Stable Notes by Ed Golden for Thursday, March 3, 2022

LEWIS WEIGHS HIS OPTIONS FOR BRICKYARD RIDE
BUSY SATURDAY AWAITS TOP TRAINER D’AMATO
RAIN MOVES FRIDAY’S RACE PROGRAM TO MONDAY
O’NEILL, SHIRREFFS, NAKATANI NOMINATED TO HALL OF FAME
1/ST SISTER TRACKS OFFER MEGA-DAY SATURDAY
CURATOLO MAKING HIS MARK IN RIDER STANDINGS

LEWIS PONDERS NEXT RACE FOR BRICKYARD RIDE

Craig Lewis was weighing his options Thursday morning with committed speedster Brickyard Ride, winner of last year’s Grade II San Carlos Stakes for older horses at seven furlongs, who drew the rail for Saturday’s edition presented by Fan Duel.

“We don’t know if we’re going to run or go to Dubai (for the Golden Shahen on March 26) or wait for another day,” the trainer said. “It’s not concluded yet.

“With rain forecast Friday, the track condition on Saturday would have something to do with our decision, as does the (inside) post position, and coming back quick (only 12 days since Brickyard Ride’s easy 7 ½ length romp against California-breds in the Tiznow Stakes on Feb. 21), although I don’t think that race took much out of him.

“He looked like he handled that pretty comfortably, but if we decide to run in Dubai, I wouldn’t run here; it would be too much.”

A five-year-old full horse by Clubhouse Ride owned and bred by Alfred Pais, Brickyard Ride has 10 wins from 20 starts with earnings of $620,977.

The San Carlos goes as race four: Brickyard Ride, Juan Hernandez, 3-1; Canadian Pride, Edwin Maldonado, 5-1; Cezanne, Flavien Prat, 5-2; Principe Carlo, Kyle Frey, 15-1; Eight Rings, John Velazquez, 3-1; Phantom Dance, Ramon Vazquez, 20-1; Wicked Trick, Abel Cedillo, 20-1; and Shooters Shoot, Victor Espinoza, 4-1. American Theorem was scratched.

EIGHT IS ENOUGH FOR D’AMATO ON SATURDAY

Phil D’Amato will be a busy man on Saturday.

Currently tied for Santa Anita’s training lead at 21 with Bob Baffert, the San Pedro native who celebrates his 46^th birthday on March 11, has eight horses entered on the stakes-laden program with 11 races that has an early 12 noon first post time.

I think I’ve run more on certain days at Del Mar,” D’Amato reflected. “But in this climate, eight is a lot of horses.”

Two of them are entered in the same race, the Grade II Buena Vista Stakes scheduled for a mile on turf, they being multiple California-bred stakes winner Leggs Galore and Kentucky-bred Tony Ann, winner of three straight overnight races who will be making her stakes debut.

“I would imagine Leggs Galore is going to be on or near the lead,” D’Amato said, “with Tony Ann probably stalking, since she’s shortening up from a mile and an eighth to a mile, but she shouldn’t be too far away herself.”

As to his highly successful campaign, D’Amato allowed as to how “everything’s going well. I can’t complain, and hopefully we can continue to keep rolling.

“We have a lot of new horses that have yet to debut at the meet and we’ll try to bring them along, develop our others and have a good year.”

The $200,000 Buena Vista for older fillies and mares goes as race five: Closing Remarks, Joe Bravo, 8-1; Tony Ann, Umberto Rispoli, 6-1; Keeper of Time, Mike Smith 10-1; Madone, Ryan Curatolo, 15-1; Leggs Galore, Ricardo Gonzalez, 7-2; Fast Jet Court, Juan Hernandez, 20-1; Avenue de France, Drayden Van Dyke, 15-1 ; Canoodling, Roimes Chirinos, 12-1; Javanica, Tyler Baze, 20-1; Going to Vegas, Flavien Prat, 3-1; and Mucho Unusual, John Velazquez, 4-1.

SANTA ANITA’S FRIDAY RACES RUN ON MONDAY

With rain in the forecast for Friday, Santa Anita Park, in consultation with the Thoroughbred Owners of California, the Jockey’s Guild and the CHRB, has opted to shift Friday’s eight-race program to Monday, March 7, with first post time at 12:30 p.m.

Accordingly, there will be no re-draw, with Monday’s races now run as an exact replica of what had been planned for Friday.

Monday’s Arcadia forecast is for sunny skies with a high temperature of 68 degrees.

With a mandatory payout in Golden Gate Fields’ 20-cent Single Ticket Rainbow Pick Six Jackpot on tap Monday, first post time is scheduled for 12:15 p.m. and will thus run concurrently with Santa Anita.

O’NEILL, SHIRREFFS, NAKATANI AMONG HALL OF FAME NOMINEES

Congratulations are in order for recent nominees to the Hall of Fame, among them trainers Doug O’Neill and John Shirreffs, and jockey Corey Nakatani, who made Santa Anita their home for years, and horses who campaigned regularly or won stakes at The Great Race Place.

They include multiple champion Beholder, trained by Richard Mandella, Blind Luck, conditioned by Jerry Hollendorfer, Kona Gold, trained by the late Bruce Headley, and Rags to Riches, winner of the 2007 Las Virgenes Stakes and Santa Anita Oaks under the guidance of Todd Pletcher.

Inductees to the Hall of Fame will be announced on May 11.

SATURDAY A BIG DAY FOR 1/ST SISTER TRACKS

Saturday is an unprecedented racing day for 1/ST Racing sister tracks Santa Anita and Gulfstream Park.

The Grade I Santa Anita Handicap presented by Yaamava’ Resort & Casino is but one of three Grade I events to be decided at The Great Race Place that day, the others being the Beholder Mile for fillies and mares four and up, and the Frank E. Kilroe Mile on turf for four-year-olds and up.

Additionally, Santa Anita will present three Grade II races, the San Felipe for three-year-old Triple Crown prospects at 1 1/16 miles; the San Carlos presented by Fan Duel for sprinters four and older at seven furlongs; and the Buena Vista Stakes for fillies and mares four and older at a mile on grass.

Santa Anita’s six graded stakes offer a combined $2.45 million on an 11-race program that has a 12 noon first post time.

The $400,000, Grade II Fasig-Tipton Fountain of Youth headlines the program at Gulfstream Park, providing three three-year-old prospects a steppingstone to the $1 million Curlin Florida Derby (Grade I) on April 2 and the 2022 Triple Crown.

The 76th running of the tradition-rich stakes will also be featured in a mega promotion between Gulfstream Park and Santa Anita, which will play host to a combined 15 graded stakes worth $4.15 million that day.

Gulfstream will offer nine graded stakes worth $1.7 million in purses, while Santa Anita’s card will be graced by six graded-stakes worth $2.45 million.

A Coast to Coast All Turf Stakes Pick 5 and a Coast to Coast All Dirt Stakes Pick 5, each with legs run at Gulfstream and Santa Anita, will be among the highlights of the 1/ST promotion. A free contest will offer a $5 million jackpot for an entry or entries with all 15 graded/stakes winners.

In addition to the Fountain Youth at Gulfstream, the $200,000 Davona Dale (Grade II), a mile race for 3-year-old fillies; $200,000 WinStar Gulfstream Park Mile (Grade II), a mile stakes for 4-year-olds and up; and the $200,000 Mac Diarmida (Grade II), a 1 3/8-mile turf stakes for older horses will be offered.

The following Gulfstream stakes support Saturday’s program: the $150,000 Canadian Turf (Grade III), a mile race for four-year-olds and up; $150,000 Honey Fox (Grade III), a mile turf stakes for older fillies and mares; $150,000 The Very One (Grade III), a 1 3/8-mile turf test for older fillies and mares; $125,000 Herecomesthebride (Grade III), a mile turf event for three-year-old fillies; and the $125,000 Palm Beach (Grade III), a mile turf stakes for three-year-olds.

Photo: Ernie Belmonte

FRENCH-BORN CURATOLO MAKING HIS MARK IN RIDER STANDINGS

With little to no fanfare, French native Ryan Curatolo is quietly but steadily making his mark at Santa Anita this winter, as he’s now won nine races, good enough to make the coveted Top 10 in the jockey standings through 31 racing days.

Born in Marseille, France on April 29, 1992, Curatolo, at age 14, attended a jockey school in Chantilly for a period of four years. Another notable attendee during that time frame was a fledgling rider named Flavien Prat.

“My dad was not in racing, but he used to take my sister and me to the races, that was my introduction,” said Curatolo on Thursday morning at Clockers’ Corner. “I started riding in New York in 2010 and that’s when I learned to speak English by myself basically…I would go to the track and picked it up just watching TV, listening to the radio and it was actually pretty easy. I picked it up pretty fast. Within three months, I was speaking pretty good English.”

Represented by agent Mike Ciani, Curatolo, who in addition to riding in his native France and in New York, has a rather extensive international resume, having ridden in Singapore (where he met his wife, Dayle), Japan, Macau, South Korea, Dubai, U.A.E. and Qatar.

“We had not met, but I was referred to Ryan by a guy that worked for Pete Eurton,” said Ciani, who has been a jock’s agent for 15 years. “He was riding in Qatar and we were communicating through Facebook Messenger a couple years ago. We had made arrangements for him to come here and ride, but everything got delayed by COVID.

“As a result of all of that, when he finally did get here, he hadn’t ridden races for about seven months, so it took a little while for him to get race-fit. He’s done an amazing job and we’re riding for more and more people. The fact that he’s won nine races is really something, especially when you consider he has not ridden a single favorite.”

The fact that Curatolo has been able to consistently produce when the tote board would suggest otherwise is yet another strong indication of his considerable talent.

This past Saturday for instance, Curatolo rode a pair of winners, Salto De Tigre ($13.00) for trainer Keith Desormeaux and first time starter Tofino Bay ($73.40) for Neil Drysdale.

“We’re just waiting for good opportunities,” said Curatolo, when asked how he keeps a fresh attitude with a paucity of live mounts available. “You go out there and Santa Anita is one of the best racetracks in the world, I think. We’re just making ourselves available and when we get the chance, even if you’re on a longshot, you try hard.

“Even if you get a fourth or fifth place, that helps to pay the bills and that’s what I want to try to do for the people I ride for. I think that’s helped to build our business, by riding well, by trying to get a piece for them. We go out there and try hard.

“I study the guys I ride with and I’ve learned a lot about the track, the main track and the turf. The more you ride the turf, the more you know what to do and where to be, the same thing with the dirt…When to move, when to accelerate and the way the track is banked. All of these things are important.”

Married six months and soon to be 30 years of age in April, Curatolo’s emergence this winter has certainly been a pleasant surprise to those horsemen that have used him and to those punters that have backed him.

In addition to his double digit victories this past Saturday, here is a complete listing of Curatolo’s Winter Meet pari-mutuel success: Feb. 19, Ever Smart ($31.40), Feb. 13, Ko Samui ($39.40) & Classical Romance ($10.20), Jan. 30, Epoch ($25.80), Jan. 22, Classical Romance ($7.20), Jan. 9, Renegade Princess ($7.40) and Jan. 8, Barristan the Bold ($36.20).

Looking ahead, Curatolo is named on five horses this Saturday, including Madone for trainer Simon Callaghan in the Grade II Buena Vista Stakes at one mile on turf and Founder’s Day for Bob Hess, Jr. in the Grade I Beholder Mile on the main track.

Vive la France!

–Mike Willman

FINISH LINES: Twilight Derby winner Subconscious, entered in Saturday’s Grade I Kilroe Mile, blew out three furlongs Thursday in 37.40 for trainer Richard Mandella, while Grade I Shoemaker Mile winner Smooth Like Strait went four furlongs in 50.80 for trainer Michael McCarthy. Overall, there were 112 recorded workouts…Condolences to friends, family and co-workers of longtime Santa Anita usher Tony Puleo, who passed away at age 51 on Wednesday afternoon at Pomona Valley Hospital from the effects of COVID…Condolences are also in order to the family and friends of William Miller, who passed away in mid-February at age 53 following a brief illness. Miller, along with his brother, trainer Peter Miller, mother Susan Hallman and their step father Gary Hallman, were part of Winning Ways Stable, which was formed in the late 1970s.