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.Santa Anita Handicap Entries at Santa Anita Park March 7
Posted on Wednesday, March 4th, 2009
Fourteen race horses bred in 5 different countries were entered in historic Santa Anita Park‘s signature event, the $1-million Santa Anita Handicap at 1 1/4 miles. The Big ‘Cap field includes 8 Grade or Group I winners who are coming out of 8 different graded stakes raced from coast-to-coast over surfaces ranging from grass to dirt to synthetics.
The complete field for the Santa Anita Handicap, with jockeys, weights and morning line odds in post position order:
Matto Mondo under jockey Rafael Bejarano carries 116 lbs. with morning line odds of 6-1- Cowboy Cal under jockey John Velazquez, 120 lbs., 5-1
- Heroi Do Bafra under jockey Michael Baze, 111 lbs., 30-1
- Monba under jockey Edgar Prado, 114 lbs., 15-1
- Colonel John under jockey Garrett Gomez, 119 lbs., 9-2
- Magnum under jockey Joel Rosario, 116 lbs., 12-1
- Blue Exit under jockey Robby Albarado, 115 lbs., 12-1
- Einstein under jockey Julien Leparoux, 121 lbs., 6-1
- Dansant under jockey Tyler Baze, 116 lbs., 20-1
- Cause under jockey Jon Court, 110 lbs., 30-1
- Court Vision under jockey Ramon Dominguez, 119 lbs., 6-1
- Zambezi Sun under jockey Victor Espinoza, 116 lbs., 12-1
- Champs Elysees under jockey Jose Valdivia Jr., 118 lbs., 12-1
- Stream Cat under jockey Alex Solis, 114 lbs., 20-1
Santa Anita oddsmaker Jeff Tufts views this Big ‘Cap as being so densely competitive that his morning line favorite is Colonel John at 9-2 with four others listed no higher than 6-1.
The Santa Anita Handicap entries have been so closely adjudged in talent that a committee assigning weights rated 105 of the entrants within 5 pounds of one another. Eastern invader Einstein, a Brazilian-bred turf specialist with earnings of over $1.6 million, was accorded the high weight of 121 pounds.
At the age of 7, Big ‘Cap top-weight Einstein will be making his West Coast debut and his first start over a synthetic surface when testing Santa Anita’s Pro-Ride footing. Race horse trainer rainer Helen Pitts-Blassi thinks the Spend a Buck bay’s fondness for turf will translate well to Pro-Ride.
Jockey Julien Leparoux rides the winner of three Grade I events on turf among his 9 wins in 23 career starts for earnings of $1,678,020. Leparoux was aboard when Einstein took the Clark Handicap on dirt at Churchill Downs, home of the 2009 Kentucky Derby, last November and when he ran second to Horse of the Year Curlin in the Stephen Foster Handicap (G1) at Churchill Downs last June. A versatile runner, Einstein likes to track the early pace, but he has won from far back and while going wire-to-wire.
Cowboy Cal, the second high-weight at 120 pounds, will be seeking his third straight graded stakes win after capturing a pair of Grade II stakes at Santa Anita, the San Pasqual Handicap and the Strub Stakes for 4-year-olds. Trained by Todd Pletcher for owners and breeders Robert and Janice McNair, Cowboy Cal has posted a 6-3-0 record in 11 starts for earnings of $747,708. Velazquez rides.
Lukewarm morning line choice Colonel John, who will have jockey Garrett Gomez aboard at 119 pounds, won the Sham Stakes (G3) and Santa Anita Derby (G1) over the track as a 3-year-old last year. Colonel John also captured Saratoga’s Travers Stakes (G1) by a nose with Gomez in the saddle.
Trained by Eoin Harty for owner/breeder WinStar Stable, the 4-year-old son of two-time Horse of the Year Tiznow prepped for the Big ‘Cap by closing for fourth in the Malibu Stakes (G1) at 7 furlongs last December 26. Colonel John’s earnings have reached $1,483,830 from a 5-2-1 mark in 11 starts.
Court Vision, assigned 119 pounds, won the Hollywood Derby (G1) last November at Hollywood Park. The 4-year-old Gulch colt, trained by Bill Mott for IEAH Stables and WinStar Farm, will have jockey Ramon Dominguez in the saddle as he attempts to build on earnings of $1,036,400 from a 5-2-3 log in 13 races.
Race horse trainer Bobby Frankel sends out a pair of Santa Anita Handicap entries, Champs Elysees and Zambezi Sun, who have done their best running on turf. The former, who has earned $1,354,761 for Juddmonte Farms, has raced on synthetics but 3 times in a 22-race career with his best showing a third-place finish behind Heatseeker and Go Between in last year’s Santa Anita Handicap. Jockey Jose Valdivia Jr., who rode the 6-year-old British-bred son of Danehill when victorious in the Hollywood Turf Cup (G1) on December 6, will be back aboard while weighted at 118 pounds.
Zambezi Sun, a Group I winner on turf in France, showed little in his United Stakes debut when finishing sixth as the odds-on favorite in the San Luis Obispo Handicap (G2) at 1 1/2 miles on turf on February 22. The 5-year-old, who has raced exclusively on grass, will be ridden by jockey Victor Espinoza in his second start following a 5-month layoff. Zambezi Sun was weighted at 116 pounds.
When 8-year-old Magnum won the San Antonio Handicap at odds of 16-1 after sitting just off the dawdling pace, it was his first victory in 9 starts and his second as a gelding, which brought long-awaited relief from the discomfort of an undescended testicle. The Argentine-bred, trained by Darrell Vienna for Herrick Racing, carries 116 pounds. Jockey Joel Rosario has the mount.
Also weighted at 116 pounds were Matto Mondo, a Chilean-bred import who has won his last 2 starts including the Thunder Road Handicap (G3) for race horse trainer Richard Mandella, and British-import Dansant, who won 5 of 8 starts over synthetics in England. Jockey Rafael Bejarano rides Matto Mondo while Jockey Tyler Baze has the assignment on the newcomer from England, Dansant.
A multiple Grade I winner in his native Chile, Matto Mondo has blossomed dramatically in his last 2 starts at Santa Anita. “He just didn’t speak English when he got here,” Mandella wryly explained. “It took him awhile to get the language down.” Rafael Bejarano, who is challenging Gomez in Santa Anita’s riders’ race, assumes the mount atop Matto Mondo.
The Santa Anita Handicap is race 10 of 11 in Santa Anita‘s March 7 card. Santa Anita Handicap post time is 4:37 pm Pacific.
Horse racing news edited from www.santaanita.com.
Tags: Blue Exit, Cause, Champs Elysees, Colonel John, Court Vision, Cowboy Cal, Dansant, Einstein, Heroi do Bafra, Magnum, Matto Mondo, Monba, Stream Cat, Zambezi Sun
"Santa Anita Handicap Entries at Santa Anita Park March 7" was posted on Wednesday, March 4th, 2009 at 10:20 pm and is filed under Horse Racing Industry, Horses, Race Tracks News, Santa Anita Track, 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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