Proudinsky's win in Sunday's $150,000 San Gabriel at Santa Anita could lead to a start in the $150,000 San Marcos Stakes at 1 1/4 miles on turf here Jan. 18, trainer Humberto Ascanio said.
The San Gabriel was Proudinsky's first win since the Grade 2 Mervin Muniz Handicap at Fair Grounds last March and first start since a fourth-place finish in the Grade 1 Citation Handicap at Hollywood Park on Nov. 27.
"He was real fresh in the Citation," Ascanio said.
Romantic Hideaway handled the class rise from a first-level allowance to easily win her stakes debut in Monday's $75,000 Brandywine at Philadelphia Park.
Jockey Mario Pino placed Romantic Hideaway ($4.80) behind a pace contested by Vindy City, the maiden Our Eponene, and 4-5 favorite Simply Spiteful through early fractions of 22.48 and 46.41 seconds. Romantic Hideaway swung wide coming into the stretch and drew clear to win by two lengths while completing six furlongs on a fast track in 1:10.94.
OLDSMAR, Fla. - While the co-featured Sandpiper and Inaugural stakes both produced exciting blanket finishes, the single most impressive performance on last Saturday's Cotillion Festival program at Tampa Bay Downs may have been the debut of Uptowncharlybrown in the eighth race.
Trained by Allen Seewald, Uptowncharlybrown is a 2-year-old chestnut Limehouse colt out of the Langfuhr mare La Iluminada and is a half-brother to stakes-winning West Coast sprinter Startjumpin Marnie.
Antares World, who lost the one-mile Corte Madera by a head, tops the list of 12 nominees to the $75,000 California Oaks, which is scheduled to be run Friday, New Year's Day, at Golden Gate Fields.
In the Dec. 5 Corte Madera, Antares World was beaten by Salty Fries, who ran fourth as the second choice in Sunday's $100,000 California Breeders' Champion Stakes at Santa Anita. She previously beat Salty Fries in an allowance race in her first try around two turns.
ARCADIA, Calif. - The last-place finish by Lava Man in Sunday's $150,000 San Gabriel Handicap at Santa Anita left trainer Doug O'Neill blaming himself for not having the 8-year-old gelding fit enough for his first start in 18 months and pondering how to approach a 2010 campaign.
O'Neill said Lava Man could be sent to veterinarian Doug Herthel at Alamo Pintado Equine Clinic in central California for a medical checkup in coming days. The trainer indicated that a start in January is possible for the gelding, who has won 17 of 47 starts, $5,268,706, and seven Grade 1 races.
Stealth Cat loves Sunland Park. She improved her record at the New Mexico track to 6 for 11 on Sunday, when she ran down pacesetter Cape of Bradford in the $50,000 Bold Ego Stakes.
Last year, Stealth Cat was second in the 5 1/2-furlong race for fillies and mares.
Stealth Cat ($6.80) raced in sixth early, as Cape of Bradford was clear through fractions of 44.78 seconds for the opening half-mile and 57.13 for five furlongs. Stealth Cat overtook the leader in the stretch and covered the distance on a fast track in 1:03.78.
ARCADIA, Calif. - Proudinsky ended a three-race losing streak with a successful defense of his title in the at Santa Anita on Sunday.
Lava Man, the winner of 17 of 46 starts and $5,268,706, finished last in his first start since July 2008. Since then, he had undergone stem cell therapy to regenerate cartilage in an ankle.
ARCADIA, Calif. - Lava Man's last-place finish in Sunday's at Santa Anita after an 18-month break may result in the conclusive retirement of the 8-year-old gelding.
After the race, trainer Doug O'Neill and co-owner Jason Wood expressed disappointment in the results. Lava Man led to the final turn, and faded through the stretch to finish 6 1/4 lengths behind race winner Proudinsky, the defending champion.
"I thought he'd more fight than that," O'Neill said.
ARCADIA, Calif. - Santa Anita drew its largest ontrack crowd for an opening day in 10 years when 35,292 attended Saturday's 10-race program.
The opening day audience was a 6 percent increase from the 33,308 that attended the first day of the 2008-09 meeting, which was held on a Friday. The last time the track opened on a Saturday, in 1998, the ontrack audience was 42,535.
