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 on March 1
Posted on Wednesday, February 27th, 2008
When 14 horses enter the starting gate Saturday for the 71st running of the Grade I, million-dollar Santa Anita Handicap, there will not have been a larger field in a quarter of a century for Santa Anita Park‘s signature event at 1 1/4 miles. Harder to quantify is just when there has been a more deeply contentious Big ‘Cap.Under the handicap conditions, 12 of the contestants have been weighted within just four pounds of the co-high weights, Monterey Jazz and Tiago. And the morning line, as established by Santa Anita oddsmaker Jeff Tufts, lists six of the runners at odds ranging between 4-1 and 8-1 with Awesome Gem the tepid choice.
Only once before in the past 25 years has the field size reached 14, which is now the maximum, and that was in 2002 when Milwaukee Brew won his first of consecutive runnings at odds of 9-2. Prior to that, the largest number of starters hit 17 in 1983 when Bates Motel was victorious at 7-2.
Trainer Craig Dollase’s two entrants, Awesome Gem and Monterey Jazz, lead an eclectic lineup that includes multiple Grade I winner Tiago, the richest entrant; Go Between, the winner of this year’s Sunshine Millions Classic and the first ever Big ‘Cap starter for Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott, and Champs Elysees, making his first start ever on a surface other than grass for Hall of Famer Bobby Frankel, who has saddled more winners at Santa Anita than any other trainer.
The complete field for the 71st running of the Santa Anita Handicap, with jockeys, weights and morning line odds in post position order: Champs Elysees, Ramon Dominguez, 117, 10-1; Tiago, Mike Smith, 119, 6-1; Big Booster, Michael Baze, 115, 15-1; Medici Code, Martin Pedroza, 115, 15-1; Awesome Gem, David Flores, 117, 4-1; Monterey Jazz, Russell Baze, 119, 5-1; Zappa, Joel Rosario, 114, 15-1; Seminole Native, Jose Valdivia Jr., 113, 30-1; Celtic Dreamin, Alex Solis, 115, 20-1; Heatseeker, Rafael Bejarano, 116, 8-1; Student Council, Richard Migliore, 117, 12-1; Go Between, Garrett Gomez, 118, 6-1; Great Hunter, Victor Espinoza, 115, 8-1, and Air Commander, Aaron Gryder, 116, 20-1.
Saturday’s Santa Anita Handicap will go as the ninth race on an 11-race program that begins at 12 noon and includes two additional graded stakes races: the Grade I, $300,000 Frank E. Kilroe Mile on turf, and the Grade III, $200,000 Sham Stakes for 3-year-olds at 1 1/8 miles, an important stepping stone to the April 5 Santa Anita Derby featuring stellar Triple Crown candidates El Gato Malo and Colonel John. There will be a guaranteed $1 million Pick Six on the day’s final six races. Fans in attendance will receive a free digital alarm clock.
Awesome Gem, a 5-year-old gelding who ran eighth behind Lava Man in last year’s Big ‘Cap, demonstrated his class when finishing third behind Curlin and Hard Spun in last October’s $5 million Breeders’ Cup Classic. Subsequently rested, the son of Awesome Again prepared for Saturday’s assignment with a solid third in the San Antonio Handicap on Feb. 9. “It was a very good comeback race,” said Dollase. David Flores rides the consistent performer whose 4-7-2 record has netted $1,161,360 for West Point Thoroughbreds.
A 4-year-old purchased for $65,000 two years ago, Monterey Jazz has blossomed dramatically in his last three races with wire-to-wire victories in a pair of turf races including the Grade III Sir Beaufort Stakes before running away from his rivals in the Grade II Strub Stakes on Feb. 2.
His 4 ½-length triumph in the historic Strub left favored runner-up Tiago in his wake at 1 1/8 miles, and Monterey Jazz now has an opportunity to join 10 others — including such luminaries as Spectacular Bid, Affirmed and Alysheba — in vaulting from the Strub winner’s circle to that of the Big ‘Cap.
Russell Baze, who became the first rider in North America to win 10,000 races on Feb. 1 at Golden Gate Fields, has been commissioned by the partnership of A and R Stables and Class Racing to ride Monterey Jazz. At 49, Baze will be riding in his first Santa Anita Handicap while bidding for his first victory in a million-dollar race. “He’s really improved immensely,” Dollase says of the bay colt who has earned $347,780 from a 5-0-3 record in 11 starts.
At even-money, the stretch-running Tiago could make little impact on Monterey Jazz in the Strub as the winner ambled along on an uncontested pace. Jerry and Ann Moss’s homebred son of Pleasant Tap, third in the 1991 Santa Anita Handicap, won a pair of Grade I events at Santa Anita as a 3-year-old, the Santa Anita Derby and Oak Tree’s Goodwood Stakes. Trained by John Shirreffs and ridden by Mike Smith, Tiago is the field’s richest starter with earnings of $1,324,270 from a 4-1-3 record in 11 races.
Go Between defeated Celtic Dreamin by two lengths in the Sunshine Millions Classic at odds of 5-1 on Jan. 26 and will attempt to become the second horse to win a pair of million-dollar races during a single season at Santa Anita. Southern Image achieved the feat with these victories in 2004. Owner/breeder Peter Vegso’s Florida-bred son of Point Given has thrived in two career starts over synthetic surfaces.
Before winning the Sunshine Millions, he captured his first start over a synthetic surface when taking the Grade III Fayette Stakes at Keeneland last October. He otherwise has raced exclusively on turf save for an off-track race that was moved from turf at Belmont Park in 2005. Garrett Gomez, the 2007 Eclipse Award winner who was aboard in the Sunshine Millions, has the return call on Saturday aboard the chestnut who has banked $1,003,880 from a 7-4-6 log in 22 career starts.
Frankel, who won back-to-back Big ‘Caps with Milwaukee Brew in 2002 and ’03, is taking a most unorthodoxed approach with British-bred Champs Elysees, who was a top grass campaigner in Europe before being shipped to the U.S. late last year. After winning the Grade II San Marcos at 1 1/4 miles over grass at Santa Anita on Jan. 19, Frankel earmarked the royally-bred son of Danehill for the Big ‘Cap.
“He trains good on the synthetic surface,” explained Frankel, “and the way this track is playing, I think he’s got a chance. His full brother is Dansili, one of the leading sires in Europe, and he’s the leading all-weather sire over there.” The Juddmonte Farms homebred has posted a 3-5-3 record in 13 starts on turf for earnings of $400,647. Ramon Dominguez is being flown in from the East to ride.
Dollase –who became the youngest trainer ever to win a Breeders’ Cup event in 1998 when, at the age of 27, he saddled Reraise to take the Sprint — is anticipating another memorable day on Saturday. In addition to the two Santa Anita Handicap favorites, he will send out undefeated 3-year-old El Gato Malo for West Point Thoroughbreds in the eighth running of the Sham.
The Kentucky-bred son of El Corredor will be making his fourth start. Last year, he won his 2-year-old debut by 5½ lengths and the Gold Rush Stakes at Golden Gate Fields by 4 1/4. He returned as a 3-yer-old to capture Santa Anita’s Grade II San Rafael Stakes by 6 1/4 lengths in the sizzling time of 1:33 1/5 for one mile. Flores has the return assignment aboard the bay gelding. He will be the 120-pound high weight among seven starters in Saturday’s seventh race.
WinStar Farm’s Colonel John brings more experience into the Sham. The homebred son of Tiznow won two of his four starts as a 2-year-old while finishing second in the other pair. He has not raced since a strong second-place showing to Into Mischief in Hollywood Park’s Grade I CashCall Futurity last Dec. 22. Garrett Gomez replaces injured Corey Nakatani aboard the Eoin Harty trainee who has banked $255,300.
The complete field for the Sham Stakes, with jockeys and weights in post position order: El Gato Malo, Flores, 120; Success Fee, Michael Baze, 116; Coast Guard, Bejarano, 116; Trevor’s Clever, Tyler Baze, 116; Victory Pete, Joseph Talamo, 116; Colonel John, Gomez, 118, and Reflect Times, Smith, 116.
The Kilroe Mile, slotted as the eighth race, attracted seven top turf runners including 118-pound high weight Artiste Royal, winner of the Oak Tree’s Clement L. Hirsch in October; Frankel’s Thunder Road Handicap winner Storm Military, and Mott’s War Monger, winner of his last two including the Sunshine Millions Turf at Gulfstream Park.
The complete field for the Frank E. Kilroe Stakes, with jockeys and weights in post position order: War Monger, Kent Desormeaux,116; Mr Napper Tandy, Migliore, 114; Out of Control, Michael Baze, 117; Artiste Royal, Bejarano, 118; Storm Military, Gomez, 116; Willow O Wisp, Espinoza, 114, and Ever a Friend, Tyler Baze, 113.
www.santaanita.com
"Santa Anita Handicap on March 1" was posted on Wednesday, February 27th, 2008 at 9:33 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.
Previous Horse Racing News Entry:
Ladies’ Day on Day 1 of Breeders’ Cup World Thoroughbred Championships
Next Horse Racing News Entry:
Curlin Wins 2008 Debut in Dubai