- SAN VICENTE STAKES IN SANTA ANITA SPOTLIGHT
- WHAT IN BLAZES SHARP FOR HIS STAKES DEBUT
- EURTON HOPES THE FORCE IS WITH DARK VADER
- CONDITIONS OF MEGAHERTZ SUIT BURGOO ALLEY
- KNICKS GO, LIFE IS GOOD MEET IN ‘MATCH’ RACE?
- UNBEATEN FLIGHTLINE TO WORK EARLY SUNDAY
- APPRENTICE ALSAGOOR WINS FIRST ONE
- MEMORIAL FOR FRANK PANZA SET FOR FEB. 12
BAFFERT SEEKS TO ADD TO SAN VICENTE RECORD
The San Vicente Stakes, a forerunner to the Grade I Runhappy Santa Anita Derby on April 9, will be in the spotlight Saturday when three-year-olds take an early step on what could lead further down the Triple Crown trail.
At seven furlongs with a purse of $200,000, the Grade II San Vicente is one of three stakes Saturday and one of six this weekend at The Great Race Place.
Bob Baffert will be seeking to add to his remarkable record of 11 San Vicente victories with three of the five entrants in this year’s edition: Pinehurst, McClaren Vale and Doppelganger.
The two-time Triple Crown-winning trainer’s previous winners were Silver Charm (1997), Exploit (1999), Kafwain (2003), Fusaichi Rock Star (2005), Too Much Bling (2006), The Factor (2011), Drill (2012), Shakin It Up (2013), Lord Nelson (2015), Nadal (2020) and Concert Tour (2021).
The San Vicente goes as the fourth of nine races with a 12:30 p.m. first post time: Forbidden Kingdom, Juan Hernandez, 5-2; Pinehurst, Mike Smith, 5-2; McClaren Vale, Abel Cedillo, 4-1; Doppelganger, Flavien Prat, 8-5; and What in Blazes, Tyler Baze, 8-1.
Forbidden King blew out three furlongs Wednesday in a bullet 35.60 for Richard Mandella.
Horse of the Year favorite Knicks Go and the brilliant Life Is Good are set to meet in the Grade I, $3 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational Saturday at Gulfstream Park. Stilleto Boy, a 20-1 longshot on the morning line, was originally scheduled to be ridden by Kent Desormeaux, but will now be handled by Jose Ortiz.
Fans will be treated to a huge day of bicoastal racing at both Gulfstream in South Florida and at Santa Anita as 10 graded stakes will be offered between the two venues with first live race post time for a nine-race program at Santa Anita 12:30 p.m.
Complementing the San Vicente on Saturday are the Grade III, $200,000 Palos Verdes Stakes at six furlongs for four-year-olds and up and the Grade III, $100,000 Megahertz Stakes at a mile on turf for older fillies and mares.
Sunday’s attractions are the Grade II, $225,000 San Marcos Stakes for older horses at 1 ¼ miles on turf, and two $75,000 events, the Lady of Shamrock Stakes at a mile on turf for three-year-old fillies and the Baffle Stakes at 6 ½ furlongs on turf for three-year-olds.
PROMISING WHAT IN BLAZES STEPS UP IN SAN VICENTE
What in Blazes, unraced in more than six months but firing bullets for his return, makes his stakes debut Saturday in the San Vicente Stakes.
Owned and bred by KMN Racing, LLC, the California-bred son of Straight Fire was no secret to mutuel bettors in his two starts, going off at 7-10 in his debut at Los Alamitos last June 27, finishing a game second beaten less than a length, then winning by nearly six lengths as the 2-5 favorite July 17 at Del Mar.
“He had a little issue, they stopped on him and took care of it,” said John Sadler, who has trained the bay colt for a relatively brief period, but long enough for three bullet drills at Los Alamitos.
“He’s come back in and obviously he’s a pretty nice horse,” Sadler observed. “He was second and first at (age) two and we got a good draw Saturday (the extreme outside in a field of five).”
DARK VADER RETURNS TO SPRINT IN PALOS VERDES
Dark Vader shortens up from the mile and a quarter of the Grade I Pacific Classic in his most recent start last Aug. 22 to six furlongs in Saturday’s Grade III Palos Verdes Stakes, and with the dramatic change, Peter Eurton doesn’t have any visions of grandeur for the seven-year-old Ohio-bred son of Tale of Ekati.
The first-time gelding has only one sprint on his 14-race resume, that being a third in the Grade II Triple Bend going seven furlongs at Santa Anita on June 7, 2020.
“I don’t have any wild dreams that I’m going to win this race, but I’m trying to get a race into him and set him up for the next one,” the trainer said.
“He’s doing well, I don’t want to run him on grass and the Palos Verdes is here now. I don’t want to go a mile and an eighth in the San Pasqual (Feb. 5).”
Umberto Rispoli, who has ridden Dark Vader in his last two races, has engagements at Gulfstream Park on Saturday, so Mike Smith rides in the Palos Verdes. The horse worked a half-mile Sunday in a bullet 47.60 with Smith aboard.
The Palos Verdes, race six: Dark Vader, Mike Smith, 6-1; Essential Wager, Abel Cedillo, 5-2; Cezanne, Flavien Prat, 8-5; Shooters Shoot, Victor Espinoza, 6-1; Team Merchants, Mario Gutierrez, 6-1; and Arham, Juan Hernandez, 4-1.
TRAINER HOPES GRASS IS GREENER FOR BURGOO ALLEY
Burgoo Alley moves down two grades and returns to turf in Saturday’s $100,000 Megahertz Stakes as she attempts to regain her winning ways.
Eased in the Grade I American Oaks at a mile and a quarter when it was moved from turf to dirt last Dec. 26, the four-year-old Irish-bred filly won the Grade III Autumn Miss last Oct. 30 at a mile on grass, the same conditions as the Megahertz.
“They took the American Oaks off the grass and ran it on dirt, and we took our shot,” said Phil D’Amato, second to Bob Baffert in Santa Anita’s trainer standings at 14-12, “but we found out she’s not a dirt horse.
“She’s going back to the grass where she has a pretty nice record (three wins from eight starts, with a second and a third). We’re hopeful and expect a big performance.”
Umberto Rispoli has ridden the chestnut filly in each of her seven U.S. races, winning three, but with commitments at Gulfstream Park Saturday, Hall of Fame veteran Victor Espinoza has been engaged to ride.
The Megahertz, race seven: Avenue de France, Drayden Van Dyke, 8-1; Warren’s Showtime, Juan Hernandez, 5-2; Madone, Joe Bravo, 4-1; Bodhicitta, Flavien Prat, 3-1; Kuora, Ricardo Gonzalez, 12-1; Sloane Garden, Kyle Frey, 15-1; Burgoo Alley, Victor Espinoza, 4-1; and Canoodling, Ryan Chirinos, 8-1.
PEGASUS ‘BEST MANO A MANO RACE’ IN A WHILE
Private clocker and bloodstock agent Gary Young sums up Saturday’s Pegasus World Cup at Gulfstream Park as possibly “the best mano a mano race we’ve seen in a while,” alluding to the two favorites, Knicks Go and Life Is Good.
(Mano a mano means hand to hand in Spanish, but is sometimes confused with man to man).
“The only way those two horses aren’t going to finish way in front of the field is if they get into a suicidal speed duel, which is possible,” Young added. “But even if they do, will it be enough for one of the others to come pick them up?
“If they’re chasing 45 halves, their tongues will probably be dragging, too.”
The National Weather Service predicts mostly sunny skies for the Pegasus with a high of 64 and a northwest wind of 17-20 miles per hour, providing a tailwind in the homestretch
The field for the 1 1/8-mile Pegasus, which will be televised on NBC from 1:30 to 3 p.m. Pacific Time with a 2:34 p.m. post time: Knicks Go, Joel Rosario, 6-5; Chess Chief, Reylu Gutierrez, 10-1; Stilleto Boy, Jose Ortiz, 20-1; Life Is Good, Irad Ortiz Jr., 7-5; Empty Tomb, Paco Lopez, 20-1; Sir Winston, Edwin Gonzalez, 12-1; Title Ready, Tyler Gaffalione, 20-1; Endorsed, Umberto Rispoli, 20-1; and Commandeer, Julien Leparoux, 30-1.
FINISH LINES: Undefeated Flightline, 11 ½-length winner of the Grade I Runhappy Malibu Stakes last Dec. 26, is scheduled to have his first work early Sunday morning since that race. “He’ll breeze a half-mile at 6:30 under assistant trainer Juan Leyva,” trainer John Sadler said of the $1 million bay son of Tapit, who has won his three starts by a combined margin of 37 ½ lengths and is one of three finalists for an Eclipse Award as Outstanding Male Sprinter of 2021 . . . Congrats to apprentice Abdul Alsagoor, who won his first-ever race aboard Oneparticularharbor for trainer Sean McCarthy in Sunday’s second race. A 21-year-old native of Saudi Arabia, Alsagoor is represented by agent Ken Huth… A memorial celebration for Frank Panza, who was employed for 59 years at Santa Anita, will be held in the Chandelier Room from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 12. Panza passed at age 91 on Jan. 12. Beloved by thousands of racegoers dating back to 1959 until March 8, 2020, Panza was the track’s all-time longest tenured bartender. A race will be named in his honor… Daily Racing Form National Correspondent Jay Privman will be Tom Quigley‘s guest 11:20 a.m. Saturday in the East Paddock Gardens . . . There were 81 recorded workouts Friday, 14 on the training track.
LATEST CONTENT FROM XBTV:
FEATURES:
Preview of the San Vicente Stakes
Stronach Pick 5 All-Star Ticket
WORKOUTS:
Park Avenue (Sadler) 1-28-22
Naismith (Mandella) 1-27-22
Cover Me Up (Baltas) 1-27-22
Going to Vegas (Outside) and Spirit of Makena (Baltas) 1-27-22
Forbidden Kingdom (Mandella) 1-26-22
Brickyard Ride (Lewis) 1-26-22
Keystone Field (Mandella) 1-26-22
Cairo Memories (Hess, Jr.) (Outside) and Soothsay (Mandella) 1-26-22
Eight Rings (Baffert) 1-24-22
Unbridled Mary (Sadler) 1-24-22
Carmelita’s Man (Pederson) 1-24-22
Whisper Not (Baltas) 1-24-22
