One morning last year at Clocker’s Corner, trainer Matt Chew overheard a couple talking to one another about horses and decided to walk up, introduce himself, and take them to his barn. Brandon Hillman was so impressed that he decided to own horses with Chew, and on Saturday they won the biggest race of their careers when Singing Kitty scored a 7-1 upset in the $200,000 California Cup Oaks at Santa Anita.
Consumer Credit made an impressive late burst Saturday to come through as a popular choice in the Grade 3, $100,000 Sweetest Chant Stakes, giving trainer Chad Brown victory in the Gulfstream Park turf fixture for the fourth straight year.
Barbados became a graded stakes winner and earned every bit of that distinction, withstanding a stretch-long battle with X Y Jet before registering a half-length decision in Saturday’s $150,000 Hutcheson at Gulfstream Park.
Drayden Van Dyke, the champion apprentice jockey of 2014, had his first win as a journeyman Friday aboard the 3-year-old Ernest Shackleton.
Firing Line, second Dec. 20 in the Grade 1 Los Alamitos Futurity, worked five furlongs in 1:00.60 Saturday.
Texas Red is scheduled to have two starts in February as he resumes his career following a win in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile at Santa Anita last November.
It looks like a chalky start to the Sunday card at Santa Anita. I will not try to force otherwise.
With a slew of well-matched, full fields in the later races Sunday at Gulfstream, we’ll try to get our arms around something a little less abstract by shooting for a pick four earlier on the card – and there’s still a potential bonanza with this one. Here’s the play:
A threat of rain Saturday at Gulfstream should have handicappers paying close attention to the weather and, if at all possible, avoiding betting horses well in advance of post time.
Some full, competitive fields to close out the card give the late pick three (races 7-9) appeal. You’ll likely need to spread, but that may help you catch a price.
