Trip Notes for April 25-26: Miami Mile, San Francisco Mile, Wilshire, and more...

Saturday, April 25

Aqueduct - Excelsior (race 8)

COMMENT: This looked like the opportunity for Wicked Strong to show he was fully back and ready to contend in all the big events but instead it was stablemate Effinex who showed he’s become a serious horse. Coming off a romping win in the mud on the inner track here March 27, his first start of the year, he moved forward in this race. Effinex bided his time early as Red Rifle set the pace. He moved closer while staying wide and in the clear, went after Red Rifle into the lane, got the better of that foe late and was edging away in the final strides. Red Rifle, a Grade 2 winner and coming off a troubled fifth in the Grade 2 New Orleans at the Fair Grounds March 28, set a modest pace, battled back gamely when confronted by the winner and finished well clear of the rest. Wicked Strong, fourth to top-class types Honor Code and Private Zone in the Grade 2 Gulfstream Park Handicap March 7, his first start since losing his rider in the Grade 1 Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont last Sept. 27, dogged Red Rifle from the start. Wicked Strong seemed in a good spot, but then was one paced once passed by Effinex turning for home and unable to threaten. He really had no excuse and will have to do better if he is to be competitive with the best of the division. In his defense, he was being asked to go 1 1/4 miles with just that lone mile race under his belt.

Gulfstream - Miami Mile Handicap (race 9)

COMMENT: Rerun had been off since easily winning a tough optional claimer at Tampa Bay Feb. 25 and that move did the trick as the 6-year-old gelding ran the race of his life to post the upset and notch his first stakes win. He sat fourth as Storming Indi set a modest pace, angled out into the lane, and pushed past favored Grand Tito in the final yards. Grand Tito, winner of this race last year at Gulfstream Park West was coming off a second in the Grade 3 Canadian Turf and third in the Grade 3 Appleton. He stalked in third, moved up nicely in midstretch to grab the lead looking like the winner, only to have Rerun move past him on the outside. You figure one of these Grade 3’s has his name on it. Shatak, stepping up off two allowance wins over this course at this trip, was last early, commenced a run on the far turn and carried it through the lane, though he was never a danger to the top two. Storming Inti, coming off a fourth here March 6 in his first start in almost seven months, set a modest pace, was pressured by Grand Tito into the lane, still had the lead at the midstretch call but weakened a bit once Grand Tito went past.

Golden Gate - San Francisco Mile (race 7)

COMMENT: G. G. Ryder was second in his only other Grade 3 try in the Berkeley on the main track here last Nov. 30. He notched his first graded stakes win today by defeating his stubborn stablemate Summer Hit, who was second in this race last year. G. G. Ryder stalked the pace, commenced his run while saving ground into the lane, and pushed past Summer Hit in the final strides. Summer Hit bounced right out to the lead, set a modest pace, looked home free when holding a clear lead at midstretch but couldn’t fend off his stablemate. Are You Kidding Me stalked the pace, was fanned wide into the lane and stayed on for third. Pepper Crown, winner of this last year, broke slowly, bided his time and put in a steady run.

Santa Anita - Last Tycoon (race 8)

COMMENT: The addition of blinkers may have been the key move as Si Sage won as the longest-priced horse in the field. He showed talent in late 2013 and early 2014 when twice Grade 2 placed, but things hadn’t gone well since. He sat off Joes Blazing Aaron, who ran off to clear lead through modest splits on a rain-dampened course. Si Sage went after that foe coming into the lane, surged to a clear lead and didn’t have a nervous moment thereafter. Ganesh, a Group 1 and Group 2 winner in Argentina, was a non-factor fifth in his U.S. debut at a much shorter trip here April 4. Today, he stalked the pace, couldn’t accelerate enough to threaten the winner but kept to his task to get second. Abbey Vale was just in front of Ganesh from the start, made a threatening move into the lane but couldn’t sustain it and lost second in the final stride. Big John B, the favorite making his first start since finishing ninth in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Turf here Nov. 1, broke last and never moved a muscle.

Sunday, April 26

Santa Anita - Wilshire (race 7)

COMMENT: Blingismything had been knocking on the door with thirds in the Grade 2 Buena Vista and Grade 3 Las Cienegas. This one had her name on it as she notched her first graded stakes win. She bided her time early as favorite Birdlover set the pace, moved closer turning for home, came through along the inside with her bid and just got up in the final stride to win a four-horse photo. Smoove It, who had won three of her last four, was last to the stretch after traffic troubles, pitched wide and finished strongly to miss by a nose. Birdlover, the favorite after finishing first or second in all eight starts on grass here, took modest pressure from Indecise, still had the lead to deep stretch and only succumbed in the final yards to miss by a nose and a head. Indecise pressed Birdlover from the start and finished just a nose behind that gal. You almost get the feeling that if you ran this race five more times you’d get four different winners.