ARCADIA, Calif. - Santa Anita has added a new stakes for the spring-summer meeting – Saturday’s $75,000 Rainbow Stakes for 3-year-olds at 1 1/8 miles on turf.
The Rainbow Stakes is the second turf stakes for 3-year-olds at the meeting, preceded by the Singletary Stakes at a mile on May 14. The Rainbow Stakes is designed as a prep for the $100,000 Oceanside Stakes for 3-year-olds on the opening day of the Del Mar summer meeting, July 15.
Unified has accomplished an awful lot in a short period of time. Unbeaten in three starts at three different tracks, he will tackle two turns for the first time in the Grade 3 Pegasus Stakes at Monmouth Park on Sunday.
Trained by Jimmy Jerkens and owned by a Centennial Farms partnership, Unified won his debut going six furlongs at Gulfstream Park in February. He stretched out to seven furlongs to take the Grade 3 Bay Shore at Aqueduct in April, then handled a giant leap in distance to win the 1 1/8-mile Peter Pan at Belmont Park in May.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Wise Dan, the Horse of the Year in 2012 and 2013, will be here Saturday night for the race renamed in his honor. The 9-year-old gelding will be led over to the paddock along with the horses running in the Grade 2 turf race, then publicly acknowledged and paraded after the others leave the paddock for the race.
“We’re absolutely thrilled about this,” said Charlie LoPresti, who trained Wise Dan to win 23 of 31 starts and $7.5 million for owner and breeder Morton Fink.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – A whole bunch of New York’s finest Thoroughbreds were in action last weekend at Belmont Park on a huge Belmont Stakes weekend, with Effinex being among the notable exceptions.
Instead, the New York-bred 5-year-old was flown out Sunday morning on an equine charter that transported a planeload of horses back to Kentucky, where on Saturday night Effinex will take center stage as a solid favorite in the Grade 1 Stephen Foster Handicap at Churchill Downs.
Russell Baze, the all-time winningest rider in U.S. Thoroughbred racing history, will announce his retirement Tuesday, according to a post on the Paulick Report, a racing website.
The Paulick Report quoted Baze’s agent, Ray Harris, as saying the rider told him Sunday night following his mount in the 10th race at Golden Gate Fields that he had ridden his last race.
“I was surprised but I was happy,” Harris was quoted as saying. “He’s my friend, and I wanted him to be sound for his retirement.”
Baze did not immediately respond to a message left on his cell phone.
ARCADIA, Calif. – Flavien Prat was granted a stay of a three-day suspension for careless riding and will serve the suspension June 23-25 instead of this Thursday through Saturday. Prat was penalized for “altering course without sufficient clearance and causing interference” while aboard Fashionly Handsome in race 1 on June 9. Fashionly Handsome finished third; there was no disqualification.
ARCADIA, Calif. – Songbird is expected to face at least six rivals Saturday when she returns in the Grade 2 Summertime Oaks here. The undefeated filly worked seven furlongs in company Saturday morning, rallying from behind workmates, splitting that pair, and drawing away late, according to trainer Jerry Hollendorfer. She was timed in 1:25.80.
The expected rivals for Songbird include the Phil D’Amato-trained Bellamentary and Coppa, along with Kay Kay, Kiss N Scat, Not Now Carolyn, and the maiden She’s a Warrior.
ARCADIA, Calif. – Kentucky Derby winner Nyquist will resume a regular work pattern Friday or Saturday, according to trainer Doug O’Neill. Nyquist got sick days after the Preakness and missed the Belmont Stakes. He returned to Santa Anita on June 5, jogged for four days, and resumed galloping last Friday.
O’Neill and owner Paul Reddam have not determined where Nyquist will launch the second half of his 3-year-old campaign. Nyquist remains the division leader and is still in the driver’s seat for the Eclipse Award as outstanding 3-year-old male.
ARCADIA, Calif. – Donworth, scratched from the Grade 1 Metropolitan Handicap last Saturday at Belmont Park with a cough, could be back in action sooner than expected. Trainer Doug O’Neill said that if Donworth returns from New York in top shape, he could show up in either of the Grade 1 races scheduled for June 25 at Santa Anita.
ARCADIA, Calif. – The 2-year-old filly R Sunday Surprise has a lot to live up to when she makes her career debut in the first race Thursday at Santa Anita.
Sired by Lucky Pulpit and produced by Love the Chase, R Sunday Surprise is a full sister to California Chrome, the winner of the 2014 Kentucky Derby, the 2016 Dubai World Cup, and more than $12 million. That is all fine and dandy, but can the filly run? According to trainer Doug O’Neill, she definitely can run.
