Superb Santa Anita Storylines for Super Saturday
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Paynter's remarkable recovery was complete when he won an allowance race (above) in June. (Photo courtesy of Eclipse Sportswire)
While the East Coast is having its last weekend of major Breeders’ Cup prep races, the West Coast is gearing up for the 2013 World Championships with its own Super Saturday card at Santa Anita Park, including five Grade 1 events.
Between West Coast regulars and horses shipping in for one prep race at the host track before the Nov. 1-2 Breeders’ Cup event, the racing action at Santa Anita looks to be outstanding.
The $250,000 Awesome Again stakes may have a handful of unknowns but there’s little doubt the top two storylines come from Paynter and Mucho Macho Man.
Paynter returns to Santa Anita after finishing last in a sloppy Woodward Stakes. The colt looks to regain the Grade 1 form he showed when winning the Haskell Invitational Stakes last year before suffering a life-threatening illness. Showing the courage and determination that allowed him to survive his sickness, Paynter came back to win an allowance in June before losing by a head to Kettle Corn in the San Diego Handicap. If Paynter can pull off a win in the Awesome Again, it would just add to the fairytale that his career has become.
Mucho Macho Man also gives fans plenty of reason to root for him through his trainer Kathy Ritvo.
Ritvo is celebrating the 5-year anniversary of a successful heart transplant by preparing Mucho Macho Man for another run at the Breeders’ Cup Classic. Mucho Macho Man, who finished second in the Classic last year, has finished third in both his starts this summer after taking a break from racing during the spring. If the 5-year-old horse can return to the back class he showed at four, he probably is the one to beat in this field.
RITVO WITH MUCHO MACHO MAN IN THIS 2011 FILE PHOTO
Photo courtesy of Eclipse Sportswire
Turf Grade 1 winner Jeranimo makes his first start on the dirt in the 1 1/8-mile Awesome Again, although he does have wins on the main track at Santa Anita before it was changed from a synthetic surface back to dirt. He will be joined by Liaison and Golden Ticket as past Grade 1 winners looking to return to the winner’s circle at the highest level.
The Awesome Again is one of five stakes on the card that is part of the Breeders’ Cup Challenge “Win and You’re In” series and offers the winner a guaranteed starting spot in the $5 million Breeders’ Cup Classic.
The $250,000 Zenyatta Stakes has attracted a strong group of fillies but perhaps none stronger on this track than Beholder. Last year’s champion 2-year-old filly returned to the races earlier this month after a summer break to easily win the Torrey Pines Stakes while looking like she was out for a morning stroll. She has only finished off the board once in her career, that loss coming in her debut in June of 2012. Beholder has four wins – three in Grade 1 races, including the 2012 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies and this year’s Santa Anita Oaks – in five starts on the main track at Santa Anita.
BEHOLDER WINNING SANTA ANITA OAKS
Photo courtesy of Eclipse Sportswire
However, the victory isn’t guaranteed for the Spendthrift Farm-owned filly as she is taking on multiple Grade 1 winners, including Joyful Victory.
Joyful Victory has won three of her four starts this year, including a Grade 1 win on this track in March. In all of her wins this year, no one has been able to get within four lengths of her with her only loss coming at Belmont Park.
Champion trainer Todd Pletcher ships in Authenticity for this race. New York-based, Authenticity finished second to Royal Delta in the Personal Ensign Stakes a month ago. She looks to add to her three victories this year and win her first Grade 1 in the Zenyatta.
The Zenyatta winner will earn an automatic starting spot in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff.
Also on the full docket for Saturday is the $250,000 Chandelier Stakes for 2-year-old fillies at 1 1/16 miles. The field features some of the best fillies on the West Coast, including Fascinating, the 2-year-old half-sister of Grade 1 winner Bodemeister.
SUPER SATURDAY: GET IN THE GAME
The Chandelier winner earns a place in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies.
The ladies take to the turf for the first graded stakes race of the day on the grass in the 1 ¼-mile $250,000 Rodeo Drive Stakes. The race is the final “Win and You’re In” event for Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf hopefuls and is run on the same course as the Breeders’ Cup event.
In the final graded stakes race before the Zenyatta and Awesome Again, the 2-year-old males get a chance in the FrontRunner Stakes. The race will go a long way in sorting out who is the top 2-year-old in California. Tamarando looks to prove that his Grade 1 Del Mar Futurity win wasn’t a fluke against 10 other opponents vying for a starting spot in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile.
$250,000 Chandelier Stakes
Race 5, post time 6 p.m. ET
2-year-old fillies, 1 1/16 miles (dirt)
PP
Horse
Jockey
Weight
Trainer
1
Fascinating (VA)
Rafael Bejarano
122
Bob Baffert
2
Colonel Joan (KY)
Garrett Gomez
122
Eoin Harty
3
Antiquity (KY)
Victor Espinoza
122
John Sadler
4
Harlington's Rose (CA)
Corey Nakatani
122
Steve Knapp
5
Awesome Baby (KY)
Martin Garcia
122
Bob Baffert
6
Belle of the Fleet (KY)
Joe Talamo
122
Dan Hendricks
7
Secret Compass (KY)
Rosie Napravnik
122
Bob Baffert
8
She's a Tiger (KY)
Gary Stevens
122
Jeff Bonde
$250,000 Rodeo Drive Stakes
Race 6, post time 6:34 p.m. ET
3-year-olds and older, fillies and mares, 1 1/4 miles (turf)
PP
Horse
Jockey
Weight
Trainer
1
Topic (KY)
Joe Talamo
116
Neil Drysdale
2
Lady of Shamrock (KY)
Garrett Gomez
119
John Sadler
3
Tiz Flirtatious (CA)
Julien Leparoux
121
Marty Jones
4
My Gi Gi (KY)
Rafael Bejarano
119
Peter Eurton
5
Starstruck (IRE)
Rosie Napravnik
119
Larry Jones
6
Vionnet (KY)
Victor Espinoza
119
Richard Mandella
7
Marketing Mix (ON)
Gary Stevens
124
Tom Proctor
$250,000 FrontRunner Stakes
Race 7, 7 p.m. ET
2-year-olds, 1 1/16 miles (dirt)
PP
Horse
Jockey
Trainer
1
Ontology (KY)
Corey Nakatani
Simon Callaghan
2
Schoolofhardrocks (KY)
Victor Espinoza
David Hofmans
3
Even Echo (KY)
Felipe Martinez
Myung Kwon Cho
4
Can the Man (KY)
Martin Garcia
Bob Baffert
5
Roundupthelute (KY)
Garrett Gomez
Bob Baffert
6
Tamarando (CA)
Julien Leparoux
Jerry Hollendorfer
7
Dance With Fate (FL)
Rafael Bejarano
Peter Eurton
8
Better Bet (CA)
Alberto Delgado
Mike Harrington
9
Bond Holder (VA)
Mario Gutierrez
Doug O'Neill
10
Test Ride (KY)
Edwin Maldonado
Michael Pender
11
Flat Gone (KY)
Brice Blanc
Keith Desormeaux
$250,000 Zenyatta Stakes
Race 9, post time 8 p.m. ET
3-year-old and older, fillies and mares, 1 1/16 miles (dirt)
PP
Horse
Jockey
Weight
Trainer
1
Great Hot (BRZ)
Chantal Sutherland-Kruse
119
A.C. Avila
2
Via Villaggio (KY)
Corey Nakatani
119
Jerry Hollendorfer
3
Beholder (KY)
Gary Stevens
121
Richard Mandella
4
Include Me Out (KY)
Joe Talamo
119
Ron Ellis
5
Flashy American (KY)
Julien Leparoux
119
Ken McPeek
6
Authenticity (KY)
Martin Garcia
119
Todd Pletcher
7
Joyful Victory (ON)
Rosie Napravnik
121
Larry Jones
8
More Chocolate (KY)
Rafael Bejarano
119
John Sadler
$250,000 Awesome Again Stakes
Race 10, 8:30 p.m. ET
3-year-olds and older, 1 1/8 miles (dirt)
PP
Horse
Jockey
Weight
Trainer
1
Liaison (KY)
Rafael Bejarano
119
Bob Baffert
2
Golden Ticket (KY)
Joe Talamo
119
Ken McPeek
3
Soi Phet (CA)
Irving Orozco
119
Leonard Powell
4
Jeranimo (FL)
Corey Nakatani
124
Michael Pender
5
You Know I Know (KY)
Julien Leparoux
119
John Sadler
6
Take Control (KY)
Rosie Napravnik
119
Bob Baffert
7
Paynter (KY)
Martin Garcia
119
Bob Baffert
8
Chief Havoc (KY)
Garrett Gomez
116
Peter Miller
9
Summer Hit (CA)
Edwin Maldonado
119
Jerry Hollendorfer
10
Mucho Macho Man (FL)
Gary Stevens
119
Kathy Ritvo