SANTA ANITA NOTEBOOK
JANUARY 4, 2007
by John Mucciolo
The exciting winter/spring meet at Santa Anita began on December 26, and we
were rewarded this holiday season with a six-pack of graded stakes events.
Malibu S. (G1): Juddmonte Farms’ homebred LATENT HEAT (Maria’s Mon) finally lived up to his
hype with a dominant effort in here for Bobby Frankel. Piloted by Edgar Prado,
the sophomore colt broke on top, rated just off the pace and was much the best
in the end, staying two lengths clear at the wire to earn his initial Grade 1 win. The
talented colt finished off the seven furlongs in a sharp 1:21 1/5 and was
rewarded with a solid 104 BRIS Speed figure.
Sir Beaufort S. (G3): IEAH Stables et al’s KIP DEVILLE (Kipling) proved that one mile is his
preferred distance when the gray colt surged clear late on the rail under
Richard Migliore. The Richard Dutrow Jr. charge was ridden beautifully by “The Mig” and had plenty left late when completing the one mile turf event in 1:36.
This marked the fourth stakes tally for the colt, all of which have come at this
distance.
La Brea S. (G1): Zayat Stables’ DOWNTHEDUSTYROAD (Storm and a Half) left little doubt as
to who was best on this occasion, getting clear early in the stretch and
cruising home an emphatic 4 1/2-length winner. The Arkansas-bred filly had
been competing admirably versus elders since coming to the barn of Bob Baffert,
and really showed her top form when facing her own age group. The final time for
seven panels was a sparkling 1:21 2/5 under the guidance of Jon Court.
San Gabriel H. (G2):
Gary Tanaka’s KING’S DRAMA (Ire) (King’s Theatre [Ire]) came into this nine-furlong grass contest as the most accomplished runner in the group, and the
odds-on choice did little to disappoint his backers for Frankel. Always
prominent while tracking the pace, the six-year-old took command near midstretch
and completed the 1 1/8 miles in 1:48 2/5. The classy Grade 1 victor, who was
ridden by David Flores, was a half-length clear at the wire in a fine effort off
the lengthy layoff.
El Conejo H. (G3): Ron Crocket’s homebred HARVARD AVENUE (You and I) kicked off the New
Year in a big way, flying in the latter stages to win in the final jump under
Garret Gomez. The Doug O’Neill trainee seemed to have little chance in here when
not even seen on the television screen at the sixteenth pole, but the
long-striding gelding was relentless in the latter stages, getting 5 1/2 panels in
a brisk 1:02 3/5.
Monrovia H. (G3): Another New Year’s Day thrilling finish took place in this one, when favored
SOCIETY HOSTESS (Seeking the Gold) absolutely inhaled her competition late with
a remarkable last-to-first rally in this turf sprint. Conditioned by Christophe
Clement and ridden by Garret Gomez, the classy five-year-old was in 12th
at the top of the lane but passed her rivals as though they were
standing still, getting about 6 1/2 furlongs down the hill in 1:12 4/5.
Track Stats
From a total of 52 races held over the Arcadia, California, racetrack,
favorites won at a 31 percent clip and the top two betting choices combined for
54 percent of the wins for the week. From 36 frays contested on the main oval,
36 percent (14 of 36) of all winners won in wire-to-wire fashion, while just one
of the 16 grassy tussles were taken all the way on the lead. With a few
exceptions, being in the first flight on the main oval was almost a necessity in
order to win, while the grass course seemed more than fair to all running
types.
Meet totals for Santa Anita are as follows:
| RACES: | 52 | |
| DIRT: | 36 | |
| TURF: | 16 | |
| FAVORITES: | 16 (31 percent) | |
| 2ND CHOICES: | 12 (23 percent) | |
| TURF WIRE: | 1 ( 6 percent) | |
| DIRT WIRE: | 14 (39 percent) | |
HORSES TO WATCH
Tuesday (12/26)
3RD – TIAGO (Pleasant Tap) made a solid debut in here, sweeping three-wide
into contention at the head of the stretch before tiring late for John Shireffs.
The freshman colt, who is a half-brother to Kentucky Derby (G1) winner Giacomo, should certainly be considered in his second start. Tiago earned a
useful 80 BRIS Speed figure.
Thursday (12/28)
4TH – C’MON TIGER (Storm Cat) made his U.S. debut a winning one for Baffert, striding home an impressive 3
1/2-length winner. The half-brother to Horse of the Year Tiznow got one mile on the main oval in
an excellent 1:36 2/5 and received a strong 91 BRIS Speed number.
Friday (12/29)
7TH – SWISS DIVA (Swiss Yodeler) remained unbeaten from three career efforts
with her most impressive win to date. The Paddy Gallagher pupil took over after
a half-mile and poured it on from there, finishing 8 1/2 lengths clear at the wire. The
freshman filly stopped the timer in 1:23 for seven-eighths and was rewarded with
a career-best 97 BRIS Speed number.
Saturday (12/30)
6TH – Ted West’s INDIAN CHANT (Suggest) ran a pretty evenly-matched field off
their feet in here, getting 6 1/2 furlongs in a swift 1:15 2/5. The California-bred
was claimed after his last start over the Cushion Track and showed his
preference for this oval, registering a 96 BRIS Speed figure. The gelding should be stakes
bound in the very near future.
Sunday (12/31)
6TH – VALBENNY (Ire) (Val Royal [Fr]) has displayed an abundance of class and
ability since coming stateside and appears to have a limitless future. Trained
by Gallagher, the two-year-old miss swung to the lead in the stretch and was
never under any serious duress late in earning her second consecutive stakes
win. The miss earned a 93 BRIS Speed fig.
Monday (1/1)
8TH – The closing rush of Society Hostess was an absolute blur, and the mare
might have won by much more if the race was just a few more yards. The Clement
trainee, by our calculations, was 14 lengths back after a half-mile and
completed the final 2 1/2 furlongs in a freaky :26 4/5! She’s proven she can be
effective at one mile, evidenced by her close fifth in the Matriarch S. (G1),
and posted a huge 111 BRIS Late Pace figure here.
A Look Ahead
A trio of graded events, four stakes races in total, will be held by Santa
Anita this weekend. Saturday will have the $150,000 San Pasqual H. (G2) at 1
1/16 miles, as well as the $100,000 Santa Ysabel S. (G3) for newly turned
sophomore fillies. The Sunday action is headlined by the $150,000 San Gorgonio
H. (G2) for fillies and mares on the lawn, in addition to the $75,000 San Miguel
S. for three-year-olds.