Santa Anita Stakes Previews: Grade 3 Wilshire, $200k Snow Chief

By Mike Willman —-

DEFENDING CHAMP STORM THE HILL BACK TO DEFEND HER CROWN IN SATURDAY’S GRADE III, $100,000 WILSHIRE STAKES AT ONE MILE ON TURF

ARCADIA, Calif. (June 19, 2019)—A winner of five out of seven of her starts on the Santa Anita turf but idle since Nov. 3, trainer Phil D’Amato’s Storm the Hill returns to action on Saturday as she defends her title versus 11 fillies and mares three and up in the Grade III, $100,000 Wilshire Stakes at one mile on grass.

Also figuring prominently in Saturday’s Wilshire are the John Sadler-conditioned Ollie’s Candy, who probably needed her most recent race, a seventh place finish in the Grade I Gamely Stakes, and Neil Drysdale’s English-bred Simply Breathless, who was most impressive in taking her U.S. debut by one length, the $75,000 Golden Poppy Stakes at Golden Gate Fields on April 27.

STORM THE HILL
Owner: Alastar Thoroughbred Company, LLC & Michael Valdes
Trainer: Phil D’Amato
Last seen winning the Grade III Senator Ken Maddy Stakes here going 6 ½ furlongs down the hillside turf course Nov. 3, this 5-year-old Stormy Atlantic mare took last year’s Wilshire four starts back by rallying from off the pace to win by 1 ½ lengths in her first start for D’Amato. A winner of two of her four starts for D’Amato, she’ll be reunited with Rafael Bejarano, who was aboard for both wins.

OLLIE’S CANDY
Owner: Paul & Karen Eggert
Trainer: John Sadler
This 4-year-old homebred daughter of Candy Ride appears poised for her best following an even seventh place finish, 5 ½ lengths behind the mighty Vasilika in the Grade I, 1 1/8 mile turf Gamely Stakes here on May 27. Idle since a close second in the Grade I Del Mar Oaks Aug. 18, Ollie’s Candy was likely in need of the outing and should be extremely tough as she shortens up a furlong. Although far back early in the Gamely, she has plenty of tactical speed, if needed. Ridden by eastern-based Joel Rosario in the Gamely, she’ll be reunited with Kent Desormeaux, who choreographed her most recent victory, which came four starts back in the Grade II Summertime Oaks over the main track here on June 16, 2018.

SIMPLY BREATHLESS
Owner: Cloros Bloodstock
Trainer: Neil Drysdale
Off at 2-1 in the seven-horse Golden Poppy at 1 1/16 miles over the Golden Gate turf on April 27, she was ridden with confidence by Flavien Prat and responded with a most impressive win, despite the fact she’d been idle since winning a minor one mile turf stakes in her native England on Sept. 8, 2018. A 4-year-old filly who has an impressive 7-3-1-2 record at one mile on turf, Simply Breathless has had six works over the Santa Anita training track since winning the Golden Poppy and will be ridden back by Prat on Saturday.

THE GRADE III WILSHIRE STAKES WITH JOCKEYS & WEIGHTS IN POST POSITION ORDER
Race 8 of 9 Approximate post time 4:30 p.m. PT

1. Ollie’s Candy—Kent Desormeaux—121
2. Storm the Hill—Rafael Bejarano—121
3. Simply Breathless—Flavien Prat—123
4. Poster Girl—Evin Roman—121
5. Meal Ticket—Mike Smith—121
6. Achira—Martin Garcia—121
7. Gliding By—Mario Gutierrez—121
8. Don’t Blame Judy—Victor Espinoza—121
9. Ippodamia’s Girl—Norberto Arroyo, Jr.—121
10. A Little Bit Me—Geovanni Franco—121
11. Tapped—Drayden Van Dyke—121

First post time for a 10-race card on Saturday is at 1 p.m. Admission gates will open at 11 a.m. For additional information, please visit santaanita.com or call (626) 574-RACE.

OUR SILVER OAK, LIEUTENANT DAN & IRISH HEATWAVE MEET AGAIN AS THEY HEAD A FIELD OF NINE SOPHOMORES IN SATURDAY’S $200,000 SNOW CHIEF STAKES AT 1 1/8 MILES ON TURF

ARCADIA, Calif. (June 19, 2019)—Separated by just a head when last them met, Our Silver Oak, Lieutenant Dan and Irish Heatwave head a field of nine sophomores going a mile and one eighth on turf in Saturday’s $200,000 Snow Chief Stakes at Santa Anita.

Named for the Melvin Stute-conditioned winner of the 1986 Santa Anita Derby and Preakness Stakes, Snow Chief, a California-bred son of Reflected Glory who would be named Eclipse Champion 3-year-old for 1986, Snow Chief also defeated 1986 Kentucky Derby winner Ferdinand the following winter in the Grade I Strub Stakes at a mile and one quarter.

The Snow Chief Stakes is part of the lucrative Golden State Series, which is sponsored by the CTBA and is restricted to California-bred or sired horses.

With Our Silver Oak, Lieutenant Dan and Irish Heatwave all exiting the Silky Sullivan Stakes, for state-breds at one mile on turf April 28 at Golden Gate Fields, they will no doubt be head and head in the Snow Chief wagering on Saturday.

OUR SILVER OAK
Owner: Robert Jones, Michael Nentwig & Ray Pagano
Trainer: Jonathan Wong

Attentive to the pace in the Silky Sullivan, this Unusual Heat gelding may’ve been unlucky to lose, as he got shuffled back around the far turn and had five lengths to make up turning for home. In a desperate finish, he was flying on the outside and finished second by a nose to Irish Heatwave, with Lieutenant Dan another nose back in third. With the addition of Mike Smith and another furlong, Our Silver Oak should be extremely tough on Saturday. Based at Golden Gate, Our Silver Oak was bred in California by current CHRB Commissioner Madeline Auerbach and is out of the Alphabet Soup mare Strawberry Flash.

LIEUTENANT DAN
Owner: Nick Alexander
Trainer: Steve Miyadi

Head and head with Irish Heatwave the length of the Silky Sullivan stretch, this homebred gelding by Grazen just missed, finishing third by the official margin of a head. In what will be his second try at two turns on grass, he retains the services of Geovanni Franco and will be bidding for his second state-bred stakes win. Out of Alexander’s Indian Charlie mare Excusabull, Lieutenant Dan was an impressive 2 ¼ length winner on dirt of the 6 ½ furlong Echo Eddie Stakes two starts back here on April 6.

IRISH HEATWAVE
Owner: Calumet Farm
Trainer: Keith Desormeaux

Ultra-game in winning the Silky Sullivan by a nose after pressing and making the pace throughout, Irish Heatwave, a bay colt by Unusual Heat, out of the Broken Vow mare Irish Winnie, will undoubtedly vie for favoritism as he makes his third consecutive start going a route of ground on turf. Ridden by Irving Orozco and off at 5-2 in the Silky Sullivan, he’ll be handled by Keith Desormeaux’s Hall of Fame brother Kent on Saturday.

THE $200,000 SNOW CHIEF STAKES WITH JOCKEYS & WEIGHTS IN POST POSITION ORDER

Race 6 of 10 Approximate post time 3:30 p.m. PT

1. Our Silver Oak—Mike Smith—120
2. Oliver—Martin Garcia—120
3. Prodigal Son—Mario Gutierrez—120
4. Irish Heatwave—Kent Desormeaux—124
5. Carnivorous—Abel Cedillo—120
6. Appreciated—Aaron Gryder—120
7. Desmond Doss—Joe Talamo—120
8. Mobou—Victor Espinoza—120
9. Lieutenant Dan—Geovanni Franco—120

First post time for a 10-race card on Saturday is at 1 p.m. Admission gates will open at 11 a.m. For additional information, please visit 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.