Spirit of Makena surges in Triple Bend Stakes

ARCADIA, Calif. - Spirit of Makena was full of energy when he stepped onto the track before Saturday’s Grade 2 Triple Bend Stakes for sprinters at Santa Anita.

Fortunately for jockey Joe Bravo, the lightly raced 5-year-old horse saved most of that enthusiasm for the race.

Sent off favored, Spirit of Makena had a perfect trip in the $201,000 Triple Bend Stakes at seven furlongs, stalking the pace to early stretch before pulling clear to win by a commanding 3 1/4 lengths.

Spirit of Makena ($3.80) was timed in 1:23.07, remaining unbeaten in three starts this year. Spirit of Makena earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 97.

The Triple Bend Stakes was Spirit of Makena’s second consecutive stakes win. He won the Grade 3 San Carlos Stakes at seven furlongs in his stakes debut in March.

On Saturday, Bravo noticed that Spirit of Makena had a lot of vibrancy when he climbed aboard in the paddock.

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“He hadn’t run” since March 11, Bravo said. “When he got on the track, he got rid of his nervous energy.”

Bravo had Spirit of Makena in second on the backstretch, following 2-1 Forbidden Kingdom through an early pace of 22.86 seconds for the opening quarter-mile and 45.22 for a half-mile. Spirit of Makena moved alongside Forbidden Kingdom on the turn before taking a comfortable lead in the stretch.

“What he did out there today, that was pretty nice,” Bravo said.

C Z Rocket, second in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint at Keenelend last November, closed from fourth to finish second at 5-1, a nose in front of Desmond Doss, the 27-1 longest shot in a field of seven.

The Triple Bend Stakes was the graded stakes debut for Desmond Doss, who has raced 28 times and won three stakes for California-breds.

“I thought he ran awesome,” jockey Umberto Rispoli said. “I got a good trip. I got beat at the wire for second.”

Forbidden Kingdom faded to finish fourth, followed by Positivity, Midnight Mammoth and Howbeit.

Forbidden Kingdom, second in the San Carlos, won two Grade 2 stakes for 3-year-olds in early 2022, but has been beaten in his last six starts, including a last-place finish in the Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby in April 2022.

In the Triple Bend, Forbidden Kingdom was ridden by jockey Juan Hernandez, who said the colt failed to accelerate in early stretch.

“He broke really sharp,” Hernandez said. “I let him run free and he was comfortable. I thought I had a nice pace, but when I asked him to pick it up he stayed the same pace.”

Spirit of Makena, by Ghostzapper, races for owner and breeder Bruce Chandler and trainer George Papaprodromou. Spirit of Makena has won 4 of 5 starts and earned $347,600. He was second by a head in an allowance race at a mile at Del Mar last September in his second start.

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