Santa Anita: Saturday Stakes Previews

By Mike Willman —-

CALLAGHAN’S BELLAFINA & BAFFERT’S MOTHER MOTHER HEAD SUNDAY’S GRADE II, $200,000 SANTA YNEZ STAKES AT SEVEN FURLONGS

ARCADIA, Calif. (Jan 3, 2018)—Both Kaleem Shah’s Bellafina, a Grade I winner two starts back, and Bob Baffert’s up and coming Mother Mother, cut back in distance and head a cast of five sophomore fillies in Sunday’s Grade II, $200,000 Santa Ynez Stakes at seven furlongs.
Throw in Doug O’Neill’s Sold It, who pressed the early pace going two turns in Grade I company last time out, Keith Desormeaux’s Grade I stakes placed Reflect and Steve Specht’s recent Golden Gate Fields stakes winner Tomlin and the Santa Ynez has the look of a competitive affair which will provide the winner with 10 qualifying points to the Grade I Kentucky Oaks on May 3.

BELLAFINA
Owner: Kaleem Shah
Trainer: Simon Callaghan
A galloping 6 ½ length winner of the Grade I Chandelier Stakes at 1 1/16 miles here on Sept. 29, she was subsequently bet to the 9-5 favorite in the Grade I Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies at the same distance on Nov. 2, but tired to finish fourth, beaten 9 ¼ lengths after encountering trouble at the break. Despite the setback, this Quality Road filly, who fetched $800,000 at a 2-year-old in training sale this past March, has come back to train in sensational fashion for Callaghan at Santa Anita. In addition to a troubled start, Callaghan has also ascribed her sub-par Breeders’ Cup performance to reproductive “heat,” a common concern with fillies and mares.

MOTHER MOTHER
Owner: George Bolton, Barry Hall, Barry Lipman, Mark Mathiesen & Andrew Molasky
Trainer: Bob Baffert
Second, beaten 4 ¼ lengths by Bellafina three starts back in the Grade I Del Mar Debutante going seven furlongs on Sept. 1, this daughter of Pioneerof the Nile was then a gate to wire winner of a one turn mile stakes at Churchill Downs Oct. 28. In her most recent start, the Grade I Starlet going 1 1/16 miles at Los Alamitos Dec. 8, she made the lead and finished third, beaten a neck by highly regarded stablemate Chasing Yesterday. Along with a return to sprinting, Mother Mother will be reunited Sunday with Drayden Van Dyke, who rode her to a scintillating 6 ½ length first out maiden score four starts back on July 22.

SOLD IT
Owner: Ciaran Dunne & Reddam Racing, LLC
Trainer: Doug O’Neill
Fifth, beaten four lengths in the Grade I Starlet after pressing the early pace, this grey filly by The Factor broke her maiden going five furlongs on turf two starts back on Nov. 15 and should appreciate the return to a sprint distance. A respectable first-out third, beaten five lengths as the even money favorite in a 6 ½ furlong main track maiden special weight here Oct. 14, Sold It is out of the Malibu Moon mare Charade.

TOMLIN
Owner: Fairview, LLC
Trainer: Steve Specht
Purchased for $200,000 as a Keeneland September Yearling, this Distorted Humor filly has won five of her three Golden Gate starts, including her most recent, a 2 ½ length score in the six furlong Golden Gate Debutante on Nov. 23. With all three of her wins coming at sprint distances on synthetic Tapeta, Tomlin’s connections are confident she would relish an off track, should predicted rain fall on Sunday.

THE GRADE II SANTA YNEZ STAKES WITH JOCKEYS & WEIGHTS IN POST POSITION ORDER
Race 8 of 9 Approximate post time 4 p.m. PT

1. Mother Mother—Drayden Van Dyke—120
2. Bellafina—Flavien Prat—124
3. Sold It—Mario Gutierrez—120
4. Tomlin—Tyler Baze—120
5. Reflect—Kent Desormeaux–120

First post time for a nine-race card on Sunday is at 12:30 p.m. For additional information, please visit santaanita.com or call (626) 574-RACE.

PROCTOR’S CHICAGO STYLE HOLDS HOT HAND AS HE HEADS 10-HORSE FIELD IN SATURDAY’S GRADE II, $200,000 SAN GABRIEL STAKES AT 1 1/8 MILES ON TURF

ARCADIA, Calif. (Jan. 2, 2019)—Glen Hill Farm’s homebred Chicago Style, who comes off a solid Grade II win and has made the most of limited career opportunities, heads a field of 10 older horses in Saturday’s Grade II, $200,000 San Gabriel Stakes at a mile and one eighth on turf. Trained by Tom Proctor, Chicago Style has won six of his 11 starts, with all of his dances coming on grass.

Off to a fast start at the current meet, trainer Richard Baltas will be well represented by Next Shares, who ran the best race of his career two starts back when taking the Grade I Shadwell Turf Mile at Keeneland Oct. 6.

Michael McCarthy’s Liam the Charmer, last seen here winning the Grade II John Henry Turf Championship two starts back on Sept. 30, never got untracked when eased going a mile and one half in the Breeders’ Cup Turf Nov. 3 and will try to bounce back over a course he’s done very well on.

CHICAGO STYLE
Owner: Glen Hill Farm
Trainer: Tom Proctor
This 6-year-old Kitten’s Joy gelding displayed a terrific turn of foot when rallying to take the Grade II Hollywood Derby going 1 ½ miles over the Del Mar turf Nov. 23 and was a respectable fifth, beaten 1 ½ lengths, two starts back in the one mile (restricted) turf Lure Stakes here on Nov. 2. With Drayden Van Dyke set to ride him back, Chicago Style would appreciate a lively pace as he bids for his seventh win from 12 career tries.

NEXT SHARES
Owner: Michael Iavarone, Jules Iavarone, Jerry McClanahan, Christopher Dunn, William Marasa, Ritchie Robershaw & Mark Taylor
Trainer: Richard Baltas

With the Grade I Shadwell Turf Mile looming as his crowning career achievement, Next Shares comes off the best year of his career, winning $903,890 while compiling a 10-2-2-2 mark for 2018. His San Gabriel candidacy gets a big boost with the addition of Joel Rosario, who last rode him 11 starts back on Nov. 10, 2017—a six furlong turf allowance win at Aqueduct. Well beaten but not disgraced when 13th, beaten six lengths in the Grade I Breeders’ Cup Mile Turf Nov. 3, this 6-year-old Archarcharch gelding has two seconds and as many thirds from four local turf tries.

LIAM THE CHARMER
Owner: Madaket Stables, LLC
Trainer: Michael McCarthy
With his John Henry score two starts back providing additional proof, this 6-year-old Smart Strike gelding adores the Santa Anita turf, evidenced by his 8-4-1-1 local resume. A dedicated deep closer, he’ll get the services of Kent Desormeaux, who will hope to have some pace to run down late.

THE GRADE II SAN GABRIEL STAKES WITH JOCKEYS & WEIGHTS IN POST POSITION ORDER

Race 7 of 10 – Approximate post time 3 p.m. PT

1. Liam the Charmer—Kent Desormeaux—124
2. Platinum Warrior—Shane Foley—122
3. Cleopatra’s Strike—Flavien Prat—120
4. Oscar Dominguez—Rafael Bejarano—120
5. Chicago Style—Drayden Van Dyke—124
6. Flamboyant—Brice Blanc—122
7. Next Shares—Joel Rosario—124
8. Big Score—Mike Smith—120
9. Big Bend—Joe Talamo—120
10. Arms Runner—Martin Pedroza—120

BAFFERT’S COLISEUM & HOLLENDORFER’S GUNMETAL GRAY HEAD SATURDAY’S GRADE III, $100,000 SHAM STAKES AS DERBY HOPEFULS GO ONE MILE

ARCADIA, Calif. (Jan. 2, 2019)—Bob Baffert’s Coliseum and Jerry Hollendorfer’s Gunmetal Gray head a field of seven sophomores going a flat mile in Saturday’s Grade III, $100,000 Sham Stakes at Santa Anita. The Sham, named for the winner of the 1973 Santa Anita Derby who was subsequently second to the immortal Secretariat in both the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes, will provide the winner with 10 Kentucky Derby qualifying points.
Owned and bred by Godolphin, LLC Coliseum made his highly anticipated debut this past Nov. 17 at Del Mar, and he responded with a rousing 6 ¾ length going seven furlongs at odds of 1-2.
Gun Metal Gray, who fetched $225,000 at a 2-year-old in training sale in Ocala, Fla., this past March, broke his maiden in his second start going one mile on Aug. 22. He was subsequently second to Baffert’s Game Winner in the Grade I American Pharoah Stakes here on Sept. 29 and was again well beaten by Game Winner, finishing fifth, beaten 12 ½ lengths in the Grade I Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Nov. 2.

COLISEUM
Owner: Godolphin, LLC
Trainer: Bob Baffert
After many years of taking the Dubai route to Churchill Downs, Godolphin has enlisted the services of Baffert in the hope he can lead them to the promised land at long last on the first Saturday in May. A grey colt by Tapit, out of the Menifee mare Game Face, Coliseum was bred in Kentucky by his owner and should relish the extra furlong on Saturday. Coliseum looms strictly the horse to beat with Joe Talamo back aboard.

GUNMETAL GRAY
Owner: Hollendorfer, LLC, Pearl Racing & West Point Thoroughbreds
Trainer: Jerry Hollendorfer
Well beaten in his six furlong debut July 29, this Kentucky-bred colt by Exchange Rate relished the stretch out to a mile on Aug. 22 at Del Mar, winning by 6 ¾ lengths under Drayden Van Dyke. With Flavien Prat taking over, Gunmetal was a good second, beaten 4 ½ lengths by Game Winner in the mile and one sixteenth Grade I American Pharoah, a race in which he earned a 90-Beyer Speed figure, his best “number” in four juvenile starts. With Mike Smith taking over for the first time in the Sham, his connections are hoping Gunmetal Gray’s experience will give him a competitive edge as he faces Coliseum for the first time.

THE GRADE III SHAM STAKES WITH JOCKEYS & WEIGHTS IN POST POSITION ORDER
Race 9 of 10 – Approximate post time 4 p.m. PT

1. Sueno—Kent Desormeaux—120
2. Gray Magician—Flavien Prat—120
3. Savagery—Joel Rosario—120
4. Easy Shot—Rafael Bejarano–120
5. Coliseum—Joe Talamo—120
6. Gunmetal Gray—Mike Smith—120
7. Much Better—Drayden Van Dyke–120

Special early first post time for a 10-race card on Saturday is at 12 noon. For additional information, please visit www.santaanita.com or call (626) 574-RACE.

ABOUT SANTA ANITA PARK
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.