- DERBY WINNER TAIBA IS TALK OF THE RACING WORLD
- RESTRAINEDVENGENCE RETURNS IN TODAY’S SHEAR
- ‘BIG MONEY MIKE’ TAKES DERBY & PROVIDENCIA
- RISPOLI WIN OAKS & ROYAL HEROINE, THREE ON DAY
- D’AMATO TRAILS BAFFERT 11-10 IN STAKES-WON
- GONZALEZ WINS A PAIR, INCLUDING ($155.20) EVENING JEWEL
- BIG ‘CAP WINNER EXPRESS TRAIN PREPS FOR GOLD CUP
- MALIBU STAKES WINNER FLIGHTLINE WORKS THREE FURLONGS
- SUNDAY’S 5TH RACE NAMED FOR PDJF FUNDRAISING EFFORTS
YAKTEEN CREDITS OWNER FOR TAIBA’S VICTORY
In less than two minutes yesterday, Taiba (pronounced Tay-bah) went from a debut maiden sprint winner with zero Kentucky Derby qualifying points to a Grade I winner with 100, becoming a major player in pursuit of the Run for the Roses at Churchill Downs on May 7.
All it took was a dramatic 2 ¼-length victory over his stablemate and odds-on favorite Messier in the Runhappy Santa Anita Derby, a performance that earned him a lofty 101 Beyer Speed Figure.
Add this from Daily Racing Form’s National Correspondent Jay Privman’s DRF twitter account this morning, @DRFPrivman: “Santa Anita Derby chart posted yesterday has incorrect times. Correct, updated times will be 22.75, 46.70, 1:10.97, 1:48.46. This means the opening quarter was faster (in chart a 23.23), middle of race slower (6f in chart 1:10.93), final time faster (chart 1:48.67).
Safe to say, early Sunday morning, the fairytale was still flowering.
“All my runners from yesterday have come out (of their races) in excellent shape,” said trainer Tim Yakteen, who also sent out longshot Armagnac to run fourth behind Taiba.
Taiba, a $1.7 million son of Gun Runner, is owned by Amr Zedan.
“Amr was just over the moon,” Yakteen said in describing the owner’s feelings after Taiba’s triumph. “All the credit obviously has to go to him (for running the horse), because in my professional opinion, I advised him to take a different route in Taiba’s next start.
“But Amr made an educated decision, based on the information that was given him, and it resulted in a big pay day ($450,000 to the winner). All the credit goes to him on this.”
The goal now is to keep Taiba and Messier healthy with the hope that one of them will become the 20th horse to run in the Santa Anita Derby and go on to win the Kentucky Derby.
“That’s the plan,” Yakteen said. “Messier is on target. He’ll move up from yesterday’s race since he had quite a bit of time between starts (two months from his 15-length win in the Robert B. Lewis Stakes on Feb. 6).
“This sets him up perfect for the Derby, and if you look back in history, there were many second-place finishers that ended up winning the Kentucky Derby (the Zedan-owned Medina Spirit, Authentic and Real Quiet come to mind).
“Messier ran huge and he’ll be able to benefit with this race underneath him.”
STORYBOOK HORSE RESTRAINEDVENGENCE IS BACK
The old War Horse returns today.
That would be Restrainedvengence, who has helped keep the wolf away from the door of trainer Val Brinkerhoff, his part owner, wife and trusted assistant, Kelly, and part owner Bobby Grayson Jr., since his first race in 2017.
A $65,000 bargain son of the Giant’s Causeway sire Hold Me Back, Restrainedvengence has 10 wins, four seconds and four thirds from 35 starts, with earnings of $1,007,682.
Bred in Kentucky by Westwind Farms, a large chunk of that–$90,000–was picked up thanks to a third-place finish at 40-1 in the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile at Del Mar last Nov. 6.
Restrainedvengence has done it all, winning eight stakes, on dirt, turf and synthetic, in sprints and routes over eight different tracks from coast to coast.
Brinkerhoff, a former jockey and a hands-on trainer if ever there was one at the age of 65, is using today’s inaugural $75,000 John Shear Mile as a starting point for what he hopes will lead to another run in the Dirt Mile, this year at Keeneland on Nov. 5, although at this early date, nothing is written in stone.
“It’s either the Breeders’ Cup or the San Francisco Mile (at Golden Gate Fields), one or the other,” Brinkerhoff said. “They’re around the same day. I’d rather stay here like we did last year (at Del Mar) but we’ll have to see how it goes.”
Should he opt for the San Francisco Mile, Brinkerhoff would hope the third time’s the charm, as Restrainedvengence already has run in it twice, finishing fourth in 2020 and third last year.
Brinkerhoff readily admits there is a major difference in purse money offered in the two races, but acknowledges “there will be a major difference in toughness (competition), too.
“I look for the easiest places to run this horse, because he’s not easy on himself, trying so hard in all his races.
“I actually think he’s better this year than he’s been, but we’ll have to see how that plays out.
“How he performs today will depend on the pace, and even though he might not be at 100 percent for this race, he seems to be doing things a lot easier than he has in the past. I don’t see a lot of speed in the race, which will help.
“If he runs like he did the last two times he ran last year, he’ll kick their butts. He ran a helluva race in New Mexico when he had to stand in a trailer for 20 hours after it broke down (winning the Downs Albuquerque Handicap last Sept. 18 by a nose, for the second straight year).
“He ran a helluva race in the Breeders’ Cup, too. If he runs like that today, we’ll win.”
Restrainedvengence has a reputation as occasionally being cantankerous, but Val says it depends on how he’s treated.
“If he gets mad for a minute, you’ve just got to walk away and then come back and he’ll be fine. You can get done what you need to get done. If not, things seem to escalate.
“But once his obligations at the Receiving Barn are over, you’re on your way. We’ve never had any trouble with him other than that.
“On the race track, he’s all business.”
FINISH LINES: How good was Taiba’s Runhappy Santa Anita Derby victory yesterday? “To win the nine furlong Santa Anita Derby with only one six furlong race under his belt is without a doubt one of the greatest accomplishments that I have seen at Santa Anita since my first year here as a DRF writer in 1981,” said Morning Line Maker Jon White… In addition to winning the Derby with Tim Yakteen’s Taiba, “Big Money” Mike Smith pointed the Bob Hess, Jr.-trained Cairo Memories ($7.80) to a huge 4 ½ length score in the Grade III Providencia Stakes at 1 1/8 miles on turf… With a win aboard midwestern shipper Brooke Marie in Saturday’s Grade II Monrovia Stakes, Juan Hernandez is now only 14 wins behind (72-58) departed leader Flavien Prat in Santa Anita’s jockey standings, while Phil D’Amato won two races on Saturday to take a 33-31 lead over O’Neill among trainers . . . D’Amato and Keeneland-bound Umberto Rispoli teamed for a pair of graded stakes wins yesterday, as Desert Dawn pulled off a $31.20 upset in the Grade II Santa Anita Oaks and Going Global ($2.60) remained unbeaten in five Santa Anita turf starts in the Grade II Royal Heroine. D’Amato trails Bob Baffert 11-10 in the stakes-won dept… Rispoli added a third win on the day with the Alfredo Marquez-trained Halfbarberbingie ($7.80) taking the 12th race…Congrats as well to Ricky Gonzalez, who booted home consecutive winners yesterday, including Blaine Wright’s Power Surge at $155.20 in the $150,000 Evening Jewel Stakes…Santa Anita Handicap winner Express Train drilled five furlongs for John Shirreffs in 1:01.20 this morning as he preps for the Grade I Hollywood Gold Cup here on May 30…Grade I Runhappy Malibu Stakes winner Flightline went three furlongs in 37 flat for John Sadler. There were 213 recorded workouts Sunday, 65 on the training track… Live racing resumes at 1 p.m. this Friday, simulcast wagering will be offered in the Grandstand Paddock Room on Thursday, beginning at 10 a.m…Today’s 5th race is named in honor of the Permanently Disabled Jockey Fund and the PDJF asks that donations please be made to PDJF.Org, or via telephone at 1-(844) TVG-PDJF (884-7353).
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