Champion Take Charge Brandi will continue on the path to the Kentucky Oaks, trainer D. Wayne Lukas said Sunday, the morning after her determined win over Sarah Sis in the $100,000 Martha Washington at Oaklawn Park.
Coming off a fourth-place finish in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, The Great War appeared the standout on paper heading into Saturday night’s $69,345 96Rock Stakes at Turfway Park. And more importantly, he proved to be in a class by himself in the race itself, drawing off to an easy 7 1/4-length victory in his first start as a 3-year-old.
The Super Bowl Sunday card at Santa Anita is highlighted by the Grade 2 San Vicente Stakes, which features the return of 2014 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile champion Texas Red. The San Vicente will be a race I will look to play, as well as the early double on the card.
Callback justified the hype present for much of her career with her first stakes win in Saturday’s $301,000 Las Virgenes Stakes for 3-year-old fillies at Santa Anita.
Always racing near the front, Avanzare ($13.80) had an ideal trip to win the Grade 2 Arcadia Stakes by 1 1/4 lengths over the millionaire Za Approval, a 3-1 shot, Saturday at Santa Anita.
Conquest Two Step has grown up nicely following a two-month break last fall.
Take Charge Brandi showed the grit that made her a champion Saturday, when she fought for a head win over Sarah Sis in the $100,000 Martha Washington at Oaklawn Park. It was Take Charge Brandi’s fourth straight stakes win and her first start since being voted outstanding 2-year-old filly of 2014. Take Charge Brandi closed out her championship season last year with wins in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies, the Grade 3 Delta Downs Princess, and the Grade 1 Starlet in her finale Dec. 13.
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Hard Not to Like hit the wire first in the Grade 3, $150,000 Endeavour Stakes but had what would have been her first win in 10 months negated when she was disqualified for bearing out passing the chute to push favored Testa Rossi to the outside in the late stages of the 1 1/16-mile co-feature Saturday at Tampa Bay Downs.
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Ocean Knight overcame a wide trip Saturday before wearing down the longshot Divining Rod in an exciting 35th running of the Grade 3, $201,500 Sam F. Davis Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs in Oldsmar, Fla.
Todd Pletcher, a seven-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer, is obviously pretty darn good at preparing horses to run any distance. But he kept his record unblemished in two-mile grass races after sending Unitarian out to an impressive 3 1/2-length victory in Saturday’s inaugural running of the $75,000 Allen Jerkens Stakes at Gulfstream Park.
