Santa Anita
Maxim Rate (Exchange Rate) strode to the lead inside the final furlong and held off the late-closing duo of La Signare (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}) and Bodhicitta (GB) (Showcasing {GB}) to score the first Grade I victory of her career in the GI Gamely S. at Santa Anita Monday. Dismissed at 13-1, Maxim Rate rated kindly in fourth while racing one off the rail as heavily favored Charmaine's Mia (The Factor) took the field through fractions of :22.82 and :45.94. Maxim Rate ranged up three wide at the top of the...
Narrowly favored at 9-5 in Monday's GI Hollywood Gold Cup, WinStar Farm's Country Grammer (Tonalist) became his Lane's End-based stallion's first Grade I winner, narrowly outbattling Royal Ship (Brz) (Midshipman) in a rousing finish. Away alertly, the former Paul Pompa runner was taken hold of to sit second as longshot Brown Storm (Chi) (Scat Daddy) rolled to the front showed the way through moderate splits of :22.92 and :47.16. Switched off nicely in the two path for the run down the backstretch, Country Grammer was asked for a bit of...
Cannon Thoroughbreds' Smooth Like Strait (Midnight Lute), narrowly beaten in three previous attempts at the top level, earned an automatic berth in the GI Breeders' Cup Mile with a wire-to-wire victory in the GI Shoemaker Mile S. Monday at Santa Anita. Sent off at 3-5, the bay colt broke alertly and took the early lead under his own steam. He hugged the rail while pressed by Restrainedvengeance (Hold Me Back) and Whisper Not (GB) (Poet's Voice {GB}) and the top trio separated themselves from the rest of the field through...
Sponsored by Alex Nichols Agency 5th-SA, $61k, Msw, 3yo/up, f/m, 6 1/2fT, 6:14p.m. LNJ Foxwoods' SPEEDCUBER (War Front), a $525,000 KEENOV weanling, makes her debut for trainer Richard Baltas. She is a daughter of Drifting Cube (Aus) (Encosta de Lago {Aus}), a full-sister to multiple group winner Rubick (Aus). Also debuting is Tommy Town Thoroughbreds' What a Feeling (Medaglia d'Oro). The $700,000 KEESEP yearling is trained by Jonathan Wong, who also saddles fellow Tommy Town firster The Pharoah's Girl (American Pharoah), a $330,000 KEESEP yearling purchase. TJCIS PPs
Undefeated Soothsay (Distorted Humor) looks to take her record to three-for-three in Sunday's GII Summertime Oaks at Santa Anita. A debut winner sprinting in Arcadia Feb. 26, the bay captured the GII Santa Anita Oaks when extended to two turns next out Apr. 3. Connections opted to skip the GI Kentucky Oaks despite earning enough points for that victory and she instead headlines this event. Soothsay's biggest competition is likely to come from a filly who did not show up on Oaks day, 10th-place finisher Crazy Beautiful (Liam's Map). If...
The John Sadler-trained Flagstaff (Speightstown) tested positive for Clodronic Acid, a bisphosphonate otherwise known as Osphos, after finishing second at Santa Anita Sept. 27 last year, according to a California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) complaint. As per the complaint, dated Mar. 24, an Osphos positive is a Class 1, Category A penalty. A split sample confirmed the original finding, the complaint states. Sadler is currently on a year's probation in accordance with a settlement agreement and mutual release with the CHRB, as part of which Sadler was fined $15,000 and...
A maiden facing winners in Sunday's $100,000 Cinema S. at Santa Anita, Hudson Ridge parlayed a stalking trip into a one-length defeat of favored Sword Zorro (Ire) (Zoffany {Ire}), becoming the 16th black-type winner for his Triple Crown-winning sire. Forced to take some evasive action at the start when Jimmy Irish (Jimmy Creed) ducked out at the start, forcing Hubris (Paynter) out and into Hudson Ridge, the bay colt settled in third position of the quintet into the first turn and inherited second position when Hubris was pulled up and...
California's Santa Anita Park has boosted purses for the Fasig-Tipton Debutante and the Fasig-Tipton Futurity, both 2-year-old stakes scheduled to run Sunday, June 20, which is also closing day. Each will have purses of $100,000, an increase from their original purses of $75,000. Both black-type events are slated to run over five furlongs on the dirt and will be forerunners to Fasig-Tipton's 2-year-olds in training sale at Santa Anita, which will be held June 23. An under-tack preview is scheduled for June 21. "We've boosted the purses on both of...
Michael Tabor, Mrs. John Magnier and Derrick Smith's As Time Goes By (American Pharoah) aired by 9 1/4 lengths in her latest start in the Apr. 24 GII Santa Margarita S., however, she had to work a lot harder when nosing out 23-1 longshot This Tea (Curlin) in Saturday's GII Santa Maria S. at Santa Anita. Breaking from the outside of a four-horse field, the 4-year-old allowed Miss Stormy D (Tapizar) to assume the helm through opening fractions of :23.83 and :47.12. Given the cue by Mike Smith at the...
Hot Rod Charlie (Oxbow) worked five furlongs in 1:01.60 under Flavien Prat at 7:45 a.m. at Santa Anita Saturday morning in preparation for the June 5 GI Belmont S. The colt worked in tandem with SW Liam's Pride (Liam's Map). "I was very happy with the breeze," said trainer Doug O'Neill. "I got him in 1:01 and out [six furlongs] in 1:13 and change." The winner of the GII Louisiana Derby Mar. 20, the dark bay most recently finished third at 5-1 odds in the May 1 Kentucky Derby. Prat,...
2nd-Santa Anita, $64,562, Msw, 5-21, 2yo, f, 4 1/2f, :53.12, ft, 5 1/2 lengths. ROYAL O'HAIGAIN (f, 2, El Deal--Dreaming of Susie {GSP}, by Cowtown Cat) posted a blazing :34 flat bullet (1/33) at Santa Anita May 17, prompting her to be backed down to 4-5 favoritism for this unveiling. Quickly to the front, the Louisiana-bred was given the go-ahead after Alexis Centeno took a quick peek under his right arm nearing the quarter pole and spurted clear turning for home. Moving with purpose from there, the bay crossed the...
The streaking Going Global (Ire) (Mehmas {Ire}) looks to make it five straight wins in Saturday's GIII Honeymoon S. at Santa Anita. A handicap winner at Dundalk in November 2020, Going Global is a perfect three-for-three at a variety of distances on these shores for Phil D'Amato, including the six-furlong GIII Sweet Life S. Feb. 14, the one-mile China Doll S. Mar. 6 and the GIII Providencia S. going 1 1/8 miles last time Apr. 3. "Going Global proved last time a mile and an eighth wasn't a problem," D'Amato...