Bettys Bambino Wins San Simeon Off Layoff

In an impressive first effort after a 22-month layoff, Bettys Bambino proved that he hadn't lost his form when he stormed home to win by 2 1/2 lengths in the San Simeon Stakes at Santa Anita Park Dec. 26. 

In the 6 1/2 furlongs on the downhill turf course, Hobbits Hero went for the early lead and set fractions of :21.60 and :43.36 through a half mile. Bettys Bambino, under jockey Joel Rosario, raced at the back of the first group and made a bold move to go five wide, circling the group around the turn for home. On the rail, Stormy Liberal had a 1 1/2-length advantage coming into the straight but was no match for Bettys Bambino, who flew home in the middle of the track, stopping the clock in 1:11.95.

“It’s hard to give horses that only have 10 starts some preps but it was a great race," trainer Peter Eurton said.

"After his last race he came up with a suspensory so we did a scan and he had a little lesion, nothing horrible," he added. "So, we did a little (platelet-rich plasma therapy) on him, he took six months off and he came back training great for the race. No issues whatsoever. We had to give him the normal time off to recover and here he is today.

"It took a lot of waiting and a lot of patience. We could’ve easily given up but that would just be a waste of talent.”

Stormy Liberal finished second, a head in front of favorite Richard's Boy in third. Horse Laugh, Acceptance, Cape Wolfe, Ohio, He Will, Hobbits Hero, Drummer, Holy Lute, and Iron Rob completed the order of finish.

Bettys Bambino returned $15.80, $7.80, and $5.20 across the board. Stormy Liberal paid $8.20 and $5.40, while Richard's Boy was worth $3.60.

Bred in California by his owners Sharon Alesia, Bran Jam Stable (Michael Mellen), and Ciaglia Racing (Joe Ciaglia), the 6-year-old gelded son of Unusual Heat now boasts seven wins from 11 starts and earnings of $378,036. Before being sidelined he had won four races in a row, including the Daytona Stakes (gr. IIIT), all on Santa Anita's downhill turf course. His last race was a one-length score in the Sensational Star Stakes Feb. 21, 2015.

“We’ve been away 22 months and I was just hoping we’d run and then run back in the Cal Cup (Sprint, Jan. 28)," Joe Ciaglia said.

"This is so amazing. He was one week away from running here last spring and he hurt his shoulder. I can’t believe it. We came from off the pace and there were some good horses in here. Breeding horses like this ... owning the mare, breeding her and seeing her kids grow up, it’s just an amazing experience. There’s nothing more satisfying.”