. This one is close to the race so it was more toned down. He sat off a workmate on the outside and came the last quarter in :23 and [.40],” Joseph said. “I thought it was a great final work. We're excited to run him.”

A. P.'s Secret has won two of three career starts, including a front-running optional claiming allowance score Jan. 9.

Joseph-trained Collaborate and Ny Traffic also breezed Sunday morning at Gulftream for Saturday's $200,000 Gulfstream Park Mile (G2).

Three Chimneys Farm and e Five Racing Thoroughbreds' Collaborate earned a bullet for three-furlong breeze in :34.36, the fastest clocking of 29 recorded at the distance.

John Fanelli and partners' Ny Traffic breezed a half-mile in :49.07 for a half-mile in preparation for his 2022 debut.

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Classic Causeway, impressive winner of the Sam F. Davis Stakes (G3) Feb. 12, heads the nominations for the 42nd running of the $400,000 Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby (G2) for 3-year-olds March 12.

The Tampa Bay Downs Derby, contested at 1 1/16 miles on the main track, is part of the “Road to the Kentucky Derby Championship Series” of races for the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1), scheduled for May 7 at Churchill Downs. The Tampa Bay Derby awards qualifying points to the first four finishers on a 50-20-10-5 scale.

Classic Causeway, a Kentucky-bred colt who is owned by Kentucky West Racing and Clarke M. Cooper and trained by Brian Lynch, is sixth in the “Road to the Kentucky Derby” standings through Saturday's prep action with 16 points. He was ridden to victory in the Sam F. Davis Stakes, completing the trip in 1:42.80, the fifth-fastest running of the race in its 42-year history.

Trainer Todd Pletcher, who has won the Tampa Bay Derby a record five times, including three in a row from 2015-2017, appears to have covered all bases, with 13 nominees. That contingent includes Grade 3 winner Mo Donegal, owned by Donegal Racing; Grade 3 winner Major General, owned by WinStar Farm and Siena Farm; the promising Emmanuel, who won an allowance/optional claiming race going a one mile and 40 yards on Jan. 30 in his 3-year-old debut also for WinStar Farm and Siena Farm; and Grade 3 turf winner Grand Sonata.

Also nominated is New York-bred colt Shipsational, who picked up four points for his Sam F. Davis Stakes runner-up finish. Shipsational, who has been training at Tampa Bay Downs since December, is owned by Iris Smith Stable and trained by Edward Barker.

Besides Classic Causeway, five other horses who are among the current top 20 on the “Road to the Kentucky Derby” points list are nominated to the Tampa Bay Derby. That group includes Smile Happy, who is third in the standings with 30 points but is ranked first or second on many experts' list of top Kentucky Derby contenders. Ken McPeek trains the Grade 2-winning colt for owner Lucky Seven Stable.

The other nominees among the top 20 points leaders are Mo Donegal, Grade 1 winner Rattle N Roll, Major General, and Dash Attack.

Other Sam F. Davis runners are nominated, including third-place finisher Volcanic and fifth-place finisher Golden Glider, both trained by Mark Casse, and fourth-place finisher Strike Hard, trained by Matthew J. Williams.

Four other stakes are scheduled on the March 12 Festival Day card, three graded, with total stakes purses of $1 million: the $225,000 Hillsborough Stakes (G2) for fillies and mares at 1 1/8 miles on the turf; the $200,000 Florida Oaks (G3) for 3-year-old fillies at 1 1/16 miles on the turf; the $100,000 Michelob Ultra Challenger Stakes (G3) for 4-year-olds and older going 1 1/16 miles on the main track; and the $75,000 Columbia Stakes for 3-year-olds at a mile on the turf.

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Happy Jack and Worse Read Sanchez will represent Doug O'Neill in Saturday's Grade 2 San Felipe Stakes, a major West Coast prep in Arcadia, Calif., for the Grade 1 Runhappy Santa Anita Derby on April 9 and beyond that the Kentucky Derby on May 7.

“We might have brought back Happy Jack a little too quick,” said O'Neill in explaining his disappointing fifth in the Feb. 6 Robert Lewis Stakes in which he was 27 ¼ lengths behind Messier, who won the race by 15 lengths.

The Lewis was only two weeks from Happy Jack's previous race, a maiden victory on Jan. 22.

“We freshened him up a bit and we're taking the blinkers off,” O'Neill said. “Abel (Cedillo) worked him yesterday a solid seven-eighths (in 1:26.20). He looked well and we expect him to rebound and get back to his debut effort.”

The San Felipe offers 50 Kentucky Derby qualifying points to the winner, 20 to the runner-up, 10 to the third-place finisher and five to fourth.

O'Neill also has Reddam Racing's Team Merchants nominated to Saturday's Frank E. Kilroe Mile and the San Carlos Stakes presented by Fan Duel.

“We're going to look at both spots,” O'Neill said. “He could go either way but we'll look at which one will give him the best chance, although we're kind of leaning on Matt Nakatani (agent for Mario Gutierrez) to help us decide.”

Gutierrez, the go-to rider for Reddam Racing, has ridden Team Merchants in his last seven races, winning once on both turf and dirt.

O'Neill plans to leave for Dubai Wednesday and stay through Sunday visiting with Hot Rod Charlie as he continues preparation for the 12 million Dubai World Cup on March 26.

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