Santa Anita
The undefeated Maxfield (Street Sense) looks to put on yet another show for racing fans Saturday as he invades the West Coast for the first time in the GI Santa Anita H. A debut winner at Churchill in September, the Godolphin homebred romped in Keenland's GI Claiborne Breeders' Futurity S. a month later. The early favorite for the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile, he was scratched after spiking a fever just days before the race. Resurfacing May 23 at Churchill, the bay captured the GIII Matt Winn S., but was knocked...
Ride a Comet (Candy Ride {Arg}) rides a four-race win streak into his first try at the highest level in Saturday's GI Frank Kilroe Mile at Santa Anita. Starting off his hot streak with a victory in the GII Del Mar Derby in September of 2018, the blue-blooded bay was on the sidelines for 25 months and returned with an optional claimer score on the Woodbine synthetic Oct. 16. Capturing the GII Kennedy Road S. over that oval Nov. 21, he won the GIII Tropical Turf S. back on the...
Life may not be especially Good, just yet--but let's hope that it's at least getting a little better, however slowly. Certainly we must trust that's true of the wider world, as science strives to stem the pandemic. For a margin of our parish going through troubles of its own, equally, no less commitment and tenacity are proving necessary to see out a long road. Two years ago, remember, they couldn't stage the GII San Felipe S. at all after a harrowing spate of catastrophic injuries. A racetrack many of us...
Unbeaten 'TDN Rising Star' Life Is Good (Into Mischief), the 7-1 individual favorite in Pool 3 of the GI Kentucky Derby Future Wager, will look to go three-for-three in Saturday's GII San Felipe S. The 1 1/16-miles contest offers 50-20-10-5 points on the road to the Kentucky Derby. The blowout debut winner at Del Mar Nov. 22 set an uncontested pace while making his two turn-debut in the GIII Sham S. Jan. 2, and, after very confident handling beneath Mike Smith in the stretch, held a 3/4-length advantage over stablemate...
Dr. Schivel (Violence), sidelined since recording an impressive victory in the GI Runhappy Del Mar Futurity Sept. 7, has returned to light training at Mark Glatt's Santa Anita base with an eye on a late spring/early summer return. "He's been back in training for approximately a month and seems to be doing quite well so far," Glatt said. "We will start picking it up with him now. The first month, you're just doing a lot of jogging and legging up. So not a hell of a lot to report at...
Undefeated and widely considered among the top horses in training, Maxfield (Street Sense) will make his next start in Saturday's GI Santa Anita H. The news was first reported by TVG's Christina Blacker. "He'll head out there tomorrow," trainer Brendan Walsh said. "We're looking forward to it. The race has been on our radar for a while. At 1 1/4 miles, it's a nice race for him and the timing is good. It gives us a chance to win a Grade I. The race makes sense." With Maxfield being owned...
PASADENA S., $100,000, Santa Anita, 2-27, 3yo, 1mT, 1:34.39, fm. 1--ROCK YOUR WORLD, 120, 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 ($650,000 Ylg '19 KEESEP). 1ST BLACK TYPE WIN. O-Hronis Racing LLC & David Michael Talla; B-Ron McAnally & Deborah McAnally (KY); T-John W. Sadler; J-Umberto Rispoli. $60,000. Lifetime Record: 2-2-0-0, $96,600. *Full to She's Our Charm, GSP, $144,598. 2--Cathkin Peak (Ire), 124,...
Sponsored by Alex Nichols Agency 5th-Aqueduct, $80K, Msw, 3yo, 6f, post time: 3:25 p.m. ET ROYAL REALM (Empire Maker) gets his career underway for Centennial Farms and trainer Jimmy Jerkens. A $250,000 Keeneland September acquisiton, the Triple Crown-nominated dark bay is out of an unraced daughter of Golden Sheba (Coronado's Quest), the dam of Godolphin's two-time GISW Wedding Toast (Street Sense), whose son Ya Hayati (Dubawi {Ire}) won the Listed Zabeel Turf at Meydan last month. The colt's third dam includes the recently deceased MGISW Congaree (Arazi) and SW/GISP Sangaree...
5th-SA, $61K, Msw, 3yo, 6fT, 5:42 p.m. ET NAISMITH (Medaglia d'Oro) will lace them up for the first time for MyRacehorse and Hall of Famer Richard Mandella. The half-brother to GISW and young Darby Dan stallion Klimt (Quality Road) and GSP West Coast Chick (Malibu Moon) was a $385,000 KEENOV weanling and $150,000 OBS July 2-year-old. The rail-drawn Epidemic (Orb) has some bullets in the holster for his unveiling as well. Ryan Hanson trains the half-brother to millionaire Stanford (Malibu Moon), who most recently brought $165,000 as an OBS March...
The California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) has released its annual report, covering both the fiscal year 2019-2020 and the calendar year 2020. As expected, given the onslaught of a global pandemic, it paints a rather grim economic picture, but there are major positives to be gleaned, chiefly in the equine safety arena. When it comes to the business side of the equation, all-breed total handle generation during 2020 declined by 7% over the prior year. Because of a wholesale shift away from bricks and mortar wagering towards ADW platforms last...
China Horse Club and WinStar Farm's Life is Good (Into Mischief) tuned up for an expected start in the Mar. 6 GII San Felipe S. with a five-furlong work in 1:00.80 (4/33) at Santa Anita Monday morning. "He went extremely well," trainer Bob Baffert said of the 3-year-old colt. Tabbed a 'TDN Rising Star' following a debut win at Del Mar last November, Life is Good is now two-for-two after opening his sophomore campaign with a win in the Jan. 2 GIII Sham S. Also working Monday from the Baffert...
The Phil D'Amato barn continued its hot streak with European imports in turf sprints as Going Global (Ire) (Mehmas {Ire}) uncorked a powerful rally to take Sunday's GIII Sweet Life S. at Santa Anita. Fourth in her best of three turf tries for Mick Halford in her native country, the bay broke through over seven furlongs of all-weather at Dundalk Nov. 11 before being acquired privately. She was let go at 8-1 in a full and competitive field despite her trainer's excellent numbers with European acquisitions, including four wins from...