Santa Anita

This Sunday marks a year to the day Battle of Midway (Smart Strike) suffered catastrophic injuries during a morning workout at Santa Anita, unleashing a tempest of opprobrium the likes of which the industry has never before faced in terms of intensity and sustained impact. Of course, Battle of Midway's fatal injury wasn't alone the catalyst--the Jerry Hollendorfer-trained Breeders' Cup winner was one of three fatalities at the track within two days. His death was also the 18th to mar the facility since racing had resumed towards the end of...

Keeper Ofthe Stars (Midnight Lute) forged past previously undefeated 3-5 favorite Jolie Olimpica (Brz) (Drosselmeyer) late to pull off a shocker in the GII Buena Vista S. at Santa Anita Saturday. Away well from the far outside post in this 11-horse affair, the 35-1 shot kept tabs from fourth as the heavy favorite cruised along on the front end, clocking early splits of :23.23 and :46.49. Ranging up two wide to tackle the pacesetter turning for home, the gray pushed past Jolie Olimpica in the final strides to spring a...

The Fashionable Fillies lunch, which has been successfully held at Saratoga for the past two decades, will be held at Santa Anita Mar. 8. The event is coordinated by The Jockey Club Safety Net Foundation, a charitable trust which provides, on a confidential basis, financial relief and assistance to needy members of the Thoroughbred industry and their families. "The Fashionable Fillies Luncheon has been a successful event on the east coast and we're excited to bring it to Santa Anita," said Shannon Kelly, Executive Director of The Jockey Club Safety...

Longtime Santa Anita executives Nate Newby and Amy Zimmerman have been promoted. Newby is now the Senior Vice President and Assistant General Manager and Zimmerman is Senior Vice President and Executive Producer. Also, Chris Merz, Maryland Jockey Club's Racing Secretary, has returned to Santa Anita as Director of Racing, assisting Steve Lym, Vice President - Racing. "As I look to continuously strengthen Santa Anita with strong leadership and a dedicated team behind me, I am confident that Nate and Amy, with their vast experience and commitment to Santa Anita and...

Fox Hill Farms Inc.'s exciting Jolie Olimpica (Brz) (Drosselmeyer) makes her first two-turn North American start in Saturday's GII Buena Vista S. at Santa Anita. A perfect three-for-three in Brazil, capped by a six-length romp going a mile over heavy ground in the G1 Gran Premio Jockey Club Brasileiro at Gavea last June, the chestnut was subsequently sold privately and turned over to Richard Mandella. She debuted in the Fox Hill red and white in the local GIII Las Cienegas S. Jan. 11, scoring by 1 1/4 while lowering the...

Sponsored by Alex Nichols Agency INTRIGUING FIRSTERS IN HALLANDALE 3rd-GP, $50K, Msw, 3yo, 7f, 1:04p.m. LIAM'S POINT (Liam's Map) has been a buzz horse off his breezes leading up to this unveiling. The Todd Pletcher pupil displays several bullet drills at Palm Beach Downs and in his most recent five panel move in 1:01.80 (3/6), he worked in company highly regarded 'TDN Rising Star' Spice is Nice (Curlin) (XBTV video). The bay is a half-brother to Grade I winner Sam's Sister (Brother Derek) and SW Sensitive (Divine Park). TJCIS PPs...

Charlatan (Speightstown) would've likely gone favored in most Santa Anita maiden special weights if not for the presence Sunday of Lane Way (Into Mischief)--who was third behind Charlatan's 'TDN Rising Star' and GII San Vicente S.-winning stablemate Nadal (Blame) here last month--and he made 6-5 look like a particular bargain after zipping away in dominant fashion to get the 'Rising Star' nod himself. Seizing the lead without having to work particularly hard for it, the chestnut bowled along through splits of :21.89 and :44.72. He looked like a lock entering...

C R K Stable's Royal Act (American Pharoah), a gritty second to undefeated Thousand Words (Pioneerof the Nile) in the GIII Robert B. Lewis S. Feb. 1 and fellow Lee Searing colorbearer Honor A. P. (Honor Code), an exceptionally impressive maiden winner when last seen over a mile last October, were each out for Saturday morning breezes over the Santa Anita main track. A $500,000 Keeneland September yearling purchase, Royal Act was making his dirt debut in the Lewis and sat a very wide trip, but plugged on gamely to...

Hard Not to Love (Hard Spun), one blemish from being undefeated in her five-race career, will look to validate a scintillating upset of the GI La Brea S. and continue her rapid ascent as a likely short price this time around in Saturday's GII Santa Monica S. at Santa Anita. Debuting with a local front-running score one day short of a year ago, the $400,000 Keeneland September buy repeated in an allowance Apr. 13 before suffering her only career defeat as a well-beaten third in the Angels Flight S. May...

David Anderson had lost his father barely two months previously, at just 64, to a heart attack. Returning home, trying to light a path through the fog of sudden grief, Anderson had sat down with the farm manager, Ray Carroll. "Ray, what are we going to do here?" Carroll looked at Anderson and said: "Dave, I couldn't imagine working anywhere else in my life." "Perfect. That's all I need to hear. Let's put the pedal down and go for it." It was much the same with Marette Farrell, whose eye...

The office of California Assemblymember Ash Kalra (D-San Jose) announced Tuesday the introduction of AB 2177, the Equine Welfare and Safety in Horse Racing Act. Citing last year's rash of horse deaths at Santa Anita Park as the impetus, the proposed legislation is co-sponsored by Social Compassion in Legislation (SCIL) and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). "If the state is to continue to sanction horse racing and its wagering as a legal sport, addressing horse fatalities to the greatest extent possible needs to take precedence," said Kalra....

It wasn't nearly as easy as his 1-5 odds suggested it would be, but 'TDN Rising Star' Nadal (Blame) survived a grueling pace and gutted out a hard-fought win that would have made his notoriously tenacious namesake proud in Sunday's GII San Vicente S. at Santa Anita, the promising colt's first step along the GI Kentucky Derby trail. Garnering expectations early on after commanding $700,000 as a :10 flat Fasig-Tipton Gulfstream breezer, the bay showed up to his Jan. 19 debut with a sharp worktab and delivered on 6-5 favoritism...