Cezanne Duels Barnmate Essential Wager in Palos Verdes

Cezanne , a rousing 9 3/4-length winner of the Kona Gold Stakes (G3) when last seen in April 2021, marks his return to action Jan. 29 against five rivals in the six-furlong, $200,000 Palos Verdes Stakes (G3) at Santa Anita Park.

A winner in three of four starts, the 5-year-old son of Curlin   worked five furlongs in :59 3/5 Jan. 23 for trainer Bob Baffert, second-fastest of 88 at the distance that morning. Stablemate and fellow Palos Verdes entry Essential Wager , who outworked Cezanne in a joint move, earned the bullet in :59 2/5.

Owned by Mrs. John Magnier, Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith, and St. Elias Stable, Cezanne will have Flavien Prat back aboard as he breaks from post 3. Prat has been the only rider aboard Cezanne on race day.

Cezanne was the headliner in 2019 at The Gulfstream Sale, Fasig-Tipton's select 2-year-olds in training sale in Florida, when he topped the action at $3.65 million. Agents Jamie McCalmont and Donato Lanni secured him from Crupi's New Castle Farm consignment.

Cezanne is related to two other stakes winners: Counterforce  and Arabian Hope .

With Prat on Cezanne, Essential Wager, a winner in his last two of three career starts, will be handled for the first time by Abel Cedillo.

Essential Wager was sharp in his Sunday workout, starting just ahead of Cezanne on the inside and hitting the wire about three-quarters of a length in front. He galloped out lengths in front.

Mike Pegram, Karl Watson, and Paul Weitman's Essential Wager, a 4-year-old Honor Code   colt, won at second asking Nov. 12 at Del Mar going six furlongs. At that same distance, he took an allowance optional claimer by two lengths Dec. 11 at Los Alamitos Race Course.

Holly and David Wilson's Arham  has a recent victory in his corner and seeks his third consecutive win in his initial stakes assignment. Trained by Vladimir Cerin, Arham, who was conditioned by Todd Pletcher while based on the East Coast through his first six starts, seeks to remain unbeaten through three starts with his California-based trainer. The 5-year-old son of Union Rags   won two allowance optional claimers most recently, going a mile Nov. 13 at Del Mar and six furlongs Dec. 31 at Santa Anita.

Entries: Palos Verdes S. (G3)

Santa Anita Park, Saturday, January 29, 2022, Race 8

• Grade III
• 6f
• Dirt
• $200,000
• 4 yo's & up
• 4:22 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Dark Vader (OH)	Mike E. Smith	120	Peter Eurton	6/1
2	2Essential Wager (KY)	Abel Cedillo	120	Bob Baffert	5/2
3	3Cezanne (KY)	Flavien Prat	122	Bob Baffert	8/5
4	4Shooters Shoot (KY)	Victor Espinoza	120	Richard Baltas	6/1
5	5Team Merchants (KY)	Mario Gutierrez	122	Doug F. O'Neill	6/1
6	6Arham (KY)	Juan J. Hernandez	120	Vladimir Cerin	4/1

Burgoo Alley Back in Megahertz

Seeking to rebound from a sound defeat on dirt in the off-the-turf American Oaks (G1), Irish-bred Burgoo Alley  heads a field of eight older fillies and mares going a flat mile on grass in Saturday's $100,000 Megahertz Stakes (G3T) at Santa Anita.

Although a distant ninth in the American Oaks Dec. 26, the Phil D'Amato-trained Burgoo Alley need only return to the form she displayed on turf previously to contend this weekend. Two starts ago, she won going a mile on grass in the Autumn Miss Stakes (G3T) Oct. 30.

With regular rider Umberto Rispoli riding at Gulfstream Park Saturday, Victor Espinoza will be aboard the 4-year-old Footstepsinthesand  filly for the first time. Burgoo Alley, owned by CYBT, Michael Nentwig, and Ray Pagano, is 2-for-3 at a mile on turf.

Benjamin and Sally Warren's hard-knocking homebred Warren's Showtime  also appears dangerous as she gets back to her best distance and bids for her third graded stakes victory.

The lone California-bred in the field and the leading money earner with $823,431, the Craig Lewis-trained Warren's Showtime comes off a fourth-place finish going 6 1/2 furlongs down the hillside turf and should relish a flat mile on Saturday. The 5-year-old Clubhouse Ride  mare is a six-time winner over the Santa Anita turf and will be paired as usual with regular rider Juan Hernandez.

English-bred Bodhicitta , fresh of a second-place finish in the Robert J. Frankel Stakes (G3T) Jan. 1, is another threat. The 6-year-old Showcasing  mare is well seasoned for trainer Richard Baltas and has proven effective over the Santa Anita turf, evidenced by her 3-2-1 mark from seven starts on it. 

Although winless in seven starts since taking the Yellow Ribbon Handicap (G2T) in August 2020 at Del Mar, Bodhicitta has kept good company and may appreciate shortening up a furlong. She is owned by Calvin Nguyen and will be ridden for the first time since the 2020 Yellow Ribbon by Flavien Prat, who has a winning history aboard her.

Seventh beaten 2 1/2 lengths by Burgoo Alley in the Autumn Miss Stakes, Madone , a dedicated deep closer, will be ridden for the first time by Joe Bravo. The 4-year-old Vancouver  filly, owned by Kaleem Shah and trained by Simon Callaghan, captured the one-mile San Clemente Stakes (G2T) in July at Del Mar and the one-mile Senorita Stakes (G3T) last May at Santa Anita.

Entries: Megahertz S. (G3T)

Santa Anita Park, Saturday, January 29, 2022, Race 7

• Grade IIIT
• 1m
• Turf
• $100,000
• 4 yo's & up Fillies and Mares
• 3:52 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Avenue de France (FR)	Drayden Van Dyke	122	Leonard Powell	8/1
2	2Warren's Showtime (CA)	Juan J. Hernandez	122	Craig Anthony Lewis	5/2
3	3Madone (KY)	Joe Bravo	122	Simon Callaghan	4/1
4	4Bodhicitta (GB)	Flavien Prat	120	Richard Baltas	3/1
5	5Kuora (PER)	Mike E. Smith	120	Richard Baltas	12/1
6	6Sloane Garden (GB)	Kyle Frey	120	Manuel Badilla	15/1
7	7Burgoo Alley (IRE)	Victor Espinoza	124	Philip D'Amato	4/1
8	8Canoodling (KY)	Roimes Chirinos	120	Mike Puype	8/1