Santa Anita Stable Notes Friday, February 5, 2021

Posted On 05 Feb 2021

By Ed Golden —-

FREEDOM FIGHTER RETURNS IN THE SAN VICENTE
MORAZ SET FOR STAKES DEBUT IN LAS VIRGENES
BALTAS DOUBLE-TEAMS HIS SAN MARCOS RIVALS
HIT THE ROAD IS A NATURAL FOR THUNDER ROAD
VETERAN TRAINER CANANI DEAD AT 83
$5 MILLION JACKPOT POOL POSSIBLE SATURDAY

BAFFERT GOES TO HIS BENCH IN SAN VICENTE

With varsity aces Life Is Good and Medina Spirit awaiting their next call to action, Bob Baffert goes to his expansive bench Saturday with Freedom Fighter and Concert Tour in the Grade II San Vicente Stakes for three-year-olds at seven furlongs.

It will be the first start in five months for Freedom Fighter, a son Violence, who led throughout his debut race at Del Mar last Aug. 1, winning the five-furlong dash by a head as the 1-2 favorite.

“Going seven eighths is a tough distance,” Baffert said, “but he’s quick and he’s had good works. He broke his maiden first out and then we had to back off him, but he’s doing well.”

Freedom Fighter, who will be ridden by Drayden Van Dyke, has amply displayed his readiness with a series of recent breezes, including three bullet works, the most recent a five furlong move from the gate on Jan. 28 in 59.60, handily, the fastest of 70 drills at the distance.

Concert Tour was no secret as a debut winner going six furlongs on Jan. 15. The son of Street Sense owned and bred by Gary and Mary West was in hand late as the even-money favorite, scoring by 3 ½ lengths under Joel Rosario who is back aboard Saturday.

Baffert will be seeking to add to his record of 10 San Vicente victories, having captured his first in 1997 with eventual Kentucky Derby winner Silver Charm.

Subsequent triumphs were posted by Exploit (1999), Kafwain (2003), Fusaichi Rock Star (2005), Too Much Bling (2006), The Factor (2011), Drill (2012), Shakin It Up (2013), Lord Nelson (2015) and Nadal last year.

Meanwhile, individual Kentucky Derby Future Book favorite Life Is Good worked four furlongs Monday in 48.80, breezing.

“He looked really good and he’s doing everything right,” said Baffert, who confirmed the Sham Stakes winner will make his next start in the Grade II San Felipe Stakes March 6, adding, “We’ve got a long way to go.”

The San Vicente, race seven of 10 with a 12 noon first post time: Freedom Fighter, Drayden Van Dyke, 5-2; The Chosen Vron, Mike Smith, 5-2; Uncle Boogie, Abel Cedillo, 12-1; Found My Ball, Mario Gutierrez, 3-1; and Concert Tour, Joel Rosario, 8-5.

The Chosen Vron blew out four furlongs Wednesday in 48.20 for trainer Eric Kruljac. Mr. Impossible was scratched.

MORAZ SET FOR LAS VIRGENES, ROMBAUER HEADS NORTH

Displaying bloodlines that scream “route!” it was no surprise Moraz made her first two starts at one mile, breaking her maiden in eye-catching fashion on Jan. 8, winning off by 11 lengths.

Next up: Saturday’s Grade III Las Virgenes Stakes for three-year-old fillies, also at a mile.

The daughter of 2003 Belmont Stakes winner Empire Maker out of the A.P. Indy dam Malvinia owned and bred by Don Alberto Stable worked five furlongs Sunday in 1:00.80 accompanied by stablemate Rombauer who went a tick faster in 1:00.60.

“I was very pleased with her work,” trainer Michael McCarthy said.

Meanwhile, Rombauer, a promising three-year-old son of Twirling Candy who was scratched from last Saturday’s Grade III Robert B. Lewis Stakes, will make his next start in the $100,000 El Camino Real Derby at Golden Gate Fields on Feb. 13, McCarthy said.

The El Camino Real Derby will be decided at 1 1/8 miles on the synthetic Tapeta surface and offers 10 Kentucky Derby qualifying points to the winner, four to the runner-up, two to the third-place horse and one point to the fourth.

Owned and bred in Kentucky by John and Diane Fradkin, Rombauer last raced on Nov. 6, finishing a creditable fifth in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile behind 2020’s undefeated Eclipse Award winner as outstanding two-year-old male Essential Quality.

Rombauer was second by three-quarters of a length at 11-1 in the Grade I American Pharoah Stakes at Santa Anita last Sept. 26.

The Las Virgenes, race three: Moraz, Umberto Rispoli, 5-2; Kalypso, Joel Rosario, 5-2; Moonlight d’Oro, Flavien Prat, 1-1; Honor America, Juan Hernandez, 10-1; and Brilliant Cut, Ricky Gonzalez, 8-1.

BALTAS HAS TWO FOR THE MONEY IN SAN MARCOS

Richard Baltas tackles his San Marcos Stakes rivals in diverse fashion Saturday, sending out Masteroffoxhounds for his U.S. stakes debut and well-established stakes campaigner Oscar Dominguez in the Grade II turf marathon at a mile and a quarter for four-year-olds and up.

Offering a purse of $200,000, the San Marcos will be run for the 69th time. It had been set for Jan. 30 but was postponed due to heavy rain.

Both horses have not raced in more than two months, but Baltas seems confident they are ready to strut their stuff.

“Masteroffoxhounds is an up-and-coming horse,” said the trainer, who has six wins and 13 seconds this meet but ranks second behind only Bob Baffert in purse earnings, $710,860 $922,280. “It looks like he’s got a lot of ability. Oscar is doing well right now. He probably wants a mile and a half, but both horses are doing great.”

Claimed for $40,000 on Feb. 7, 2019, Oscar Dominguez has run in 10 consecutive graded stakes, winning the Grade II Hollywood Turf Cup on Dec, 1, 2019, coming from 10th and last to take the mile and a half event by a head at 11-1 under John Velazquez.

The durable and consistent eight-year-old Irish-bred gelding owned by Nancy Messineo and Bruce Sands has a 6-6-6 record from 43 career starts with earnings of $472,714.

Masteroffoxhounds, a four-year-old War Front colt owned by Rockingham Ranch, was bred in Kentucky but had his first six races in Ireland before returning to the U.S. where he won his second start here last Nov. 28, capturing an overnight turf race by 4 ¼ lengths at Del Mar going a mile and three-eighths.

The San Marcos, which goes as race four: Cleopatra’s Strike, Juan Hernandez, 8-1; Masteroffoxhounds, Joel Rosario, 5-2; Starting Over, Drayden Van Dyke, 15-1; Acclimate, Tyler Baze, 2-1; Salvator Mundi, Flavien Prat, 5-2; and Oscar Dominguez, Umberto Rispoli, 7-2.

HIT THE ROAD WORKING ‘BETTER THAN EVER’ FOR RETURN

Hit the Road returns to the races in Saturday’s Grade III Thunder Road Stakes at a mile on turf after an absence of more than six months.

The four-year-old More Than Ready colt runs well fresh, however, a mile on grass is right in his wheelhouse with four wins from six starts, and Dan Blacker is looking forward to the Kentucky-bred bay’s third straight victory and his fifth in eight career starts.

“He had some bone bruising after the Oceanside,” the trainer explained, “but he’s been working great, better than ever. He’s ready.”

Hit the Road won the Oceanside by nearly two lengths as the 8-5 favorite last July 10 under Umberto Rispoli who has been aboard for his last two victories and retains the mount Saturday.

The Thunder Road, race eight: Sombeyay, Juan Hernandez, 4-1; Hit the Road, Umberto Rispoli, 4-1; Restrainedvengence, Ruben Fuentes, 15-1; Border Town, Flavien Prat, 6-1; Campaign, Tyler Baze, 8-1; Award Winner, Abel Cedillo, 12-1; Bob and Jackie, Heriberto Figueroa, 5-2; and Hembree, Joel Rosario, 7-2.

VETERAN TRAINER CANANI, WINNER OF 1989 BIG ’CAP, DEAD AT 83

A native of Peru and a longtime trainer in Southern California, Julio Canani passed away at Huntington Memorial Hospital in Pasadena following a lengthy illness Friday morning at age 83 according to his daughter, Lisa. Retired for the past several years, Canani trained the longshot winner of the 1989 Santa Anita Handicap, Martial Law ($130.60), who was ridden by Martin Pedroza and owned in part by Jeff Siegel and Barry Irvin’s Clover Racing Stable.

Self-made, Canani came to America as a teenager, initially working for a landscaping company before making his way to the racetrack, where his betting instincts and innate guile enabled him to establish a social and economic base from which he would eventually become a multiple stakes winning conditioner who forever spoke fractured English while readily dispensing a wide variety of nicknames—some complimentary, some, not so much.

Although the 1989 Big ’Cap surely helped to put him on the map, Canani gained national recognition by winning three Breeders’ Cup races. The Mile, in 1999 and 2001 with Silic and Val Royal, and with Sweet Catomine, who won the 2004 Juvenile Fillies and was subsequently named Eclipse Champion 2-year-old Filly.

Although the truth quite often escaped him, Canani had an instinctive feel for what reporters were looking for and he often attracted notice by wearing a variety of hats, including natural fur chapeaus that were better suited for a Siberian Winter but nonetheless helped facilitate dozens of interviews, print and broadcast, over a career that spanned roughly 50 years.

Canani, who cut his training teeth via the claim box, won his first stakes race in the 1975 Oceanside at Del Mar with Willmar, who he had haltered for $20,000. His lengthy list of stakes winners included Bruho, Putting, Silver Circus, Davie’s Lamb, Tranquility Lake, Tuzla, Silent Sighs, Ladies Din, Special Ring, Amorama and others.

Canani, who saddled his last horse, Fantastic Mizz, to a second place finish on Oct. 23, 2015 at Santa Anita, finished with 1,137 wins and purse earnings of more than $49 million.

Divorced from his first wife, Jane, Canani is survived by their two children, Lisa and Nick, as well as his current wife, Svetlana and their two children, Isabella and Alexander. Julio Canani is also survived by two grandchildren and one great grandchild.

There are no funeral services planned at this time, but the Canani family has requested donations be made to the Edwin J. Gregson Foundation.

-Mike Willman

$5 MILLION JACKPOT COULD BE AT END OF THE RAINBOW

With the possibility of a pool that could exceed $5 million, there will be a mandatory payout at Santa Anita Saturday in the popular 20-cent Single Ticket Rainbow Pick Six Jackpot. (Fans are advised that pool projections are based upon there being no single ticket winner today).

There was no single ticket winner in last Sunday’s Rainbow Six, resulting in a Jackpot carryover of $843,235.95 into today. With a mandatory payout in place, track officials have projected tomorrow’s total Jackpot pool could exceed $5 million.

Special first post time for the 10-race program featuring four graded stakes is 12 noon.

FINISH LINES: REMINDER--There is an early first post time of 12 noon on Saturday and an even earlier first post time of 11 a.m. on Sunday due to THE BIG GAME…Yet another Derby prospect from the Bob Baffert stable will be unveiled Sunday, as Bezos, a Kentucky-bred colt by Empire Maker, makes his highly anticipated debut in the fifth race. With Mike Smith engaged, Bezos has drawn post position five as a field of nine sophomores go 6 ½ furlongs…There were 107 recorded workouts today including a five-furlong breeze by 2019 Grade I La Brea Stakes winner Hard Not to Love who went in 1:01.60 for John Shirreffs. Eight of the drills were on the training track.