Racing News

Shrinking Violet, a bargain buy for owner/trainer Wesley Ward making her initial start at Santa Anita Park, scored a 10-1 upset in the $200,000 Monrovia Stakes (gr. IIT) (VIDEO) on the hillside turf course Jan. 4.

The 5-year-old daughter of Congaree  registered her initial graded stakes win for Ward, who purchased her as a weanling for $4,000 at the 2010 Keeneland November breeding stock sale. 

With Kent Desormeaux in the irons, Shrinking Violet overtook stablemate To My Valentine in the stretch on her way to a 1 1/4-length win over the closing Heat Trap. Velvet Mesquite, the slight 7-2 favorite in the field of 11 older fillies and mares, finished third.

Multiple graded stakes winner Wildcat Red sizzled through a five-furlong breeze over the Gulfstream Park main track the morning of Jan. 4 in preparation for the upcoming $250,000 Sunshine Millions Classic.

With Carlos Olivero aboard, the 4-year-old son of D'wildcat   went five-eighths in :57.48, getting the last eighth of a mile in 11 seconds. He galloped out six furlongs in 1:12.

"He worked very good, very impressive," trainer Jose Garoffalo said. "I was really surprised because he was doing it without a big effort. He galloped out very strong and came back very happy, bucking and kicking. He's ready to run."

Shared Belief bounced back from a horrible trip in the Breeders' Cup Classic (gr. I) with his third grade I victory of the year, holding off a game Conquest Two Step by a neck in the $300,000 Malibu Stakes (gr. I) on opening day at Santa Anita Park Dec. 26.

In the final grade I race of 2014, 1-2 favorite Shared Belief produced another quality victory—his eighth in nine starts—before a crowd of 40,810. Last year's champion 2-year-old male was fourth in the Breeders' Cup Classic Nov. 1 after being roughed up at the start in the only loss of his career.

In stalking style, the gelded son of Candy Ride   out of the Storm Cat mare Common Hope defeated a quality field of nine 3-year-olds while completing the seven-furlong Malibu in an excellent time of 1:20.69 with Mike Smith aboard. It was a rare sprint effort by Shared Belief, making a last-ditch bid for Horse of the Year honors while cutting back drastically in distance from the 1 1/4-mile Classic.

California-bred Bettys Bambino, 3-for-4 on the downhill turf course at Santa Anita Park, makes his stakes debut Dec. 28 in the $100,000 Daytona (gr. IIIT).

The Daytona, for 3-year-olds and up at 6 1/2 furlongs on the downhill turf course, attracted a field of 11. It's the eighth race on a nine-race Sunday program.

Bettys Bambino, owned by Sharon Alesia, Bran Jam Stable, and Ciaglia Racing, was last seen during the fall meet at Santa Anita. The 4-year-old Unusual Heat gelding cleared two open allowance conditions, both with easy, open-lengths victories on the downhill turf course by a combined margin of 9 1/2 lengths.

John Scheinman has won the 2014 Media Eclipse Award for Writing in the Feature/Commentary category for "Memories of a Master: The Determined Life of Dickie Small," a retelling of the remarkable life of late Mid-Atlantic trainer Richard "Dickie" Small, who died of cancer at age 68 in April 2014. Scheinman's article appeared as a long-form on bloodhorse.com May 12, 2014.

This is the first Eclipse Award for Scheinman, the Baltimore-based freelance writer and editor and former turf writer at the WashingtonPost. It is the second media Eclipse Award earned by Blood-Horse this year.

Mc Tiny's Hope and Just A Bee captured their respective Open events for mares on Monday night (Jan. 5) at Pompano Park but had to share the spotlight with the ballooning Super Hi-5 Jackpot now standing at $26,637 going into the next racing program on Wednesday night.

Mc Tiny's Hope, a homebred daughter of CR Excalibur, trained by John McNeil III for owner Ellen McNeil, captured the $13,500 Open Trot for mares, giving young driver Ben McNeil his very first win in a race featuring a purse higher than $10,000.

After two setbacks as the favorite, Ron Pierce piloted For The Ladies N to an impressive 1:52.3 triumph in the $18,000 Mares Open Handicap Pace on Monday (Jan. 5) at Dover Downs.

Pierce not only guided For The Ladies N to her first win of 2015 in the female feature, he also drove Scootin For Joy to victory in the secondary feature, the $13,500 Mares Winners Over Pace. The winners are both owned by Harry von Knoblauch and trained by Peter Tritton.

Atta Boy Bones started off his 2015 campaign in similar fashion to last Sunday’s feature race win, with an impressive 1:54 triumph on Sunday (Jan. 4) at Dover Downs.

With Art Stafford Jr. at the controls the McArdle-Santino’s Rose 4-year-old gelding, owned by Art and trainer Andrew Stafford, romped to a lifetime fastest victory in a Delaware $10,200 male pace. Pinerosa (Eddie Davis Jr.) took a big shot at the winner on the backstretch but had to settle for second place. A Quick Buck (Tony Morgan) secured third.

Ron Pierce led all drivers with four wins. Ross Wolfenden and Vic Kirby had two winners each.

Jockey Luis Saez continued his recent hot streak atGulfstream Park by riding five winners on the Jan. 4 card.

Saez entered Sunday's 11-race program tied with three-time defending meet champion Javier Castellano at 21 wins apiece, but ended the day with a three-win cushion, 26-23.

The 22-year-old Saez captured the opener withDreaming of Joey ($8) for trainer Ron Spatz, adding wins with Itsaknockout ($7.40) in the fourth, Very Few Details ($8.80) in the sixth, Season Ticket($17.40) in the eighth, and Senorita Divina ($8.20) in the finale. He also finished second with Mademoiselle Belle in the second.

Favored Paulassilverlining slipped through on the rail at the head of the lane and fought Noble and a Beauty to the wire to prevail by a nose in the $98,000 Ruthless Stakes (VIDEO) for 3-year-old fillies Jan. 4 at Aqueduct Racetrack.

Jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. bettered his brother Jose aboard 6-5 choice Paulassilverlining, who won all-out tussle through the lane with Noble and a Beauty in a time of 1:12.84 over a sloppy, sealed inner track. 

Winner of last fall's Matron Stakes (gr. II) at Belmont Park, Vincent Scuderi's Kentucky homebred by Ghostzapper   is trained by Michelle Nevin. Paulassilverlining is out of the Grindstone mare Seeking the Silver and is a half sister to 2014 Carter Handicap (gr. I) winner Dads Caps.

Alert Bay ran his stakes winning streak to four with an upset victory in Friday's Grade 2, $201,250 Mathis Brothers Mile on opening day of Santa Anita's 2014-15 meet.

Tracking within a couple of lengths of Red Outlaw, who set a pressured pace of :23 1/5, :46 3/5 and 1:11, Alert Bay bid for the lead inside the final furlong, passed 2-1 favorite Heart to Heart late, and then withstood a late charge from Home Run Kitten to win by a neck in a time of 1:35 over the firm turf. He paid $20.40.

Home Run Kitten was a length aheadof Awesome Return at the wire. The latter was followed by Heart to Heart, Talco, Red Outlaw, Long On Value, Patriots Rule, Sawyer's Hill, and Louisiana Flyboy. Ashleyluvssugar, Cool Samurai, Play Hard to Get, and Tonito M. were scratched.

Making her stakes debut, Sam’s Sister pulled a mild upset at 12-1 to win the Grade 1, $300,000 La Brea Stakes on opening day at Santa Anita Friday.

Sitting back off a hot pace set by eventual runner-up Taris, Sam’s Sister and jockey Elvis Trujillo began their rally on the far turn and collared the front-runner near the shadow of the wire. Thank You Marylou came on for third.

“I had a perfect trip,” Trujillo said after the race. “I saw a lot of speed in the race when I looked at it and three or four horses went to the lead. I sat covered up and in the stretch, I was in the clear.

State-bred juveniles take the spotlight atAqueduct Racetrack Dec. 28 in two $150,000 divisions of the New York Stallion Series at six furlongs on the inner dirt track.

The Lewis Dinner, front-running 3 3/4-length winner of the Key Cents Stakes Nov. 16 at Aqueduct, is the 3-5 choice in the Fifth Avenue division for fillies. A field of six is entered for the Fifth Avenue, which is race 3 on the Sunday card with a 1:18 p.m. EST scheduled post.

The Great White Way, which attracted eight entrants, is headed byDisco Partner, 8-5 on the morning off his debut maiden victory Oct. 31 at Aqueduct. The race is the fifth on the Sunday program with a 2:16 p.m. scheduled post.