- ALEXANDER HAS A PAIR IN THE DESERT STORMER
- RACE FOR TOP OWNER COULD BE A PHOTO FINISH
- ‘FOLDS OF HONOR’ CHARITY POKER EVENT RAISES $40,000
- QUARTER CRACK SLOWS SPEEDY BRICKYARD RIDE
BECCA TAYLOR BRED TO WIN BY ALEXANDER
Owner/breeder Nick Alexander has two fillies entered in Saturday’s $100,000 Desert Stormer Stakes for fillies and mares three and up at six furlongs, but all eyes will be focused on Becca Taylor, a four-year-old daughter by the Gilded Time stallion Old Topper, who save for a nose defeat in the Irish O’Brien Stakes on March 19, would be undefeated in eight races.
A long-time successful owner/breeder in California, Alexander, who turns 80 in September, also has another filly he owns and bred in the Desert Stormer, Annie Graham, a four-year-old gray daughter by his successful sire Grazen.
“I think it’s more about genetic stars aligning randomly,” Alexander mused when asked reasons for Becca Taylor’s success. “Actually, we did put some thought into her breeding.
“About seven years previously, we had bred the mare (Lady Sax) to Old Topper and got a filly by the name of Hail Mary. She was very fast, won her first race and wound up making about $250,000 ($254,188, including the Warren’s Thoroughbred Stakes April 27, 2013 at Hollywood Park eight months before it closed), but the next four or five years, got nothing out of the mare regarding quality, just claiming horses.
“Becca Taylor is not physically impressive, she’s got a little swayback, is barely 1,040 pounds, but she has a great action and very smooth.”
Whatever her composition, it works on the race track, where the bay has won seven races on three different tracks and on surfaces ranging from synthetic, dirt and turf, all sprints, under four different riders.
“This will be a good test,” Alexander said of the Desert Stormer, named for the 1995 winner of the Breeders’ Cup Sprint, who defeated 13 rivals by a neck at 14-1 under Kent Desormeaux for trainer Frank Lyons at Belmont Park.
“Samurai Charm is probably better-qualified to win this race than Becca Taylor, so we’ll see. Becca has not had to run against what you would call major competition. She’s been odds-on almost every time, but this should be a good race.”
True enough. In her eight races, she’s been favored in six straight, the last three odds-on, twice at 20 cents to the dollar.
Samurai Charm had won five straight races before fading to sixth last out in the Grade II Zenyatta Stakes at 1 1/16 miles, but that was more than seven months ago, on Oct. 3, 2021. However, she has been firing bullets in recent breezes for her return.
As for Annie Graham, Alexander said, “She had two good races early in her career and since then, things haven’t gone her way. She’s either gotten a lousy post, didn’t break well, had niggling little problems, but she’s a decent horse.
“In a small field like this, she’s got a chance to earn a little graded black type.”
The field for the 26th Desert Stormer, race two of nine with a 1 p.m. first post time: Dance to the Music, Abel Cedillo, 2-1; Dynasty of Her Own, Ricardo Gonzalez, 8-1; Annie Graham, Edwin Maldonado, 20-1; Samurai Charm, Kyle Frey, 3-1; and Becca Taylor, Juan Hernandez, 4-5.
OWNERS’ RACE TIGHT AS MEET NEARS END
Santa Anita’s jockey and training title are virtually decided with nine racing days remaining in the Winter/Spring Meet that ends June 19, but the race for top owner is a “three-horse” battle.
Juan Hernandez overtook departed previous leader Flavien Prat in the riders’ race, now leading 91-73, while trainer Phil D’Amato holds a 49-37 advantage over Doug O’Neill.
But among owners, Hronis Racing has 18 wins, only one more than runners-up Reddam Racing and the combined team of Red Baron’s Barn and Rancho Temescal LLC.
Reddam leads in purse earnings, however, with $1,235,370 to Red Baron’s and Rancho Temescal’s $1,062,376, followed by Hronis at $1,030,140.
SUCCESSFUL ‘FOLDS OF HONOR’ CHARITY EVENT FOR U.S. VETERANS
Santa Anita’s Memorial Day weekend “Folds of Honor” charity poker tournament raised more than $40,000 to help provide scholarships to spouse and children of disabled or fallen American military veterans.
With Santa Anita’s famous “The Shoe Wants You” t-shirts proving a popular item, Santa Anita was proud to have Folds of Honor representative Liz O’Hare present the winner’s trophy for Saturday’s Grade III Honeymoon Stakes won by Cairo Memories.
O’Hare later related her moving story to a room full of poker tournament participants about how Folds of Honor paid for her education following her father’s combat death in Iraq.
Horseplayer Ethan Donnelly placed first and received a Santa Anita Poker Tournament bracelet.
Fellow horseplayers Trey Lockerbie and Glenna Helm were second and third, while jockey Edwin Maldonado, players Dan Wells, “Big Rich,” Jeff Schmidt, J.T. Taylor, Tia Wightman and Alexis Quiroz made the tournament’s final table.
FINISH LINES: Owner/breeder Alfred Pais’ top sprinter Brickyard Ride, who finished a disappointing fifth as the 1-5 favorite in last Sunday’s Grade II Triple Bend Stakes, sustained a quarter crack to a hind foot that likely impacted his performance in pursuit of his fifth stakes victory at the current meet according to trainer Craig Lewis. “We sent him to San Luis Rey Downs on Wednesday for treatment in a hyperbaric chamber for 10 days, then we’ll bring him back,” said Lewis. “He looks pretty good right now. Hopefully, he’ll be better and we’ll try to resume training.” Runhappy Santa Anita Derby winner Taiba had his first breeze since a disappointing showing in the May 7 Kentucky Derby, working three furlongs Friday in a bullet 36.80, a time shared by two other workers, Smiling Amy and Sumo. “Everything is good,” trainer Tim Yakteen said of Taiba. “We’re just targeting a summer campaign.” There were 108 recorded workouts this morning, 15 on the training track . . . Race and Sports Radio host Felix Taverna is host Tom Quigley‘s seminar guest today, while clocker Andy Harrington and Horseplayer Keith Wilson will do honors Saturday and Sunday, respectively, each day at 11:50 a.m. from the XBTV Studio.
LATEST CONTENT FROM XBTV:
FEATURES:
Preview of the Desert Stormer
WORKOUTS:
Mastering (Outside) and Pinehurst (S. McCarthy) 6-2-22
Spirit of Makena (Papaprodromou) 6-2-22
Courtside (Shirreffs) 6-2-22
Rockefeller (Outside) and Western Cape (S. McCarthy) 6-2-22
Caisson (Outside) and Planetario (Mandella) 6-2-22
