EASTERN INVADERS HAWKSMOOR & UNI, ALONG WITH SHARP LOCAL WINNER BEAU RECALL, HEAD WIDE OPEN GI GAMELY STAKES

By Mike Willman —-

Beau Recall; Zoe Metz Photo

EASTERN INVADERS HAWKSMOOR & UNI, ALONG WITH SHARP LOCAL WINNER BEAU RECALL, HEAD WIDE OPEN GRADE I, $300,000 GAMELY STAKES AT 1 1/8 MILES ON TURF THIS SATURDAY

ARCADIA, Calif. (May 23, 2018)—Sharp Eastern invaders Hawksmoor and Uni, along with sharp local stakes winner Beau Recall, head a wide open field of eight fillies and mares three and up in this Saturday’s Grade I, $300,000 Gamely Stakes, to be contested at a mile and one eighth over the Santa Anita turf.

Trained by Arnaud Delacour, Irish-bred Hawksmoor comes off a nose defeat at odds of 1-5 in an ungraded one mile turf stakes at Laurel Park, MD., while English-bred Uni, trained by Chad Brown, ships in from Belmont Park, following a one length win at 4-5 in an ungraded one mile turf stakes at Aqueduct.

Trainer Simon Callaghan’s Irish-bred Beau Recall rallied from last to take the Grade II Royal Heroine Stakes under Joel Rosario here on April 7 and will hope to have the same stretch kick as she stretches out a furlong in the Gamely.

HAWKSMOOR

Owner: Lael Stables Trainer: Arnaud Delacour

A 5-year-old Irish-bred mare, she’ll be making her second foray to Southern California, as she was second, beaten one length, in the one mile turf, Grade I Matriarch Stakes two starts back at Del Mar on Nov. 26. A winner of a pair of graded turf stakes last year at Belmont Park, at 1 1/16 miles on May 13, 2017 and a mile and a quarter on June 9, 2017, Hawksmoor has been a gem of consistency in her eight stateside starts, winning two, finishing second three times and third once. A Group II and Group III winner in Europe, she is 17-5-3-5 overall and rates top billing with regular rider Julien Leparoux up Best suited when on or near the lead, Hawksmoor leads all Gamely entrants with earnings of $859,739.

UNI

Owner: M. Dubb, Head of Plains Partners, LLC, Robert LaPenta and Bethlehem Stables, LLC
Trainer: Chad Brown

Favored in three out of her five stateside starts, this 4-year-old English-bred daughter of More Than Ready took the Grade II Sands Point Stakes at 1 1/8 miles on turf three starts back at Belmont Park on Sept 16 and has two wins and one second at the distance overall. With regular pilot Irad Ortiz, Jr. shipping in to ride, Uni will be seeking her first Grade I win in her second start off of a lengthy freshening. Third, beaten two lengths in her U.S. debut five starts back in the Grade I Belmont Oaks Invitational, Uni is 11-4-3-2 overall with earnings of $547,880.

BEAU RECALL

Owner: Slam Dunk Racing and Medallion Racing Trainer: Simon Callaghan

Best suited when far back early, this 4-year-old Irish-bred filly would obviously be well served by a fast pace and it appears that could be the case in Saturday’s Gamely. Although winless in three tries at a mile and one eighth on turf, Beau Recall was second, beaten a nose at the distance five starts back in the Grade I Del Mar Oaks and was second, beaten only a neck, in the Grade II Honeymoon Stakes seven races back here on June 17, 2017. A winner of the Grade II Royal Heroine Stakes here on April 7 with Joel Rosario, she’ll get the services of leading rider Flavien Prat in the Gamely.

THE GRADE I GAMELY STAKES WITH JOCKEYS AND WEIGHTS IN POST POSITION ORDER

Race 8 of 9 – Approximate post time 4 p.m. PT

1. Madam Dancealot – Corey Nakatani – 123
2. Midnight Crossing – Brice Blanc – 121
3. Mopotism – Mario Gutierrez – 121
4. Sophie P – Kent Desormeaux – 121
5. Uni—Irad Ortiz, Jr.—121
6. Beau Recall – Flavien Prat – 121
7. Hawksmoor – Julien Leparoux – 121
8. Madame Stripes—Rafael Bejarano—121

First post time for a nine-race card on Saturday is at 12:30 p.m. Admission gates open at 10 a.m. For additional racing information, please visit www.santaaanita.com.