SANTA ANITA STAKES PREVIEWS: GII’s SUMMERTIME OAKS, HONEYMOON

By Mike Willman —-

BAFFERT’S UP & COMING FAYPIEN TAKES ON HOLLENDORFER’S CLASSY IT TIZ WELL IN SATURDAY’S GRADE II, $200,000 SUMMERTIME OAKS

ARCADIA, Calif. (June 14, 2017)—Rapidly improving and trained by America’s hottest high-profile trainer of 2017, Faypien, who will try two turns and graded stakes competition for the first time, nonetheless heads a field of nine 3-year-old fillies in Saturday’s Grade II, $200,000 Summertime Oaks at Santa Anita.

The logical horse on paper is Jerry Hollendorfer’s It Tiz Well, who was a well beaten third by Paradise Woods in the Grade I Santa Anita Oaks, a race in which she also finished 2 ¼ lengths behind Abel Tasman, who has gone on to momentous victories in both the Grade I Kentucky Oaks and the Grade I Acorn Stakes.

Adding considerable depth to Saturday’s Oaks are John Sadler’s Selcourt, Doug O’Neill’s Mopotism and Keith Desormeaux’s Majestic Quality.

FAYPIEN: A $720,000 Ocala Sales 2-year-old in training purchase in April, 2016, this Florida-bred daughter of Ghostzapper has come to hand for Baffert, as she was a 4 ½ length maiden special weight winner going seven furlongs in her maiden win two starts back and followed that up with a half-length score at the same distance in the Angels Flight Stakes here on May 14. Owned by Baoma Corporation, Faypien will likely attempt to dictate terms under Rafael Bejarano in what will be her fourth career start on Saturday. With two wins and a third place finish, she has earnings of $85,680.

IT TIZ WELL: Second four starts back to her multiple stakes winning stablemate Unique Bella in the Grade II Santa Ynez Stakes on Jan. 8, this Kentucky-bred daughter of Arch took the Grade III, 1 1/16 miles Honeybee Stakes at Oaklawn Park two starts back on March 11. Although a well- beaten third in the Grade I Santa Anita Oaks on April 8, she was beaten 2 ¼ lengths by Abel Tasman, who has since proven to be America’s top rated 3-year-old filly.A $230,000 Keeneland September yearling, It Tiz Well is owned by Tommy Town Thoroughbreds. With an overall mark of 6-3-1-2, she has a win and one third at the Oaks distance and has earnings of $274,840.

SELCOURT: Third, beaten 1 ¾ lengths by Faypien as the 6-5 favorite in the seven furlong Angels Flight Stakes May 14, Selcourt will also be trying two turns and graded stakes company for the first time in what will be her fourth career start. A daughter of Tiz Wonderful, she was bred in Kentucky by Keith Abrahams and is owned by Abrahams, Medallion Racing and Sandra Lazaruk. A runaway 9 ¼ length maiden special weight winner in her debut going six furlongs on Feb. 12, she was subsequently second, beaten 1 ½ lengths, by Grade I winning Union Strike as the 6-5 favorite in the 6 ½ furlong Santa Paula Stakes here on April 9. It’ll be up to Tyler Baze to ration her considerable speed on Saturday, which will likely mark the first time she has not been favored. With an overall mark of 3-1-1-1, she has earnings of $57,480.

MOPOTISM: Fourth, beaten 14 lengths two starts back in the Grade I Santa Anita Oaks April 8, she was distanced by Abel Tasman in the Grade I Kentucky Oaks May 5, but will try to bounce back against softer completion on Saturday. Trained by Doug O’Neill and owned by J. Paul Reddam’s Reddam Racing, LLC, this Kentucky-bred daughter of Uncle Mo was a gate to wire winner of a minor stakes going one mile at Sunland Park three starts back and will likely aim for a similar stalking type trip in the Summertime Oaks. Well accomplished, her resume includes a third place finish, beaten 4 ¼ lengths, by Abel Tasman, six starts back in the Grade I Starlet at Los Alamitos on Dec. 10. With an overall mark of 8-2-2-1, she has earnings of $199,000.

MAJESTIC QUALITY: Winless in her first nine starts, she ran a big second in the Grade II Rachel Alexandra Stakes going 1 1/16 miles at Fairgrounds in New Orleans three starts back. Subsequently fifth, beaten 17 ¼ lengths at the same distance in the Grade I Santa Anita Oaks April 8, she dominated her competition, winning a 1 1/16 miles maiden special weight here by 6 ¾ lengths on May 21, her most recent start. Trained by Keith Desormeaux and ridden by Kent, Majestic Quality, dispatched at odds of 4-5, earned a Summertime Oaks best last-out Beyer Speed figure of 91 in the maiden score and thus rates an upset chance on Saturday. Owned by Big Chief Racing, LLC, Rocker O Ranch and Keith Desormeaux, Majestic Quality a $40,000 Keeneland September yearling, is 10-1-2-2 and has earnings of $109,265.

THE GRADE II SUMMERTIME OAKS WITH JOCKEYS & WEIGHTS IN POST POSITION ORDER
Race 9 of 10 Approximate post time 5 p.m. PT

1)Goseecal—Martin Pedroza—120
2)Spooky Woods—Flavien Prat—120
3)It Tiz Well—Mike Smith—122
4)Sheza Chattykat—Corey Nakatani—120
5)Selcourt—Tyler Baze—120
6)Faypien—Rafael Bejarano—120
7)Majestic Quality—Kent Desormeaux—120
8)Noted and Quoted—Martin Garcia—122
9)Mopotism—Mario Gutierrez—120

First post time for a 10-race card on Saturday is at 1 p.m. Admission gates open at 11 a.m.nt for the horseracing industry.

UNDEFEATED SIRCAT SALLY, PACIFIC WIND & BEAU RECALL HEAD SATURDAY’S GRADE II, $200,000 HONEYMOON STAKES AT 1 1/8 MILES ON TURF

ARCADIA, Calif. (June 14, 2017)—Joe Turner’s undefeated homebred Sircat Sally seeks her seventh consecutive win as she heads a field of six 3-year-old fillies in Saturday’s Grade II, $200,000 Honeymoon Stakes at Santa Anita. Chief among her opposition are lightly raced Pacific Wind and Irish-bred Beau Recall, who were separated by a head when finishing third and second behind the top selection in the Grade III, one mile turf Senorita Stakes here on May 6.

A California-bred daughter of Surf Cat, Sircat Sally is out of Turner’s In Excess mare Sister Sally. Following her first-out maiden score on Nov. 20, she’s annexed five consecutive stakes, the last two being Grade III events.

SIRCAT SALLY: Trained by Jerry Hollendorfer and blessed with a front-running style, she made every pole a winning one in the Senorita and in the Grade III, mile and one eighth turf Providencia Stakes two starts back on April 8. Favored in her last five starts (four of them odds-on), Sircat Sally, who defeated Beau Recall by 1 ½ lengths in the Senorita, is unbeaten in her only try at the Honeymoon distance and looms strictly the horse to beat on Saturday. Her six wins have produced earnings of $408,860.

PACIFIC WIND: Trained by Peter Eurton, this lightly raced Kentucky-bred filly by Curlin fetched $200,000 as a Keeneland September yearling and was an impressive first-out open maiden special weight winner going a mile on turf March 4. In only her second career start, she was attentive to the pace and just missed second money in the Grade III Senorita Stakes, as a fast finishing Beau Recall nipped her by a head on the wire. Given her lack of seasoning and the fact she was back in front of Beau Recall on the gallop out, Pacific Wind has every right to improve stretching out a furlong on Saturday. Owned by Sharon Alesia, Ciaglia Racing LLC, Peter Brant and Dominic Savides, Pacific Wind has earnings of $44,400.

BEAU RECALL: Trained by Simon Callaghan, this Irish-bred has displayed a solid turn of foot in all three of her stateside races. A winner of her U.S. debut three starts back in a one mile turf allowance on Jan. 29, she was a fast finishing second in the one mile turf China Doll Stakes on March 11, a race in which she fell far back of the early pace. With a win from two starts in her native Ireland, Beau Recall will be trying a mile and one eighth for the first time and would be well served if Pacific Wind or perhaps fellow Irish-bred Zaffinah can apply early pressure to the top selection. Owned by Slam Dunk Racing, Beau Recall is 5-2-2-0 overall with earnings of $79,877.

THE GRADE II HONEYMOON STAKES WITH JOCKEYS & WEIGHTS IN POST POSITION ORDER
Race six of 10 Approximate post time 3:30 p.m. PT

1)Zaffinah—Flavien Prat—120
2)Pacific Wind—Jamie Theriot—120
3)Tap It All— Mario Gutierrez—120
Sircat Sally—Mike Smith—122
4)Beau Recall—Joe Talamo—120
5)La Force—Rafael Bejarano – 120

First post time for a 10-race card on Saturday is at 1 p.m. Admission gates open at 11 a.m.
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Santa Anita Park is a Stronach Group company, North America’s leading Thoroughbred racetrack owner/operator. The Stronach Group racetracks include Santa Anita Park, Gulfstream Park & Casino, Golden Gate Fields, Portland Meadows, Laurel Park and Pimlico Race Course, home of the world-famous Preakness. The company owns and operates the Palm Meadows Training Center in Florida, and is one of North America’s top race horse breeders through its award-winning Adena Springs operation. The Stronach Group is one of the world’s largest suppliers of pari-mutuel wagering systems, technologies and services. Its companies include AmTote, a global leader in wagering technology; Xpressbet, an Internet and telephone account wagering service; and Monarch Content Management, which acts as a simulcast purchase and sales agent of horseracing content for numerous North American racetracks and wagering outlets. The Stronach Group is North America’s premier supplier of virtual online horseracing games, as well as a leading producer of social media content for the horseracing industry.