- MOGER COULD CAP CAREER WITH BIG ‘CAP SCORE
- 1/ST SATURDAY MARCH 5 OFFERS 15 BICOASTAL STAKES
- FORBIDDEN KINGDOM SET FOR GRADE II SAN FELIPE
- McCARTHY ON HOLD WITH CE CE, LAW PROFESSOR
STILLETO BOY BREEZES FOR SANTA ANITA HANDICAP
Ed Moger Jr. seeks the biggest win of his career Saturday.
Infatuated with racing at a young age, he began training in 1976 and has been successful while maintaining a low profile in both Northern and Southern California for nearly half a century.
But with more than 1,900 career victories, the man knows how to win.
Saturday at Santa Anita, Moger will try to capture the track’s historic marquee race for older horses, the Grade I Santa Anita Handicap presented by Yaamava’ Resort & Casino, with an industrious four-year-old that to date has tackled the game’s elite yet remains beneath racing’s radar.
The horse is Stilleto Boy, owned by Ed’s younger brother, Steve, 58, who bought the gelding with the highest bid of $420,000 last July at the Fasig-Tipton Selected Horses of Racing Age Sale.
With only two wins but three seconds and five thirds from 13 starts, Stilleto Boy has rewarded the Mogers’ confidence, with career earnings of $833,175.
The four-year-old chestnut son of Shackleford would seem to have more than a longshot’s chance in the mile and a quarter classic, as he has been chasing the likes of A-List horses Knicks Go, Life Is Good, Medina Spirit and Flightline.
“He’s doing really good,” said Moger, who sent Stilleto Boy five furlongs this morning in 1:02 under Juan Hernandez. Stilleto Boy went in company with stablemate Gotham Desire who received an identical clocking. “Knock on wood, everything’s great,” Moger said.
“I think he’ll benefit from the mile and a quarter. He ran well at that distance in the Breeders’ Cup (Classic, finishing fifth behind front-running winner and eventual Horse of the Year Knicks Go), but the race was just too tough for him.”
Beaten 3 ¼ lengths by victorious Life Is Good and a length by runner-up Knicks Go last out in the Grade I Pegasus World Cup Invitational Jan. 29 at Gulfstream Park, Stilleto Boy did not have the smoothest trip in the mile and one eighth race.
“I was with him when he came back from Florida,” said Moger, “and he seemed tired, so I planned to just walk him for a couple weeks.
“But after about four days, we had to get him back to the track. He was tearing the barn down, so he’s doing really good.”
A native of Lakeland, Florida, who turns 66 on April 5, Moger started his career as a groom for trainer Jay Mills while attending the University of Washington in the mid-1970’s.
All these years later he’s a multiple graded stakes-winning trainer with career earnings over $29 million, but nothing would be sweeter than putting a victory cap on it–a Big ‘Cap victory.
MARCH 5 BIG DAY FOR 1/ST RACING’S SISTER TRACKS
March 5 is an unprecedented racing day for 1/ST sister tracks Santa Anita and Gulfstream Park.
The Grade I Santa Anita Handicap 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.
Generously supporting the prestigious program are three Grade II races, the San Felipe Stakes for three-year-old Triple Crown prospects at 1 1/16 miles; the San Carlos Stakes 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.
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, both of which offer a fan-friendly 12 percent takeout, will consist of legs run at Gulfstream and Santa Anita and 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 the March 5 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.
NO DERBY FEVER YET FOR RICHARD MANDELLA
Richard Mandella has been a member of racing’s Hall of Fame for more than two decades, since 2001 in fact.
His record is most enviable, but with an as-yet unfulfilled omission in a career that began almost half a century ago, in 1974: the 71-year-old trainer has never won the Kentucky Derby.
Although he admits he hasn’t been smitten with ‘Derby Fever’ at this early date, he’s satisfied that Forbidden Kingdom is doing well for the San Felipe, a major steppingstone to the Grade I Runhappy Santa Anita Derby on April 9.
Thus, that void in the Run for the Roses on May 7 could be filled this year should Forbidden Kingdom add to his resume, which includes an impressive 2 1/4-length victory in the Grade II San Vicente Stakes at seven furlongs on Jan. 29.
The next step for the son of 2015 Triple Crown champion American Pharoah is Saturday’s 1 1/16-mile San Felipe Stakes, for which Forbidden Kingdom worked seven furlongs Thursday in 1:25. It was the $300,000 chestnut colt’s final major drill for the San Felipe, which Mandella has won twice, with Soul of the Matter in 1994 and Afternoon Deelites in 1995.
Bob Baffert has won the race a record eight times, including the past two years with Authentic and Life Is Good.
McCARTHY WAITING WITH CE CE, LAW PROFESSOR
Michael McCarthy is mulling his options with Ce Ce and Law Professor for major graded races this Saturday, entries for which will be taken on Monday.
The trainer has Eclipse Award-winning Filly and Mare Sprint Champion Ce Ce nominated to both the Grade I Beholder Mile for fillies and mares, and the Grade II San Carlos Stakes at seven furlongs against the boys.
He also has Law Professor nominated to the Big ‘Cap presented by Yaamava’ Resort & Casino at a mile and a quarter on the main track and the Kilroe Mile on turf.
“I’m not sure what I’m going to do yet,” McCarthy said Saturday morning, taking a wait-and-see approach.
Ce Ce, a six-year-old mare owned and bred by Bo Hirsch, has never faced males in 17 career starts, winning eight.
Law Professor, a four-year-old Constitution gelding owned by Twin Creeks Racing Stables LLC and bred by Twin Creeks Farm in Kentucky, won the Grade II Santa Anita Mathis Mile on turf last Dec. 26 and was second to Big ‘Cap favorite Express Train in the Grade II San Pasqual on dirt Feb. 5.
Stay tuned.
FINISH LINES: There were 161 recorded workouts at Santa Anita Saturday, among them final major drills for this Saturday’s major engagements by American Theorem (Big ‘Cap or San Carlos, five furlongs in 1:02.20), As Time Goes By (Beholder Mile, five furlongs in a bullet 59.40), Cabo Spirit (San Felipe, five furlongs in 1:02.60), Eda (Santa Ysabel, five furlongs in 1:00), Rockefeller (San Felipe, five furlongs in 1:00.40) and Team Merchants (San Carlos, six furlongs in a bullet 1:13.60). Veteran stakes winner Restrainedvengence, third to Life Is Good in the Big Ass Fans Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile Nov. 6, had his second breeze since returning from a freshening, going four furlongs in 49.20 for trainer Val Brinkerhoff.
PHOTO: ERNIE BELMONTE
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WORKOUTS:
Doppelganger (Outside) and Armagnac (Baffert) 2-25-22
Dream Shake (Eurton) 2-25-22
In What Blazes (Sadler) 2-25-22
Vegas Palm (G. Mandella) 2-25-22
Caribou Club (McCarthy) 2-25-22
Ian Glass (Sadler) 2-24-22
Pulpit Rider (Puype) 2-24-22
Forbidden Kingdom (Outside) and Micro Share (Mandella) 2-24-22
Blue Devil (Baffert) 2-23-22
Rifey (Stute) 2-23-22
Caisson (Outside) and Ecrivain (Mandella) 2-23-22
Warren’s Memorable (Lewis) 2-21-22
Spielberg (Outside) and Flying Drummer (Baffert) 2-21-22
