Santa Anita
Missy P. (Into Mischief) followed in the hoofprints of her Grade I-winning full-sister Mia Mischief with a dazzling, 'TDN Rising Star'-worthy graduation at Santa Anita Friday. Breaking like a shot from the outside gate, the 2-5 chalk contested the early pace alongside Reem (Danza) through the initial stages before settling a bit to be a h second through a swift first quarter in :22.16. Well clear of the rest of the field, the first timer drew even with Reem leaving the quarter pole and powered clear with ease in...
Based on increasing vaccine availability and declining COVID-19 numbers, The Stronach Group and TOC outlined new protocols at Santa Anita Park and Golden Gate Fields to allow licensed owners more access to the grounds. SANTA ANITA PARK Mandatory Santa Anita protocols, including social distancing (a minimum of six feet), face cloths covering your nose and mouth, health screening, temperature check and wrist banding will continue to be enforced for everyone entering Santa Anita, including the Stable Area. Winner's Circle After each race, the winning horse will be brought into the...
Littleprincessemma (Yankee Gentleman) may not have done much on the racetrack, but she has proven to be quite a blue hen in her broodmare career. All five of her foals to race are winners and four of them are graded stakes performers, topped by her second foal, Triple Crown winner and three-time champion American Pharoah (Pioneerof the Nile). The mare affectionately known as "Emma" followed American Pharoah with his GISP full-sister American Cleopatra; a GSP full-brother named St. Patrick's Day; his Grade I-winning half-sister Chasing Yesterday (Tapit); and an unraced...
Champion Swiss Skydiver (Daredevil) crushed her competition on her last trip to the west coast for the GII Santa Anita Oaks last spring and looks to repeat that performance Saturday when she returns to Santa Anita for the GI Beholder Mile. Capturing the GII Gulfstream Park Oaks and GIII Fantasy S. prior to the Santa Anita Oaks last term, the chestnut took on males next out in the GII Toyota Blue Grass S. July 11, finishing a respectable second to Art Collector (Bernardini). Returning to winning ways next out in...
Sponsored by Alex Nichols Agency 4th-SA, $61K, Msw, 3yo/up, f/m, 5 1/2f, 5:08 p.m. ET MISSY P. (Into Mischief), a full-sister to GISW millionaire and 'TDN Rising Star' Mia Mischief, opens her account in this sprint for Spendthrift Farm and Richard Mandella. The lone 3-year-old in a field of seven, the bay shows a half-dozen strong works over the local main track, including a three-furlong bullet from the gate in :34 4/5 (1/47) Jan. 27 and a six-panel move in 1:11 2/5 (2/6) Feb. 26. Drawn outside, the homebred is...
Los Angeles Times columnist John Cherwa has seen a lot in just a handful of years on the Southern California racing beat, and Wednesday morning he joined the TDN Writers' Room podcast presented by Keeneland to discuss the past, present and future of racing in the Golden State. Calling in via Zoom as the Green Group Guest of the Week, Cherwa talked about the progress in Santa Anita's safety record, the top 3-year-olds on the west coast and the effect of last week's protest at Golden Gate Fields. "I wrote...
LA Times Columnist John Cherwa joined this week's TDN Writers' Room podcast to talk on racing at Santa Anita, top sophomore Life Is Good and the recent protests at Golden Gate Field.
The Week in Review, by T.D. Thornton Generally speaking, when your horse is parked near last for most of the trip, fanned six wide on the far turn, fifth with a furlong to go, and still third 100 yards from the wire, your chances of winning are slim. Unless Joel Rosario is riding, of course. That was the exact scenario facing Idol (Curlin) in deep stretch of Saturday's GI Santa Anita H. at Santa Anita Park. Yet "Judicious Joel," who at age 36 is without fanfare blossoming into the absolute...
She had to be worked on early in Sunday's GIII Santa Ysabel S. at Santa Anita and seemed an unlikely winner as late as the eighth pole, but Baoma Corporation's Beautiful Gift (Medaglia d'Oro) produced a strong rally in deep stretch to nail Moraz (Empire Maker) in the last jump while making her first start since October. A debut third behind re-opposing GSW barnmate Kalypso (Brody's Cause) going 5 1/2 furlongs Sept. 5 at Del Mar, the homebred stretched out to a local mile Oct. 23 and surged in the...
Calvin Nguyen's Idol (Curlin) seemed to relish the 10 furlongs of Saturday's GI Santa Anita H. as he turned the tables on Express Train (Union Rags) to post a mild 5-1 upset. Even-money invader Maxfield (Street Sense) could only manage third with no obvious excuse. Last seen finishing third as the favorite behind Express Train when trapped behind a slow pace in the Jan. 30 GII San Pasqual S., the bay was kept off the inside and unhurried as he sat second last. Last year's GII Lambholm South Tampa Bay...
Hit the Road (More Than Ready) struck a blow for the locals, parlaying a perfect trip into a stirring short-neck victory in Saturday's GI Frank E. Kilroe Mile S. at Santa Anita. Drawn in gate two with the visiting Florent Geroux in the irons, Hit the Road found the perfect spot in the box seat, as Flying Scotsman (English Channel) sped across from his outside barrier to supplant favored Smooth Like Strait (Midnight Lute). The pace was sensible through the middle stages, with positions largely unchanged, and Hit the Road...
Sunday's five-horse GIII Santa Ysabel S. features runners from just two barns, with Hall of Famer Bob Baffert represented by three fillies and Mike McCarthy saddling the other two. Baffert-trained Kalypso (Brody's Cause) stands out on speed figures, and boasts a two-back victory in the GII Santa Ynez S. sprinting here Jan. 3. Also a winner of the six-panel Anoakia S. here last October, the $240,000 Fasig-Tipton July buy was last seen finishing second as a front-running favorite in the one-mile GIII Las Virgenes S. Feb. 6. Baoma Corp. homebred...