SANTA ANITA: KEEPER OFTHE STARS, RAGING BULL TAKE MEMORIAL DAY GRADE 1’S

Santa Anita Release —-

KEEPER OF THE STARS SPRINTS HOME TO WIN GRADE I, $300,000 GAMELY STAKES BY 1 ¼ LENGTHS AS CEDILLO BAGS HIS FOURTH WINNER OF THE DAY; TRAINED BY WONG, SHE GETS 1 1/8 MILES ON TURF IN 1:46.43

ARCADIA, Calif. (May 25, 2020)—Attentive to the pace throughout, Keeper Ofthe Stars took command turning for home and sprinted the length of the Santa Anita stretch to take Monday’s Grade I, 300,000 Gamely Stakes by 1 ¼ lengths, providing trainer Jonathan Wong with his first-ever Grade I win and jockey Abel Cedillo with his fourth win on the Memorial Day program.

Breaking from the far outside in a field of 10 fillies and mares three and up, Keeper Ofthe Stars was quickly into contention as she tracked longshots Giza Goddess and Tiny Tina while saving ground in the two-path into and around the Club House turn.

Well within herself leaving the three furlong pole, Keeper Ofthe Stars was asked for her best a quarter mile out, was three-deep turning for home and forged to the lead at the sixteenth pole while much the best on the day.

“I’m over the moon right now!,” said Wong by phone from his Golden Gate Fields base, where he’s become the Bay Area track’s perennial leading trainer. “I’m really speechless. This is my first Grade I, so I’m off the schneid! Now that she’s learned to relax, the sky’s the limit with her. Kristin Mulhall is overseeing everything down there and she deserves all the credit, along with the whole crew.

“This filly had been training so well and she got an amazing ride from Abel, he couldn’t have ridden her any better. She’s a really good filly. I thought she could’ve won a couple of those graded stakes at Del Mar (last summer), but her best races are in front of her. I couldn’t be any prouder.”

A winner of the Grade II Buena Vista Stakes at a mile on turf here Feb. 22, Keeper Ofthe Stars was off at 7-1 and paid $16.60, $7.40 and $6.40.

Owned by Tommy Town Thoroughbreds, LLC, Keeper Ofthe Stars, a 4-year-old filly by Midnight Lute, out of the Run Away and Hide mare Sociable, notched her first Grade I win and now has seven wins from 15 overall starts. With the winner’s share of $180,000, she increased her earnings to $501,931.

“She’s better if somebody is in front of her, she likes to follow,” said Cedillo, who now trails Flavien Prat 62-51 in the Santa Anita rider standings. “If she has a target, she is better. Last time I rode her in the Grade II (Buena Vista), I noticed that, so I tried to do the same thing today. I think this was her best race.”

English-bred Bodhicitta rallied from far back while wide-out through the lane to nip Mucho Unusual by a nose for the place under Prat. Off at 14-1, Bodhicitta paid $13.60 and $8.00.

The lone California-bred in the field, Mucho Unusual finished a length clear of Beautiful Lover and paid $5.60 with Umberto Rispoli up at 8-1.

French-bred Etoile, who was making her U.S. debut for trainer Chad Brown, trailed the field while far back heading into the far turn and was never a factor while finishing eighth as the 8-5 favorite.

Fractions on the race were 23.22, 47.20, 1:11.03 and 1:35.00.

Racing will resume with a three-day on Friday at Santa Anita with first post time at 12:30 p.m. Fans are encouraged to wager via 1stBet.com or through Xpressbet.com. For additional information, please visit santaanita.com or call (626) 574-RACE.

GAMELY (GI) $300,000 STAKES QUOTES

ABEL CEDILLO, KEEPER OFTHE STARS, WINNER: “She’s better if somebody is in front of her, she likes to follow. If she has a target she is better. Last time I rode her in the Grade 2 (Buena Vista) I noticed that, so I tried to do the same thing today. I think this was her best race.”

ON HIS THREE WINS: “I give thanks to God, I am thankful to the trainers and owners who gave me a lot of opportunity.”

FLAVIEN PRAT, BODHICITTA, SECOND: “She relaxed well and she was very professional. To go from an allowance race into a Grade I and run the way she did is very impressive. I’m happy with her.”

JOEL ROSARIO, NINTH ON 8-5 FAVORITE, ETOILE: “She broke fine, but there wasn’t much pace early and she didn’t have the turn of foot that you need in these races.”

TRAINER QUOTES

JONATHAN WONG, TRAINER OF KEEPER OFTHE STARS, WINNER: “I’m over the moon right now! I’m really speechless. This is my first Grade I, so I’m off the schneid! Now that she’s learned to relax, the sky’s the limit with her. Kristin Mulhall is overseeing everything down there and she deserves all the credit, along with the whole crew. This filly had been training so well and she got an amazing ride from Abel, he couldn’t have ridden her any better. She’s a really good filly. I thought she could’ve won a couple of those graded stakes at Del Mar, but her best races are in front of her. I couldn’t be any prouder.”

NOTES: The winning owner is Tommy Town Thoroughbreds LLC.

CLASSY RAGING BULL RALLIES WIDE TO TAKE GRADE I, $300,000 SHOEMAKER MILE BY 2 ¼ LENGTHS UNDER ROSARIO; TRAINED BY BROWN, HE GETS TURF DISTANCE IN 1:32.73

ARCADIA, Calif. (May 25, 2020)—In a race that looked oh-so-close on paper, French-bred Raging Bull turned Monday’s Grade I, $300,000 Shoemaker Mile into grassy walk in the Santa Anita Park, as he wheeled six-wide turning for home en route to a comfortable 2 ¼ length score under Joel Rosario. Trained by Chad Brown and owned by Peter M. Brant, the 5-year-old full horse by Dark Angel got the distance in 1:32.73 over a firm turf course.

Breaking from post position seven in a field of nine 3-year-olds and up, Raging Bull, in his Santa Anita debut, had two horses beat around the Club House turn and up the backside to the far turn. With longshot Voodoo Song ensuring a legitimate pace, Raging Bull was on the move and Rosario had no intention of getting him stopped as he made an eye-catching move past the quarter pole.

“He broke well and it looked like there was a good pace, he was very controlled,” said Rosario, who had ridden Raging Bull 10 times prior to today’s race. “He just came with his run like he does all the time. He put in a nice run. It’s beautiful, nice to be back here and be back in action.”

Although winless since taking the Grade I Hollywood Derby at Del Mar in December of 2018, Raging Bull had been close in five consecutive Grade I stakes since, his most recent appearance resulting in close fourth place finish in the Grade I Woodbine Mile on Sept. 14.

The second choice in the Shoe Mile wagering at 5-2, Raging Bull paid $7.80, $5.40 and $3.40.

Out of the Mr. Greeley mare Rosa Bonheur, Raging Bull notched his fourth graded stakes win today and improved his overall mark to 13-6-2-2. With the winner’s share of $180,000, he becomes racing’s newest millionaire, with earnings of $1,100,750.

“He ran a super race and he always runs good,” said Juan Hernandez, assistant to Brown. “He had trained well here and he was acting good. He’s just a very special horse.”

A very unlucky Next Shares, who was bumped hard out of the gate by War of Will, was able to recover mount a solid late rally of his own, finishing second by a half length over favorite Without Parole.

Ridden by John Velazquez, Next Shares was off at 18-1 and paid $14.20 and $7.80.

“The plan was to be mid-pack with this horse, but we got wiped out at the start, so we were way back,” said Velazquez, who was one of several eastern-based riders on the local scene this weekend. “he still ran a great race.”

The 2-1 favorite, Without Parole, who is also trained by Brown and was ridden by Irad Ortiz, Jr., was also unlucky, as he had to wait for racing room a furlong from home at the rail and surged late to just miss the place.

Off at 2-1, he paid $3.00 to show.

Last year’s Preakness Stakes winner, War of Will, who was ridden by Flavien Prat, was disqualified from fifth and placed sixth for interference at the start.

Fractions on the race were 22.16, 44.75, 1:08.56 and 1:20.93

Today’s Shoe Mile serves as the first Breeders’ Cup “Win & You’re In” Challenge Race qualifier of the year, with the winner provided an automatic, fees-paid berth into the Grade I Breeders’ Cup Mile on Nov. 6 at Keeneland.

SHOEMAKER (GI) $300,000 STAKES QUOTES

JOEL ROSARIO, RAGING BULL, WINNER: “He broke well and it looked like there was a good pace, he was very controlled. He just came with his run like he does all the time. He put in a nice run.
“It is beautiful, nice to be back here and be back in action.”

JOHN VELAZQUEZ, NEXT SHARES, SECOND: “The plan was to be mid-pack with this horse, but we got wiped out at the start, so we were way back. He still ran a great race.”

TRAINER QUOTES

JUAN HERNANDEZ, ASSISTANT TO CHAD BROWN, RAGING BULL, WINNER: “He ran a super race and he always runs good. He had trained well here and he was acting good. He’s just a very special horse.”

NOTES: The winning owner is Peter M. Brant.

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