Grade 2 winner Lane way retired after injury
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Lane Way, the winner of the Grade 2 Eddie D Stakes for turf sprinters at Santa Anita last September, was recently retired, trainer Richard Mandella said.
A 7-year-old gelding by Into Mischief, Lane Way finished his career with five wins in 23 starts and earnings of $528,560. Lane Way finished fifth in the Grade 3 Daytona Stakes for turf sprinters at Santa Anita in May in his final start.
Mandella said a hind-end injury resurfaced, necessitating retirement.
The $203,000 Eddie D Stakes was Lane Way’s richest win for the My Racehorse syndicate.
Lane Way was second or third in seven stakes, including third-place finishes earlier this year in the Grade 3 San Simeon Stakes and Siren Lure Stakes, both on the hillside course at Santa Anita.
Lane Way was pre-entered in the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint at Keeneland in 2022 and at Santa Anita last year, but was not selected for the field in either year.
For this year’s Eddie D Stakes, worth a record $750,000, Mandella is planning to start Forbidden Kingdom, a three-time Grade 2 stakes winner who has not raced since he finished last of seven in the Grade 3 Kona Gold Stakes at six furlongs on dirt at Santa Anita on April 27.
Forbidden Kingdom was sold for $310,000 to Pete Parrella’s Legacy Ranch of California at a Fasig-Tipton digital sale in May as a stallion prospect.
Forbidden Kingdom resumed workouts in early August. The 5-year-old worked five furlongs in 1:00.20 on Wednesday.
Mandella said he hoped to start Forbidden Kingdom in the Grade 3 Green Flash Handicap at Del Mar on Aug. 31 but ran out of time.
“I didn’t have much time to get him ready,” Mandella said. “I didn’t try it.”
A winner of 4 of 13 starts, Forbidden Kingdom has earned $680,000. Last December, Forbidden Kingdom won the Grade 2 Joe Hernandez Stakes at about 6 1/2 furlongs on the hillside turf course at Santa Anita.
The Eddie D Stakes will be run on the same course and distance.
In the long-term, Forbidden Kingdom is expected to stand at stud at Legacy Ranch in Clements, Calif.
In 2022, Forbidden Kingdom won consecutive starts in Grade 2 stakes for 3-year-olds at Santa Anita – the San Vicente Stakes at seven furlongs and the San Felipe Stakes at 1 1/16 miles - before he finished last of six as the even-money favorite in the Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby in April of that year.
The purse of this year’s Eddie D Stakes has been raised by 1/ST Racing, the parent company of Santa Anita, as part of a promotion to build an early autumn day of racing.
The purses of three stakes have been significantly increased, including the Grade 1 California Crown for older horses, which will be worth $1 million. Last year, the race was worth $300,000 and was known as the Awesome Again Stakes.
The track will host several musical acts and food promotions on Sept. 28 in an attempt to lure a sizeable crowd.
As of Thursday, Motorious, winner of the Green Flash Handicap, was not a certain runner for the Eddie D Stakes, trainer Phil D’Amato said. There is a possibility that Motorious will not race again until the BC Turf Sprint at Del Mar on Nov. 2.
The Green Flash and BC Turf Sprint are run at five furlongs.
D’Amato described the Eddie D Stakes as “not the most ideal prep” for the BC Turf Sprint because of the change in distances.
In the Eddie D Stakes, D’Amato said he may run King of Gosford, who won two stakes for 3-year-olds on the hillside turf course – the John Shear Stakes in April and Desert Code Stakes in May.
At the Del Mar summer meeting, King of Gosford finished a troubled sixth in the Oceanside Stakes at a mile on July 20 and second in the La Jolla Handicap at 1 1/16 miles on turf on Aug. 4.
The Grade 2 John Henry Stakes at 1 1/4 miles on turf at Santa Anita on Sept. 28 will have a record purse of $750,000, an increase from $200,000 last year.
The race is expected to draw the veteran Dicey Mo Chara, who was second in two Grade 2 races on turf at Del Mar this summer – the Eddie Read Stakes at 1 1/8 miles on July 27, and a neck loss in the Del Mar Handicap at 1 3/8 miles on Aug. 31.
The John Henry Stakes is run at 1 1/4 miles. Trainer Leonard Powell said earlier this week that he considers the John Henry Stakes and Grade 2 Hollywood Turf Cup, a $200,000 race at 1 1/2 miles on turf at Del Mar on Nov. 29, to be more reasonable goals for Dicey Mo Chara than the BC Turf at Del Mar on Nov.2.
“When you’re talking the Breeders’ Cup, when the Euros come with their mile-and-a-half horses, it’s a different league,” he said.
Dicey Mo Chara set the pace in the Del Mar Handicap and was caught in the final strides by Gold Phoenix.
“I was frustrated to have lost,” he said.
Gold Phoenix earned a fees-paid berth to the BC Turf with the win in the Del Mar Handicap, the third consecutive year the 6-year-old gelding has won the race.
D’Amato said on Thursday that a decision will be made later this month whether Gold Phoenix runs in the John Henry Stakes, or has his next start in the BC Turf.
“We don’t have to run him in the prep,” he said, referring to the John Henry Stakes.
Gold Phoenix finished fourth in the BC Turf at Santa Anita last November and was 10th in the 2022 BC Turf at Keeneland.
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