Going Global Favored in Turf Return in Royal Heroine

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 04/08/2022 - 11:36
Link: 
Going Global Favored in Turf Return in Royal Heroine
Image: 
Description: 

Photo: Benoit Photo
Going Global wins the 2021 Goldikova Stakes at Del Mar

Freshened after she was outrun at Santa Anita Park in the Dec. 26 American Oaks (G1), a race taken off the turf, Going Global  reappears April 9 in the $200,000 Royal Heroine Stakes (G2T) at the Southern California oval.

Freakishly good in her first seven starts last year for Phil D'Amato, the Mehmas  filly returns to her preferred surface as she heads a field of five older fillies and mares going a mile on turf. A winner of six out of her eight starts last year, all stakes, dating back to her U.S. debut in the six-furlong turf Sweet Life Stakes (G3T) in February 2021, Going Global's wins included five graded victories, topped by the Del Mar Oaks (G1T) at a mile and one eighth on turf three starts back on Aug. 21.

A subsequent winner of the Goldikova Stakes Presented by PNC (G2T) at one mile on turf Nov. 6, she was the 4-5 favorite in the American Oaks, but faltered over the surface, finishing sixth, beaten 15 1/4 lengths on a wet-fast surface at 1 1/4 miles.

Owned by CYBT, Michael Dubb, Saul Gevertz, Ray Pagano, and Michael Nentwig, Going Global, who had one win from four Irish starts at age 2, has two wins from three tries at a mile on turf and is 7-1-0 in 12 starts overall with earnings of $649,292. She is 4-5 odds on the morning line for Saturday's race and faces just four rivals. 

Hronis Racing's Park Avenue , who tried turf for the first time and responded with the best race of her career, a 2 3/4-length score in a mile and one eighth turf allowance March 20, shortens up a furlong and rates a huge chance with Juan Hernandez riding back for trainer John Sadler. A Kentucky-bred filly by Quality Road out of the Indian Charlie mare Remarkable , she seeks her first stakes win.

Sign up for

D'Amato will also be well represented by upstart Irish-bred Excelerina . Winless in three Irish starts, she comes off a pair of sharp wins over the course at a mile and one eighth, most recently a first condition allowance on March 11 and in her U.S. debut, a maiden special weight win Feb. 6.

A 4-year-old filly owned by CYBT, Gevertz, Nentwig, and Jeremy Peskoff, Excelerina is 2-1-0 in five starts with earnings of $84,713.

Benowitz Family Trust, Convergence Stables, Madaket Stables, Wonder Stables, and Mathilde Powell's Avenue de France  rates an upset chance in her third consecutive graded stakes try over the course. She closed ground to finish sixth, beaten 3 1/2 lengths in the Buena Vista Stakes (G2T) at one mile on turf March 5. That followed her finishing third, beaten a half-length, in the Jan. 29 Megahertz (G3T).

"Last time, she was a bit too far back," trainer Leonard Powell told Santa Anita publicity. "She closed, but too late. She had too much to do."

Godolphin's Javanica  completes the field.

A couple of races earlier on the card, Lucky Girl  heads the $100,000 Providencia Stakes Presented by Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance (G3T) at 1 1/8 miles on grass. Six sophomore fillies are entered.

Panic Stable's Lucky Girl won the one-mile turf Lady of Shamrock Stakes as a maiden Jan. 30 and came back to take the one-mile turf China Doll Stakes March 6.

She is one of three entries from the barn of trainer Richard Baltas, who also runs Sterling Crest  and Gold Dragon Queen .

Eleuthera , Cairo Memories , and Sixteen Arches  complete the field.


Entries: Royal Heroine S. (G2T)

Santa Anita Park, Saturday, April 09, 2022, Race 7

  • Grade IIT
  • 1m
  • Turf
  • $200,000
  • 4 yo's & up Fillies and Mares
  • 3:17 PM (local)
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L
1 1Going Global (IRE) UMBERTO RISPOLI 124 Philip D'Amato 4/5
2 2Excelerina (IRE) Mike E. Smith 120 Philip D'Amato 5/2
3 3Javanica (KY) John R. Velazquez 120 Eoin G. Harty 8/1
4 4Park Avenue (KY)Keeneland Sales Graduate Juan J. Hernandez 120 John W. Sadler 4/1
5 5Avenue de France (FR) Drayden Van Dyke 120 Leonard Powell 8/1


Entries: Providencia S. Presented by The Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance (G3T)

Santa Anita Park, Saturday, April 09, 2022, Race 5

  • Grade IIIT
  • 1 1/8m
  • Turf
  • $100,000
  • 3 yo Fillies
  • 2:05 PM (local)
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L
1 1Eleuthera (CA) Mario Gutierrez 120 Ben D. A. Cecil 4/1
2 2Sterling Crest (IRE)Keeneland Sales Graduate UMBERTO RISPOLI 120 Richard Baltas 3/1
3 3Cairo Memories (KY)Keeneland Sales Graduate Mike E. Smith 124 Robert B. Hess, Jr. 7/2
4 4Lucky Girl (IRE) Joe Bravo 124 Richard Baltas 5/2
5 5Gold Dragon Queen (KY)Keeneland Sales Graduate Jose Valdivia, Jr. 120 Richard Baltas 12/1
6 6Sixteen Arches (IRE) Juan J. Hernandez 120 Philip D'Amato 3/1