Green With Eddie (Benoit Photo)
· DERBY DREAMS START IN SANTA ANITA JUVENILE · TWO-YEAR-OLD FILLIES ON PARADE IN LANDALUCE · BEHOLDER AND STELLAR WIND WORK FOR HIRSCH · CELEBRATE DOLLAR DAY, JULY 4 AT SANTA ANITA
DERBY FEVER COULD BEGIN NEXT SATURDAY It’s 10 months too early to come down with a serious case of Derby Fever, but symptoms could start next Saturday when two-year-olds with Triple Crown aspirations run in the $125,000 Santa Anita Juvenile at 5 ½ furlongs. Two likely starters are trained by Doug O’Neill, who already has a successful template for winning the Kentucky Derby, having done so with I’ll Have Another in 2012 and champion Nyquist on May 7 this year. O’Neill plans to start two impressive maiden winners in the Juvenile, Green With Eddie and Secret House. Green With Eddie, a bay colt sired by the “now” stallion Square Eddie, was bred and is owned by Reddam Racing, who owned I’ll Have Another and also owns Nyquist. Nyquist, whose long-range goal is the $6 million Breeders’ Cup Classic at Santa Anita on Nov. 5, is scheduled to work five furlongs Monday under regular rider Mario Gutierrez. Also expected for the Juvenile is California Diamond, an impressive first-out winner for trainer John Brocklebank under Edwin Maldonado, who retains the mount Saturday. Green With Eddie worked four furlongs Sunday in 48.20.
IMPRESSIVE WINNERS CLASH IN LANDALUCE STAKES The filly counterpart of the Santa Anita Juvenile also will be run next Saturday in the form of the $125,000 Landaluce Stakes for two-year-old fillies at 5 ½ furlongs. Cioppino Pasadino may have surprised some folks when she won her only start by 4 ¼ lengths at 8-1 on May 28, but trainer and part owner Gary Sherlock wasn’t one of them. “She wasn’t a surprise to me,” said Sherlock, who owns the California-bred daughter of Time to Get Even with breeder Terry Lovingier. “She’s very, very fast, and we want to run her Saturday because the CTBA Stakes (for Cal-bred fillies at Del Mar) was moved to July 29, so now we can run here and there. “If I didn’t run Saturday and waited for the CTBA, it would be eight weeks between starts, a bit too long. This should set her up for that race.” Cioppino Pasadino will be ridden by Edwin Maldonado, who is enjoying a quietly spectacular Spring Meet with 26 wins, good for fourth in the standings. Among those expected to face Cioppino Pasadino are Miss Southern Miss (Flavien Prat) and Theonewewaitedfor (Rafael Bejarano).
BEHOLDER, STELLAR WIND WORK FOR REMATCH Champions Beholder and Stellar Wind, first and second in the Grade I Vanity Mile on June 4, Sunday morning at Santa Anita worked towards an expected rematch in the Grade I Clement L. Hirsch Stakes at Del Mar July 30. Under Janeen Painter, Beholder went five furlongs in company with Air Light in 1:00.80, while her stablemate was clocked in 1:01.20. “It was just a little maintenance work,” trainer Richard Mandella said of Beholder’s drill. “She’ll have a stronger one here next week before shipping to Del Mar.” Also in company, Stellar Wind worked five furlongs in 1:01.40 under regular rider Victor Espinoza for trainer John Sadler. Stablemate Carnival Lights went in 1:01.80. “John’s happy, I’m happy and Stellar Wind is happy,” said Sadler assistant Larry Benavidez after the workout.
FANS CAN WIN MERCEDES-BENZ TOMORROW, DOLLAR DAY Tomorrow, July 4, is Fan Appreciation Day at Santa Anita. Fans can enter to win a chance at a 2016 Mercedes-Benz GLC, presented by Rusnak/Arcadia, reserved seating for the 2016 Breeders’ Cup World Championships at Santa Anita Nov. 4 and 5, VIP packages good for the track’s Autumn Meet which begins Sept. 30, and $500 betting vouchers. Veterans and active duty military will receive free General Admission Monday at Santa Anita as well. Monday also is also Dollar Day, with one dollar beers, sodas and hot dogs available throughout the day. Following are details on Santa Anita’s Fan Appreciation Day offerings: · Each fan (with paid admission) will receive a contest entry card as they enter Santa Anita. The card, once completed, can be placed in a number of designated contest locations or bins throughout the facility. All entries must be submitted by 3 p.m. · The contest cards will be used to draw the winners, who will be announced throughout the day from the Winner’s Circle. · One lucky fan will become the final contestant entered into the drawing for the 2016 Mercedes-Benz GLC presented by Rusnak/Arcadia. All 10 qualifiers will be on-track and will be assigned to a specific horse in a designated race on Monday. The contestants will watch their race from the Winner’s Circle and the winning horse will determine the winner of the Mercedes-Benz GLC. · Betting vouchers worth $500 will be given away, as will four 2016 Autumn Meet “VIP Day at the Races” packages. · Two Breeders’ Cup Reserved Seating Packages, including a Four-Pack for Friday, Nov. 4, and a Four-Pack for Breeders’ Cup Classic Day, Saturday, Nov. 5, will be given away. Visit http://www.santaanita.com/events-and-tickets/ for contest rules plus additional info on giveaways and VIP packages.
HALL OF FAME JOCKEYS TO SIGN ONE-OF-A-KIND POSTER NEXT SUNDAY Next Sunday, July 10, closing day of the Spring Meet, Hall of Fame jockeys Gary Stevens and Mike Smith will be available from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. to sign one-of-a-kind posters featuring three-time champion mare Beholder and the undefeated filly Songbird. Signings will take place in the shaded saddling enclosure. Families are invited to bring the kids, as Santa Anita mascots, Winnie and Lucky, will be on-hand to greet fans and offer Beholder peppermints, her favorite treat.
FINISH LINES: Mike Smith, slightly sore from a training mishap early Saturday morning, took off his only mount today, 4-1 morning line chance Gloryzapper in the Southern Truce Stakes. She will now be ridden by Rafael Bejarano . . . Rito Almanza, who won his first race in the United States on only his second mount in this country when guided $52.20 outsider Valentine Boy to a 5 ¾-length stunner for trainer Felipe Souza in Saturday’s ninth race, fulfilled one of his dreams with the victory. “I always wanted to compete with the best,” the 23-year-old Almanza said through Michael Burns, his agent and interpreter. “I only arrived in the U.S. (from his native Peru) on June 14. The win was very emotional for me. Rafael Bejarano (also from Peru) has been very helpful to me. I hang out with him in the jocks’ room and we’ve gone out to dinner together. He’s been a big supporter.” . . . Mario Gutierrez, Martin Pedroza and Joe Talamo ride at Belmont Park next Saturday, Gutierrez on Ralis in the $1,250,000 Belmont Derby Invitational at 1 ¼ miles on turf and Land Over Sea in the $1 million Belmont Oaks Invitational at 1 ¼ miles on turf; Pedroza on Private Zone in the $400,000 Belmont Sprint Championship; and Talamo on unbeaten Coppa in the Grade III Victory Ride Stakes . . . Multiple graded stakes winner Flamboyant, a candidate for the Grade II Eddie Read at Del Mar July 23, worked six furlongs on the main track Sunday in 1:12.20 for Paddy Gallagher with Drayden Van Dyke up . . . Multiple graded stakes winner Om, who had his second breeze Friday after being turned out for two months, is ticketed for the Grade II Del Mar Mile on turf Aug. 21, trainer Dan Hendricks said . . . With four racing days remaining in the Spring Meet, Bejarano holds a 41-36 lead over runner-up Flavien Prat in the jockeys’ race, while D’Amato has a commanding 23-14 lead over runners-up Bob Baffert and Jerry Hollendorfer among trainers. Favorites are winning at a 32.91 percent rate (103 out of 313); on dirt at 33.92 percent (77 of 227) and on turf, 30.23 percent (26 of 86). Odds-on favorites have won 47.13 percent of the time (41 of 87), favorites have been in the money 75.08 percent of the time (235 of 313), and odds-on favorites have been in the money 88.51 percent of the time (77 of 87) . . . Santa Anita’s Spring Meet closes out with a three-day week next Friday, Saturday and Sunday, July 10. Simulcast wagering will be offered on Thursday, when there is free Grandstand Admission and free grandstand parking that day and on Friday, July 8.