ARCADIA, Calif. - In her previous Grade 1 races, Switch had been defeated by just four horses, an all-star lineup of Blind Luck, Evening Jewel, Dubai Majesty, and, oh yes, Zenyatta. Free from the shadow of those four on Sunday at Santa Anita, Switch had her time to shine. She overpowered nine rival 3-year-old fillies when rolling to a four-length victory in the Grade 1, $250,000 La Brea Stakes, the first of two Grade 1 races on the opening-day card.
Dr. Diamonds Prize surged to command leaving the quarter-pole en route to an 11-1 upset Sunday in the 26th running of the $50,000 Gowell Stakes at Turfway Park in Florence, Ky.
With veteran Jozbin Santana riding for Lexington, Ky.-based trainer Mark Hubley, Dr. Diamonds Prize was prevailing for the second time in five career starts, having won an August maiden race at Ellis Park. She returned $25.80 after finishing the six-furlong distance in 1:12.18 over Polytrack.
OLDSMAR Fla. - Slipping through along the rail on the turn to gain the lead, Manicero opened a 2 1/2-length lead with a furlong remaining then had enough left to turn back the late charge of Bart B Don to post a length victory in the Inaugural Stakes for 2-year-olds on Sunday at Tampa Bay Downs.
Noconi won his fourth consecutive graded stakes race on Sunday, when he held for a neck win over King Brimmerton in the Grade 1, $350,000 Championship for Quarter Horses at Sunland Park. It was another neck back in third to Rylees Boy.
The Championship was the year’s final Grade 1 for Quarter Horses. Noconi ($3.60) broke on top in the 400-yard race and went on to cover the distance in 19.13 seconds. Jacky Martin was aboard for trainer Paul Jones.
ARCADIA, Calif. - For the past week, Southern California has been pounded by rain, and there was one last exclamation point here Saturday night into Sunday morning. But the rain moved on, the sun peeked through the clouds, and, like the swallows that return every year to San Juan Capistrano, fans flocked to opening day at Santa Anita on Sunday.
ARCADIA, Calif. - Sunshine was a welcome arrival at Santa Anita on Sunday morning, hours before the start of the winter-spring meeting.
The track sustained three-quarters of an inch of rain overnight, bringing the 10-day total to 14 inches, according to track superintendent Richard Tedesco. As a result of the latest rain, there is no turf racing for Sunday’s program, which begins at noon.
Evening Jewel, like fellow divisional leader Blind Luck, was kept out of the opening-day La Brea Stakes, but she should be in action quite soon.
Trainer Jim Cassidy said Evening Jewel, who has had success on dirt, turf, and synthetic surfaces, will make her next start in the Grade 3, $100,000 Monrovia Stakes, scheduled for about 6 1/2 furlongs on the hillside turf course on Jan. 2.
Warren’s Flyer, who just missed in the California Cup Juvenile Fillies before taking on Turbulent Descent in the Moccasin Stakes, returns to face statebreds in the filly division of the $100,000 California Breeders’ Champion Stakes, the supporting feature on Monday.
Seven 2-year-old fillies were entered in the seven-furlong race, the seventh on the card.
Jorge Gutierrez, the trainer of Warren’s Flyer, said he believes this distance, and competition, are right in his filly’s wheelhouse. In the Cal Cup, Warren’s Flyer just failed to last 1 1/16 miles.
Three strong Fair Grounds races last winter put Fast Alex on the fast track to the Louisiana Derby. But instead of contesting a prestigious stakes in early spring, Fast Alex will make his first New Orleans start since March 1 in a late-December allowance race.
ARCADIA, Calif. – Finishing third to the best turf mare in the world, and the best male turf horse in North America, is quite an accomplishment, so it could be safely argued that The Usual Q.T. is coming off the best race of his life.
