Horse Racing News is the source of thoroughbred racing information with horse racing odds, betting tips, racing picks, race results, and handicapping. Latest news and articles on top horse racing contenders, jockeys, trainers, three-year-olds, race tracks, and major stakes races such as the Triple Crown races: the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont Stakes as well as the Breeders' Cup horse races.Colonel John Heads Malibu Stakes at Santa Anita Park Opening Day December 26
Posted on Tuesday, December 23rd, 2008
Santa Anita Derby and Travers Stakes winner Colonel John leads seven 3-year-olds into Friday’s $250,000 Malibu Stakes (G1) as Santa Anita Park traditionally opens its 72nd season on the day after Christmas.
The 57th Malibu Stakes, at 7 furlongs, is one of 3 stakes races on the 9-race program that ushers in the track’s 84-day run over Santa Anita‘s new Pro-Ride synthetic surface that was successfully introduced during the track’s recent Oak Tree meeting.
Colonel John, winner of 5 of 10 starts while earning $1,468,830, has been assigned co-high-weight of 123 pounds and has the glossiest dossier of the Malibu Stakes field. However, the Kentucky-bred son of 2000 Horse of the Year Tiznow has not contested a sprint distance since breaking his maiden in his second start on October 7, 2007.
The WinStar Farm runner trained by Eoin Harty, Colonel John, is cutting back in distance from the 1 1/4-miles of the Breeders’ Cup Classic, in which he finished sixth following a nose victory in Saratoga‘s Travers Stakes (G1) at the same distance.
Jockey Garrett Gomez, currently America’s leading rider with earnings of over $23 million, will be reunited with Colonel John on Friday. Ridden by jockey Edgar Prado in the Breeders’ Cup Classic, jockey Garrett Gomez was aboard in the Travers victory on August 22.
In addition to having won his only start at the Malibu Stakes distance when breaking his maiden, Colonel John has developed an affinity for synthetic surfaces, posting a 4-2-1 mark in 8 starts over them with his sixth behind Ravens Pass in the Breeders’ Cup Classic his only off-the-board finish. Colonel John has been training rapidly for his return to sprint competition.
Malibu Stakes contenders include Eastern invader Golden Spikes, also assigned 123 pounds; Georgie Boy, a leading Triple Crown candidate earlier this year before sidelined by a hind end injury; 2007 Hollywood CashCall Futurity winner Into Mischief and Bob Black Jack, winner of the Sunshine Millions Dash and a close second to Colonel John in the Santa Anita Derby.
Golden Spikes will be making his first start on the West Coast for race horse trainer Marty Wolfson. He arrives with a 4-3-0 record in 13 races for earnings of $383,095. His most notable victory was achieved in Calder Race Course‘s Carry Back Stakes (G2) at 6 furlongs in July. Jockey Joel Rosario will be aboard for the first time.
Before falling off the Kentucky Derby trail earlier this year, Georgie Boy reeled off 3 successive graded stakes victories that began with the Del Mar Futurity (G1) and was followed by the San Vicente (G2) and San Rafael Stakes (G2) at Santa Anita. Trained by Kathy Walsh for George Schwary, Georgie Boy returned to action in Oak Tree’s $133,000 Damascus Stakes as the 7-5 favorite on October 25. But the California-bred son of Tribal Run had to settle for fourth behind victorious Into Mischief.
Georgie Boy has posted 2 swift 6 furlong breezes in preparation for the Malibu Stakes with esteemed Eastern-based jockey Edgar Prado set to ride. With a 4-2-1 record in 8 starts, the bay gelding Georgie Boy has produced earnings of $503,634.
The lightly-raced Into Mischief is scheduled to make his final career start in the Malibu Stakes before heading for stallion duty in Kentucky. He has never finished worse than second in 5 career starts that have earned $547,080 for owner B. Wayne Hughes. In addition to defeating Georgie Boy when taking the 7-furlong Damascus by 2 lengths, Into Mischief registered a 13-1 upset by 1 1/4 lengths over Colonel John in Hollywood Park’s CashCall Futurity (G1) at 1 1/16 miles last December. Jockey Victor Espinoza rides the Harlan’s Holiday colt trained by Richard Mandella.
After winning the California Breeders’ Champion Stakes by 6 1/4 lengths on last year’s opening day at Santa Anita, Bob Black Jack proceeded to capture the $250,000 Sunshine Millions Dash by 3 1/2 lengths. He most recently finished 1 1/2 lengths behind victorious Johnny Eves when a close fifth in Hollywood Park’s Vernon O. Underwood Stakes (G3) on November 27 following a 6-month sabbatical. Jockey David Flores rides for trainer James Kasparoff. With a 3-2-1 record in 9 starts, Bob Black Jack has banked $444,925 for owners Jeff Harmon and Tim Kasparoff.
The complete field for the Malibu Stakes, with jockeys and weights in post position order:
- Into Mischief under jockey Victor Espinoza carries 119 lbs.
- Colonel John under jockey Garrett Gomez, 123 lbs.
- Bob Black Jack under jockey David Flores, 119 lbs.
- Golden Spikes under jockey Joel Rosario, 123 lbs.
- Hownownow under jockey Joseph Talamo, 115 lbs.
- Guns On the Table under jockey Rafael Bejarano, 117 lbs.
- Georgie Boy under jockey Edgar Prado, 119 lbs.
The Malibu Stakes is scheduled as the eighth race.
Sir Beaufort Stakes
The seventh race in Santa Anita’s December 26 Opening Day horse racing program is the $100,000 Sir Beaufort Stakes (G3) for 3-year-olds at 1 mile on grass, which attracted 13 entrants including well-traveled multiple graded-stakes winner Gio Ponti from the barn of race horse trainer Christophe Clement.
The Sir Beaufort Stakes appears to be a deeply contentious event with race horse Gio Ponti certain to gain considerable attention. He was the 3-1 favorite in last month’s Hollywood Derby (G1), but raced blocked through the stretch while winding up seventh, 3 1/2 lengths behind Court Vision. Gio Ponti had an extremely wide trip when second to Madeo by one-half length as the odds-on choice in the Del Mar Derby (G2) last summer.
Jockey Garrett Gomez, aboard both times, captured Belmont Park‘s Hill Prince Stakes (G3) and the Virginia Derby (G2) at Colonial Downs while riding Gio Ponti. He has the return call in the Sir Beaufort which Gio Ponti enters with a 4-2-0 record in 8 starts and earnings of $760,800 for owner Castleton Lyons.
The complete field for the Sir Beaufort Stakes, with jockeys and weights in post position order:
- Liberian Freighter under jockey Flores carries 118 lbs.
- Sky Cape under jockey Rosario, 122 lbs.
- Dakota Phone under jockey Jose Valdivia Jr., 120 lbs.
- Fifteen Love under jockey Prado, 122 lbs.
- Medjool under jockey Martin Garcia, 118 lbs.
- Icemancometh under jockey Mike Smith, 118 lbs.
- Young Joe under jockey Talamo, 118 lbs.
- Ten Meropa under jockey Brice Blanc, 118 lbs.
- El Gato Malo under jockey Bejarano, 118 lbs.
- Ghetto under jockey Michael Baze, 118 lbs.
- Pistol Pete Afleet under jockey Aaron Gryder, 118 lbs.
- Gio Ponti under jockey Gomez, 122 lbs.
- Il Girasole under jockey Espinoza, 118 lbs.
California Breeders’ Champion Stakes
The 69th running of the $125,000 California Breeders’ Champion Stakes goes as the sixth horse race on Friday at Santa Anita Park. Lordgivemealift, a winner of 3 of 4 starts, is the 119-pound high weight among 12 entrants in the 7-furlong event for 2-year-olds.
California Breeders’ Champion Stakes high-weight Lordgivemealift, trained by Jeff Mullins, bounced back from a disappointing sixth in Del Mar‘s I’m Smokin Stakes to impress with a 5 1/2 length win in an optional claimer at Hollywood Park while covering 6 furlongs in 1:08. Jockey Michael Baze will be back atop the Lord Carson gelding whose 3 wins in 4 starts have earned $52,605 for Mr. and Mrs. Larry D. Williams.
The complete field for the California Breeders’ Champion Stakes, with jockeys and weights in post position order:
Star Redeemer under jockey Prado carries 115 lbs.- Feisty Suances under jockey Flores, 117 lbs.
- Mensa Heat under jockey Corey Nakatani, 115 lbs.
- Unbridled Roman under jockey Smith, 117 lbs.
- Jack Flash under jockey Garcia, 117 lbs.
- Lordgivemealift under jockey Michael Baze, 119 lbs.
- The Bat Signal under jockey Espinoza, 115 lbs.
- Dontmesroundwitjim under jockey Isaias Enriquez, 115 lbs.
- Beauteous Maximus under jockey Gomez, 117 lbs.
- Atticus Jack under jockey Gryder, 115 lbs.
- Danny Q under jockey Rosario, 117 lbs.
- All Saint under jockey Bejarano, 117 lbs.
Santa Anita Park will race each day through Monday of next week before commencing a normal Wednesday through Sunday racing schedule. First post normally will be 12:30 p.m. on weekends and 1 p.m. on weekdays.
Horse racing news edited from www.santaanita.com.
Tags: All Saint, Atticus Jack, Beauteous Maximus, Bob Black Jack, Colonel John, Dakota Phone, Danny Q, Dontmesroundwitjim, El Gato Malo, Feisty Suances, Fifteen Love, Georgie Boy, Ghetto, Gio Ponti, Golden Spikes, Guns On the Table, Hownownow, Icemancometh, Il Girasole, Into Mischief, Jack Flash, Liberian Freighter, Lordgivemealift, Medjool, Mensa Heat, Pistol Pete Afleet, Sky Cape, Star Redeemer, Ten Meropa, The Bat Signal, Unbridled Roman, Young Joe
"Colonel John Heads Malibu Stakes at Santa Anita Park Opening Day December 26" was posted on Tuesday, December 23rd, 2008 at 12:27 pm and is filed under Hollywood Park, Horse Racing Industry, Horses, Race Tracks News, Stakes Races, USA Horse Racing. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
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