Trip Notes for December 26-27: Sugar Swirl, Daytona, La Brea, Robert J. Frankel, and more...
Trip Notes for December 26-27: Sugar Swirl, Daytona, La Brea, Robert J. Frankel, and more by Michael Hammersly.
Michael HammerslyDec 28, 2015
Trip Notes for December 26-27: Sugar Swirl, Daytona, La Brea, Robert J. Frankel, and more by Michael Hammersly.
Santa Anita’s refurbished turf course was well-received by jockeys on the opening weekend of the winter-spring meeting although some expressed concern how the course will respond to use in coming months.
A slow race over a distance on turf was key to Gender Agenda winning the first stakes of her career in Sunday’s $101,750 Robert Frankel Stakes at Santa Anita.
Nyquist, the unbeaten winner of the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile at Keeneland on Oct. 31, worked a half-mile in 48.40 seconds at Santa Anita on Sunday, moving closer to an expected return to racing in February.
The win in the Mathis Brothers Mile on Saturday at Santa Anita has left Om ready for one-mile turf races against older horses this winter, with the $200,000 Arcadia Stakes on Feb. 13 and the $400,000 Frank Kilroe Mile on March 12 the major goals.
Trainer Laura Wohlers and owner Jim McIngvale emphasized after the Malibu that Runhappy’s main goal is the Grade 1 Metropolitan Mile at Belmont Park. The Met Mile has been part of the undercard for the Belmont Stakes in recent years and that race is scheduled for June 11.
Heavily favored Sudden Surprise won Sunday’s $150,000 Great White Way division of the New York Stallion Stakes at Aqueduct, but it wasn’t as easy as the tote board would have suggested.
Belvoir Bay won her California debut in Sunday’s $78,700 Blue Norther Stakes for 2-year-old fillies on turf at Santa Anita, providing jockey Flavien Prat with his first win since September.
A pair of fillies who most recently raced in Texas were the fastest qualifiers Sunday during trials for the $200,000 Hialeah Derby for Quarter Horses at Hialeah Park. Shez a Hot Valentine, making her first start since winning the $148,000 Gillespie County Fair Futurity in August, scored by a half-length over I No Shes A Hot Mess in the first of six trial heats, covering 400 yards in 19.665 seconds.
Gold Actor (16-1) extended his winning streak to four races with the most prestigious win of his career Sunday in the $4,332,650 Arima Kinen Stakes at Nakayama Racecourse in Japan.