• UNDEFEATED BECCA TAYLOR HEADS IRISH O’BRIEN

• FORBIDDEN KINGDOM MISSES DRILL DUE TO FEVER

• BRINKERHOFF HOPEFUL WINNIPEG IMPORT RUNS WELL

• MANDATORY JACKPOT POOL COULD HIT $4 MILLION

• HESS, PUYPE & MANDELLA GUESTS OF QUIGLEY

 

BECCA TAYLOR IN DOWNHILL DEBUT FOR ALEXANDER

Nick Alexander nominated two horses for Saturday’s $100,000 Irish O’Brien Stakes, Alice Marble and Becca Taylor, but only one was entered in the traditional feature that commemorates St. Patrick’s Day on March 17.

That was Becca Taylor, undefeated in her six career races, including the restricted Spring Fever Stakes on dirt about a month ago, Feb. 21. The four-year-old filly by Old Topper out of the General Meeting dam Lady Sax has one previous race on grass, winning a six-furlong sprint on Jan. 18.

“Five of Becca Taylor’s six races have been on dirt or synthetic (a four-length allowance win on Golden Gate’s Tapeta surface Jan. 29), but the one race she ran on turf I thought was pretty damn good,” said Alexander, an institution in California as an owner and breeder going on half a century.

Alexander was referring to her second start at Santa Anita, when she rallied three-wide and drew clear to score by a length and a quarter at six furlongs.

“She didn’t break great that day, was laying fifth, then fourth, and made a very nice move showing a good turn of foot,” Alexander said.

“Steve (trainer Steve Miyadi) didn’t agree with me. He didn’t think it was one of her better performances. Saturday’s race would have been a three-week turnaround for Alice Marble, and it’s a four-week turnaround for Becca Taylor, so there were plusses and minuses on each side.

“I’ll love to see how Becca Taylor handles this (downhill turf) course. We know Alice can do it, but Becca’s never been on the downhill course, and that’s my favorite race of all time.

“It’s so beautiful.”

The Irish O’Brien, race eight of nine with a 1 p.m. first post time: Maybe I Will, Ricardo Gonzalez, 20-1; Becca Taylor, Flavien Prat, 4-5; Pulpit Rider, Tyler Baze, 12-1; Sassyerb. Umberto Rispoli, 15-1; Sensible Cat, Juan Hernandez, 3-1; Eddie’s New Dream, Mario Gutierrez, 4-1; and She’s Devoted, Joe Bravo, 8-1.

 

‘KINGDOM’ MISSES WORK DUE TO TEMPERATURE

Forbidden Kingdom, an early Kentucky Derby favorite and a leading contender for the Grade I Runhappy Santa Anita Derby on April 9, missed a scheduled work Friday for that race due to a minor temperature.

“He had a slight temperature at the end of the morning yesterday,” Hall of Fame trainer Richard Mandella said Friday. “It’s down today and his bloodwork is good, so we’re hoping it passes quickly.”

A three-year-old son of 2015 Triple Crown champion American Pharoah, Forbidden Kingdom was a front-running daylight winner of his last two starts, the Grade II San Vicente Stakes at seven furlongs on Jan. 29 and the Grade II San Felipe Stakes at a mile and one-sixteenth on March 5.

Owned by MyRacehorse and Spendthrift Farm LLC, the chestnut colt earned $240,000 for his San Felipe victory, in addition to 50 qualifying points for the Kentucky Derby on May 7.

 

DIAMOND DIGGER’S RESUME A FIRST AT SANTA ANITA

Although he’s 20-1 on Jon White’s morning line, trainer Val Brinkerhoff is hopeful Diamond Digger, a new arrival from Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada, will be competitive in today’s ninth race, a $69,000 allowance with an optional claiming tag of $100,000 at six furlongs on turf.

Bred in New York, Diamond Digger started four times at Assiniboia Downs, beginning on July 21 and most recently on Sept. 8.  Unchallenged in each start, he won by a combined margin of more than 20 lengths, was the odds-on favorite in each one, never higher than 1-2, and never facing more than four rivals.

Seven horses were entered against Diamond Digger, a three-year-old son of Violence.

“One of my friends sent him to me to run at this meet,” said Val Brinkerhoff, who trains the gelding for A2 Thoroughbreds. “He wanted to see if he was any good; he’s won all his races pretty easy up there in Canada.

“He didn’t work very good here the first time (five furlongs in 1:04 on March 5), but he worked well the other day (five furlongs in 1:01.80 last Sunday). That said, he’s never been on the turf, so I don’t know what to expect.

“He’s a big old good-moving thing . . . and he’s never been beat, so who knows? I’ve only had him two weeks and he’s a very nice horse to be around.

“They’ve got him in good shape, he’s quiet, does everything well, but we’ll just have to see when we run him.”

 

MANDATORY JACKPOT POOL COULD BE $4 MILLION

Providing there is no Single Ticket winner in Santa Anita’s 20 cent Rainbow Pick Six Jackpot today, track officials project the likelihood of a $4 million pool, with a mandatory payout in place tomorrow, March 19.

Saturday’s races feature the $100,000 Irish O’Brien Stakes for California-bred or sired fillies and mares at about 6 ½ furlongs down the hillside turf course.

With daylight savings time now in place, regular first post time for most all racing days is now 1 p.m., effective today.

For additional information regarding the mandatory payout in Saturday’s 20 cent Rainbow Pick Six, visit santaanita.com or call (626) 574-RACE.

 

FINISH LINES: There were 103 recorded workouts Friday, including a bullet four-furlong move in 46.60 by Grade II Twilight Derby winner Subconscious for Richard Mandella, and a breeze of 49.40 at the same distance by Smooth Like Strait, winner of the Grade I Shoemaker Mile last May 31 and second in four straight graded stakes since then for Michael McCarthy . . .Trainer Bob Hess, Jr. is Tom Quigley’s simulcast handicapping show guest today, Mike Puype will be his guest Saturday and Gary Mandella will do honors Sunday, each day at 11:50 a.m. in the East Paddock Gardens . . . Hess reports Surfer Girl Stakes winner Cairo Memories will make her next start “back on the turf where she belongs” in the Grade III Providencia Stakes for three-year-old fillies at 1 1/8 miles April 9, while Miss Mattie B “might run in the Ashland at Keeneland April 8.” Cairo Memories finished seventh March 6 in the Santa Ysabel on the main track, while Miss Mattie B was third in the Grade II Santa Ynez on Jan. 8 but fifth in the Grade II Rachel Alexandra at Fair Grounds on Feb. 19 . . . Santa Anita’s trainers’ race remains close, with Phil D’Amato (27 wins), Bob Baffert (25) and Doug O’Neill (23) the top trio.

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Preview of The Irish O’Brien Stakes 

 

Millie Ball analyzes The Irish O’Brien Stakes

 

Preview of Race 9

 

WORKOUTS:

 

Royal Ship (Outside) and Charlito (Mandella) 3-17-22

 

Miss Bella Ciao (Outside) and First Point (Drysdale) 3-17-22

 

Floral Essence (Mullins) 3-17-22

 

Creative Peak (Outside) and Pegasaurus (Cerin) 3-16-22

 

Smilin Evie (Baltas) 3-16-22

 

Cajun Treasure (Alvarado) 3-16-22

 

Extra Hope (Mandella) 3-16-22

 

Head Start (Baltas) 3-16-22

 

Express Train (Shirreffs) 3-16-22

 

Neige Blanche (Outside) and Rebel Girl (Powell) 3-14-22

 

Blackadder (Outside) and Doppelganger (Baffert) 3-14-22

 

Fashionably Fast (Pederson) 3-14-22

 

Almanera (Outside) and Going Global (D’Amato) 3-14-22