Cairo Memories, Island of Love Clash in Honeymoon

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Photo: Benoit Photo
Cairo Memories takes the Providencia Stakes at Santa Anita Park

Fresh off the best race of her career, David Bernsen and Schroeder Farms' Cairo Memories  rates top billing as she bids for her second consecutive stakes win in the May 29 $100,000 Honeymoon Stakes (G3T) for 3-year-old fillies over the turf at Santa Anita Park.  

Distanced in the March 6 Santa Ysabel Stakes (G3) on dirt, Cairo Memories relished her return to the lawn with a front-running 4 1/2-length romp in the April 9 Providencia Stakes Presented by The Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance (G3T), held over the same 1 1/8-mile distance as the Honeymoon. 

Trained by Robert Hess Jr., all three of Cairo Memories' victories have come over the turf, including a score in last year's Surfer Girl Stakes at Santa Anita prior to an unsuccessful bid in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1T), where she was ninth. Following the Breeders' Cup, she was a narrowly beaten runner-up to Eda in the Starlet Stakes (G1) on the Los Alamitos Race Course main track.

The daughter of Cairo Prince   will carry the co-top weight of 124 pounds in the field of seven and break from post 5 with Mike Smith in the irons.

Irish-bred Island of Love  is also entering the Honeymoon off a career-best performance in the May 7 Senorita Stakes (G3T) over the Santa Anita oval. The Phil D'Amato trainee cruised to a 2 1/4-length tally over the reopposing Sterling Crest 

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With leading man Juan Hernandez riding her back, Island of Love, who won as though she may relish an extra furlong, appears to be very much on the improve for D'Amato, the meet's leading trainer by both total wins and stakes victories. Owned by R Unicorn Stable, Island of Love was unbeaten in two Italian starts at age 2 and thus has three wins from five overall starts with earnings of $109,755.

A two-time stakes winner at Golden Gate Fields, the Steve Specht-trained Ellamira  rallied for a solid one-length win going a mile on grass in the restricted May 1 Campanile Stakes and will hope for a lively pace Sunday with Frank Alvarado riding her back.

A California-bred filly by Street Boss  , Ellamira is owned by her breeder, Cole Ranch Partners and will be making her third start on the Santa Anita turf, having run a pair of credible fourths in both the Feb. 12 Sweet Life Stakes (G3T) and Jan. 15 Leigh Ann Howard California Cup Oaks.

Bran Could Make the Grade in Daytona

A stakes winner out of Santa Anita's turf chute on April 10 in the Siren Lure, Hronis Racing's French-bred Bran  tried the deep waters of grade 2 competition at Churchill Downs on Kentucky Oaks day and returns to Santa Anita as the likely favorite in the $100,000 Daytona Stakes (G3T) going about 6 1/2 furlongs down the hillside turf course.

#4 BRAN (Umberto Rispoli) $75,000 Siren Lure Stakes; Owner: Hronis Racing, LLC; Trainer: John Sadler; Sunday, April 10, 2022; Santa Anita Park; Arcadia CA. © BENOIT PHOTO
Photo: Benoit Photo
Bran wins the Siren Lure Stakes

Trained by John Sadler, the 4-year-old gelding rallied to finish second, beaten 1 3/4 lengths in a field of 13 at odds of 40-1 to Arrest Me Red  in the Twin Spires Turf Sprint Stakes Presented by Sysco (G2T).

Although he's winless in two tries down Santa Anita's unique hillside layout, Bran ran a solid second to multiple stakes winner Gregorian Chant  over the course in a classified allowance three races back on March 25.

With Juan Hernandez riding for the first time, Bran, who is 18-5-4-3 overall with earnings of $286,392, will be seeking his first graded stakes win in the Daytona.

In what will be his first stakes assignment, trainer Dan Blacker's streaking California-bred Burnin Turf , has won three consecutive races, the last two an allowance and an allowance optional claiming race over the course. 

A 6-year-old Old English Rancho-bred gelding by Acclamation   out of the Vronsky mare Hot Outta the Oven, Burnin Turf is owned by Next Wave Racing and the Ellwood Johnston Trust and will be ridden by Drayden Van Dyke, who is a perfect 2-for-2 with him.

The Neil Drysdale trio of Home Screen, Majestic Eagle , and Nero  in addition to Wertheimer and Frere's Kanderel , the 2021 Siren Lure Stakes winner who was fifth returning from a year layoff in this year's edition to Bran, complete the field of six.


Entries: Daytona S. (G3T)

Santa Anita Park, Sunday, May 29, 2022, Race 3

  • Grade III
  • About 6 1/2f
  • Downhill turf
  • $100,000
  • 4 yo's & up
  • 2:04 PM (local)
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L
1 1Burnin Turf (CA) Drayden Van Dyke 120 Dan Blacker 9/5
2 2Homer Screen (BRZ) Joe Bravo 124 Neil D. Drysdale 8/1
3 3Majestic Eagle (KY)Keeneland Sales Graduate Edwin A. Maldonado 124 Neil D. Drysdale 6/1
4 4Bran (FR) Juan J. Hernandez 122 John W. Sadler 8/5
5 5Nero (KY)Keeneland Sales Graduate Ryan Curatolo 120 Neil D. Drysdale 10/1
6 6Kanderel (KY) UMBERTO RISPOLI 122 Richard E. Mandella 4/1


Entries: Honeymoon S. (G3T)

Santa Anita Park, Sunday, May 29, 2022, Race 7

  • Grade IIIT
  • 1 1/8m
  • Turf
  • $100,000
  • 3 yo Fillies
  • 4:15 PM (local)
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L
1 1Island of Love (IRE) Juan J. Hernandez 124 Philip D'Amato 5/2
2 2Ballet Dancing (KY)Keeneland Sales Graduate Drayden Van Dyke 120 Simon Callaghan 5/1
3 3Gold Dragon Queen (KY)Keeneland Sales Graduate Kyle Frey 120 Librado Barocio 12/1
4 4Fuente Ovejuna (GB) Edwin A. Maldonado 120 Leonard Powell 15/1
5 5Cairo Memories (KY)Keeneland Sales Graduate Mike E. Smith 124 Robert B. Hess, Jr. 6/5
6 6Sterling Crest (IRE)Keeneland Sales Graduate Ramon A. Vazquez 120 George Papaprodromou 4/1
7 7Ellamira (CA) Frank T. Alvarado 124 Steven Specht 15/1