umberto rispoli | Horse Racing Free Tips

Out Of The Weeds: Rock Your World Wins Santa Anita Derby In Main Track Debut

Although he was two for two on grass, Rock Your World had one big question to answer on Saturday at Santa Anita in Arcadia, Calif.: Would he run as well on dirt? Question answered, as he dominated nine rivals en route to a rousing 4 ¼-length win in the 84th running of the Grade 1, $750,000 Runhappy Santa Anita Derby. Ridden by Umberto Rispoli and trained by John Sadler, the 3-year-old colt by Candy Ride, who was bred by Hall of Fame trainer Ron McAnally and his wife Debbie, got a mile and one eighth in 1:49.17.

With longshot Parnelli and favored Medina Spirit gunning for the early lead as expected, Rispoli appeared to take his measure of the competition heading into the clubhouse turn, allowing his mount to get into stride, which he did, taking command into the turn and from there, dictating terms throughout.

With a three-quarter-length advantage on both Parnelli and Medina Spirit at the half mile pole, Rock Your World got stronger as the race progressed, chugging through splits of :22.42, :46.11, 1:10.64 and 1:36.27. Although both Parnelli and Medina Spirit were “all-in” a quarter mile out, the Derby was essentially over as none of the others could make up any ground through the lane.

“We have been laying in the weeds,” said Sadler, who bagged his second Runhappy Santa Anita Derby. “I thought it would be good to start this horse off on the turf, much like Omaha Beach, 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.

“…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 number one Roman Centurian) of us. It worked out great and I'm very excited.”

A handy winner of the ungraded Pasadena Stakes going a mile on turf Feb. 27, Rock Your World was off at 5-1 and paid $12.40, $4.60 and $3.40.

Owned by Hronis Racing, LLC or Talla Racing, LLC, Rock Your World is out of the McAnally's Empire Maker mare Charm the Maker. With the winner's share of $450,000, Rock Your World increased his earnings to $546,600 and is now unbeaten in three starts.

Favored at 4-5, Medina Spirit appeared to have a perfect trip while second-best, finishing 2 ¼ lengths in front of Medina Spirit. Ridden by John Velazquez, Medina Spirit paid $2.80 and $2.20.

“The horse ran well, but the winner took the lead on a fast track and kept running,” said Velazquez. “My horse kept coming and kept coming but couldn't catch up. He did have some left in the tank at the end and he kept coming, but the other horse got away pretty well and opened up again. It was too hard to catch up.”

Ridden by Flavien Prat, Dream Shake was forwardly placed throughout, but never threatened for the win. Off at 9-2, he paid $2.80 to show.

“We had a good trip and it was a bit, you know, drawing gate side was not the best spot but the horse was travelling well and the race went well,” said Prat.

With 170 Kentucky Derby qualifying points at stake, Rock Your World will receive 100, with 40, 20 and 10 points awarded to the second, third and fourth place finishers.

Updated Kentucky Derby leaderboard.

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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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Beautiful Gift, Moraz Square Off Over Oaks Points At Santa Anita

Separated by a head when last they met on March 7, Bob Baffert's Beautiful Gift and Michael McCarthy's Moraz will square off again as they head a field of five sophomore fillies in Saturday's Grade 2, $400,000 Santa Anita Oaks at a mile and one sixteenth.

In addition to first prize of $240,000, the Santa Anita Oaks winner will receive 100 Kentucky Oaks qualifying points, with 40, 20 and 10 points to the next three finishers. The Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks will be run on Friday, April 30 at Churchill Downs.

Owned and bred in Kentucky by Baoma Corporation, Beautiful Gift broke her maiden two starts back on Oct. 23 at a flat mile and then rallied to nail Moraz on the money in the Grade 3 Santa Ysabel at 1 1/16 miles here on March 7.

Ridden for the first time by John Velazquez, Beautiful Gift, a bay filly by Medaglia d'Oro out of the A.P. Indy mare Sea Gift, was off at 3-1 and overcame significant trouble at the top of the stretch but surged late to get the win in an impressive effort.

While Moraz and Umberto Rispoli were able get first run, Velazquez had to wait for room and with a sixteenth of a mile to run, Beautiful Gift was somehow able to overcome a 2 ½ length deficit.

“She was full of run and I was trying to keep her from getting dirt in her face but when Rispoli pushed Joel (Rosario, aboard Kalypso) in, I had to take a hold of her,” said Velazquez. “But she was able to overcome it…By the time I got her to the outside, I got her rolling and I was hoping she would get there before the wire and she did.”

With two wins from three starts, Beautiful Gift has shown marked improvement for Baffert in her three prior starts and looms the horse to beat.

Owned and bred in Kentucky by Don Alberto Corporation, Moraz has been ridden in all four of her starts by Rispoli. By Empire Maker out of the A.P. Indy mare Malvinia, Moraz has routed in all of her races and she'll be making her fourth start of the meet on Saturday.

An 11 length maiden winner going one mile on Jan. 8, she was then third at the same distance in the Grade 3 Las Virgenes Stakes on Feb. 6. Off at 2-1 in the Santa Ysabel, she'll be trying a mile and one sixteenth for the second time as she tries to turn the tables on Beautiful Gift.

Trainer Eoin Harty will saddle Godolphin homebred Javanica, who comes off a solid second, beaten a neck by talented Rombauer when facing males going a mile and one eighth on synthetic Tapeta in the El Camino Real Derby Feb. 13 at Golden Gate Fields.

Including the El Camino Real, Javanica has now rallied from off the pace to run second in four consecutive stakes; the one mile turf Blue Norther here on Dec. 31, the Grade 3 Jimmy Durante at one mile on turf at Del Mar Nov. 28 and the seven furlong Glorious Song, run on Polytrack synthetic at Woodbine Oct. 17.

With a one mile maiden turf win at Arlington Park on Sept. 18 to her credit, Javanica, a bay filly by Medaglia d'Oro out of the Elusive Quality mare Shuruq, will be trying dirt for the first time in what will be her seventh career start.

With Mike Smith engaged to ride, Javanica could be a factor if she's able to handle the main track as well as she has turf and synthetic.

Trained by Richard Mandella, Soothsay rallied from off the pace to break her maiden first time out going six furlongs on Feb. 26 and will be ridden back by Flavien Prat as she stretches out. Owned by Claiborne Farm, Perry Bass, Ramona Bass and Adele Dilschneider, Soothsay is by Distorted Humor out of the Bernardini mare Spellbound.

THE GRADE 2 SANTA ANITA OAKS WITH JOCKEYS & WEIGHTS IN POST POSITION ORDER

Race 6 of 12 Approximate post time 2:30 p.m. PT

Moraz—Umberto Rispoli—124
Brilliant Cut—Abel Cedillo–124
Soothsay—Flavien Prat—124
Javanica—Mike Smith–124
Beautiful Gift—John Velazquez—124

Special early first post time on Runhappy Santa Anita Derby Day, this Saturday, is at 12 noon. For additional information, please visit santaanita.com or call (626) 574-RACE.

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Baltas Continues Santa Ana Dominance With Going To Vegas

A change in tactics and an eye-catching turn of foot resulted in a career-best performance from the Richard Baltas-trained Going to Vegas in Saturday's Grade 3, $100,000 Santa Ana Stakes at Santa Anita in Arcadia, Calif., as the 4-year-old daughter of Goldencents motored to an impressive 3 ¾-length win. Ridden for the first time by Umberto Rispoli, Going to Vegas, who was claimed eight starts back for $50,000, got a mile and one quarter on turf in 2:00.80.

Second, about a half length off of heavily favored Mucho Unusual as the field made the dirt crossing shortly after its hillside turf start, Going to Vegas took the pole position about a mile from home with French-bred Neige Blanche and Mucho Unusual in close attendance to the far turn.

With a one length advantage over Neige Blanche at the quarter pole, Going to Vegas spurted clear three sixteenths of a mile out to win as much the best.

“She ran her race today,” said Baltas, who has now won the last four runnings of the Santa Ana. “Today was the first time she showed us that kind of acceleration. The turn of foot was impressive.”

Although she had broken her maiden and won an allowance route while on or near the lead prior to being claimed on June 12, 2020, Going to Vegas had never exhibited the kind of front-running dominance she did in the Santa Ana.

“Just working on her, getting her to relax and obviously we took the blinkers off of her (four starts back),” explained Baltas. “With this distance, it's probably better for her to stay or even a little further. (A) mile and three eighths, mile and a half, because she has tactical speed and she made the lead pretty easy today…I was pleasantly surprised that she had that turn of foot at the end.”

Fourth going one mile on turf in the G2 Buena Vista Stakes Feb. 20, Going to Vegas was second two starts back in the G1 American Oaks at a mile and one quarter on turf. With the Santa Ana her second attempt at the distance, Going to Vegas was the second choice among a field of six older fillies and mares and paid $8.60, $2.80 and $2.40.

“Since last night when I watched all the races of the filly, I (thought) she probably would be the pace,” said Rispoli. “This morning I said to myself, 'The only way to beat Mucho Unusual is to go get the lead.' The race came the way I want, I took the lead before the first turn and from there, she just kept improving acceleration and she really gave me a serious turn of foot at the top of the stretch.”

Owned by Abbondanza Racing, LLC, Medallion Racing and MyRacehorse, Going to Vegas, who is out of the Johannesburg mare Hard to Resist, notched her first ever stakes win and improved her overall mark to 18-4-8-2. With the winner's share of $60,000, she increased her earnings to $283,751.

Mucho Unusual, attentive to the pace while saving ground throughout, was full of run at the top of the lane but was clearly second best on the day, finishing one length in front of a late running Red Lark.

Off at 2-5 with Flavien Prat, Mucho Unusual paid $2.10 and $2.10.

Irish-bred Red Lark rallied from last under Ricky Gonzalez and paid $2.20 to show while finishing 1 ¼ lengths in front of Neige Blanche.

Fractions on the race were 24.64, 49.17, 1:14.02 and 1:38.14.

Racing resumes on Sunday with first post time for a nine-race card at 1 p.m.

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