- MISS MATTIE B SEEKS SANTA YNEZ GRADE II GOLD
- ‘PRAYER’ COULD BE ANSWERED IN LAS CIENEGAS
- CALIFORNIA-BREDS SHOWCASED NEXT SATURDAY
- HOT ROD CHARLIE, VOX POPULI POSTERS ON SATURDAY
- ‘HRC’ TO WORK HALF MILE BEFORE RACES SATURDAY
- APPRENTICE HERRERA RIDES 14, WINS A GRADE I LAST SUNDAY
- SANTA MONICA STAKES IS AN OPTION FOR CE CE
HESS READY TO ‘GIVE IT A GO’ WITH MISS MATTIE B
Miss Mattie B goes from an impressive maiden victory at a mile on turf to a Grade II race on dirt in Saturday’s $200,000 Santa Ynez Stakes for three-year-old fillies at seven furlongs.
Bob Hess Jr. feels the Kentucky-bred daughter of Tonalist deserves the chance. She wore blinkers in her first three races but had them removed in the maiden win Nov. 27 at Del Mar under Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith who retains the mount.
It paid off with a victory by nearly four lengths at odds a dime short of 30-1.
“We’ve been trying to run her on the dirt, but kind of got forced into those two grass races (in her last two starts),” Hess said. “She did fine on turf but worked really well on dirt, and right now the (purse) money is on the dirt.
“We’ll give it a whirl although the field is competitive. Mike thinks she’s worked really well over the dirt and he’s been on for her two breezes here (four furlongs Dec. 16 in 48.60 and 49 flat on Dec. 27), so we’re ready to give it a go.”
With Hess fulfilling commitments in Florida, Miss Mattie B will be saddled by his long-time assistant, Lalo Morales. How long has he been his assistant?
“He went to work for my dad when I was 13,” said Hess Jr., a 56-year-old native of Chula Vista with two adult sons, who are “both doing super,” although neither is hankerin’ to become a third-generation horseman and follow in the footsteps of their grandfather, the late trainer Bob Hess Sr., or their father.
Garrison (30) is completing his masters in computer science at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, and Christian (28) is with a consulting firm in Salt Lake City.
The Santa Ynez is the eighth of nine races with a 12:30 p.m. first post time. Admission gates open at 10:30 a.m. The field: Under the Stars, Flavien Prat, 8-5; Big Shamrock, Abel Cedillo, 20-1; Big Switch, John Velazquez, 9-5; Mimajoon, Kyle Frey, 10-1; Aware At Midnyte, Mario Gutierrez, 3-1; and Miss Mattie B, Mike Smith, 5-1.
STEADY HEAR MY PRAYER SET FOR LAS CIENEGAS
Two reasons to consider supporting Hear My Prayer in Sunday’s Grade III Las Cienegas Stakes for older fillies and mares at about 6 ½ furlongs on turf:
Number one, draw a line through her last race when she stumbled and was in tight finishing third by less than a length in the restricted Senator Ken Maddy at Del Mar on Nov. 5.
Two, it was her first race in 10 weeks.
“She was much the best last time when she ran third,” said Vladimir Cerin, who has trained the five-year-old Florida-bred daughter of The Big Beast in her last two starts for long-time clients David and Holly Wilson.
“She drew the rail last time, too,” noted Cerin, adding with resignation, “it’s not always the best place to be, but somebody’s got to have it.”
Hear My Prayer, trained by David Fisher on the East Coast in her first nine races before Cerin took over, has a 5-0-3 record from 11 starts with earnings of $218,975.
The Las Cienegas is race seven of nine with a 12:30 p.m. first post time: Tapwater, Joe Bravo, 5-1; Hear My Prayer, Juan Hernandez, 2-1; Constantia, Umberto Rispoli, 5-1; Quiet Secretary, Tyler Baze, 15-1; Beautiful Gift, Drayden Van Dyke, 8-1; Ginja, Mike Smith, 12-1; Zero Tolerance, Flavien Prat, 5-2; and Gold for Kitten, John Velazquez, 8-1.
CAL-BREDS VIE FOR $900,000 NEXT SATURDAY
Santa Anita will shine the spotlight on California-breds next Saturday, Jan. 15, with five lucrative stakes races for horses bred in the Golden State offering purse money of $900,000.
They are: the $150,000 Sunshine Millions Filly and Mare Turf Sprint presented by John Deere for older fillies and mares at about 6 1/2 furlongs on turf; the $200,000 California Derby for three-year-olds at 1 1/16 miles; and the $150,000 Don Valpredo California Cup Sprint for-year-olds and up at six furlongs.
Also, the $200,000 Leigh Ann Howard California Cup Oaks for three-year-old fillies at a mile on turf and the $200,000 Unusual Heat Turf Classic presented by City National Bank for four-year-olds and up at 1 1/8 miles on turf.
There will be holiday racing on Monday, Jan. 17, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, featuring the Grade III Astra Stakes for older fillies and mares at a mile and a half on the hillside turf course.
‘HRC’ TO WORK BEFORE RACES SATURDAY, O’NEILL, PRAT TO SIGN POSTERS
Hot Rod Charlie, one of America’s top 3-year-olds of 2021 and winner of the annual Secretariat Vox Populi (Voice of the People) Award, will be the center of attention early Saturday at Santa Anita. Trainer Doug O’Neill, jockey Flavien Prat and “Chuck’s” ownership contingent will be on hand beginning at 11 a.m. in the East Paddock Gardens to sign full color prints commemorating the colt’s Vox Populi selection.
In addition to signing up to 1,500 posters, O’Neill will also oversee a half mile work at about 12 noon on Saturday with Prat at the controls. “Just a half mile and he’ll gallop out five eighths,” said O’Neill Friday morning.
Initiated by the late owner/breeder of Secretariat, Penny Chenery in 2010, the Vox Populi Award which was won in 2010 by Zenyatta, is awarded annually at Santa Anita Park.
Mike Willman
HARD WORKING ‘BUG BOY’ HERRERA HAS UNFORGETTABLE DAY & NIGHT
Although he was only scheduled to ride 13 horses over a roughly nine hour span this past Sunday, apprentice Diego Herrera ended up on a lucky 14th Sunday night, capping an unforgettable day and night for the 17-year-old who hails from Inglewood.
Herrera, a recent high school graduate who is fluent in both English and Spanish, enjoyed a career high point in Sunday’s sixth race at Santa Anita when he won his first ever turf race aboard the Phil D’Amato-trained Solo Animo going a flat mile in a starter allowance. Off at 10-1 in a field of 12, Solo Animo was up to win by head and paid $22.00 to win.
“He’s very intelligent, a very smart young man,” said agent Derek Lawson, who has been representing Herrera since the conclusion of the 2021 Del Mar Summer Race Meet. “He graduated from a charter school called Lennox Academy which is in Inglewood. At the track, he’s gone through the whole process of grooming horses and exercising horses for a year before he started riding. He did all of this by getting up early in the morning and doing all of this before school.”
Although he is now making his mark with Thoroughbreds at Santa Anita, Herrera’s riding career started with Quarter Horses at Los Alamitos.
“His Quarter Horse business is handled by April Ward, who used to work for Bob Wheeler (the late HOF trainer),” said Lawson. “I was not there at Los Al on Sunday night, but he rode five horses here at Santa Anita and he was named on eight down there. As it turned out, (trainer) Juan Aleman needed a rider about a half hour before their big race Sunday night, the Grade I, $100,000 Charger Bar Handicap.”
As luck would have it, Herrera picked up Kiss Thru Fire, who ended up winning easily by a half length going 400 yards as the 8-5 favorite and paid $5.20 to win.
Not a bad day’s work for a kid who still lives with his parents in the shadow of what used to be Hollywood Park.
“He’s got his ‘bug’ through late April, so we’re very optimistic his business will continue to grow,” said Lawson.
Through this past Sunday, Jan. 2, Herrera was in a four-way tie for sixth in the Santa Anita jockey standings, with two wins from 19 mounts. His mounts have finished in the money nine times, good for 47 percent.
Mike Willman
MANY WAGERING OPTIONS AT SANTA ANITA MEET
Santa Anita’s winter/spring meet offers players a plethora of wagering options, including the popular 20-cent Single Ticket Rainbow Pick Six Jackpot and a North American-low takeout of 15.43 percent on all $2 win, place and show wagers and the 50-cent Early Pick 5 which features a low 14 percent takeout, as well as the 50-cent Late Pick 5.
With the Jackpot provision in place, the 20-cent Single Ticket Rainbow Pick Six requires a perfect single ticket for a potentially life-changing payoff. Providing there is no single ticket winner, consolation tickets with the highest number of winners receive a payoff of 70 percent of the pool. The remaining 30 percent is carried over to a Jackpot pool which will accrue until there is a single ticket winner or a designate mandatory payoff day.
The $1 Stronach Five will be offered each Friday consisting of a series of five races from Santa Anita, Gulfstream Park, Laurel Park and Golden Gate Fields. The Stronach Five has a low takeout of 12 percent.
Players using the wagering app 1ST BET or Xpresssbet will receive a bonus of $10,000 in “splits,” for example, a “split” on a $5,000 prize pool will be evenly distributed among all players making winning bets. If four winning players are to share the split, each would receive $1,250.
For further wagering information, please visit santaanita.com or call 626 574-RACE.
FINISH LINES: Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint winner Ce Ce has been breezing forwardly for her 2022 debut and trainer Michael McCarthy says “all options are open” for the daughter of Elusive Quality owned and bred by Bo Hirsch, one of which is the Grade II Santa Monica Stakes at seven furlongs on Feb. 5 . . . There were a limited number of recorded workouts Friday, 45 in all, 14 on the training track…Tom Quigley’s pre-race handicapping seminar guest for Saturday is National Turf Workout Analyst Andy Harrington. On Sunday, Tom will be joined by horseplayer Carson Matties. Start time each morning is at 11:20 PT.
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