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Post by racinggal on Mar 14, 2013 14:27:12 GMT -5
Good jockey switch. Am not really a fan of this horse but we shall see. He needs to prove he can rate and go the distance. He'll need time at Churchill to get used to the track which is way different than SA. LKve West's politicall correct quote re the "way the race unfolded" - uhh - Mr West - your jock screwed up and that's why you're replacing him! Flashback to have Gomez aboard for Santa Anita Derby By Jay Privman Garrett Gomez will replace Julien Leparoux aboard Flashback for his next start in the Grade 1, $750,000 Santa Anita Derby on April 6, trainer Bob Baffert said Thursday morning at Santa Anita. “It’s a tough decision, a very difficult decision,” Baffert said of replacing Leparoux, who had been aboard Flashback for all three of his previous starts. Flashback suffered the first loss of his career last Saturday in the San Felipe Stakes, finishing second after battling with Goldencents for the first six furlongs of the 1 1/16-mile race. “Under the circumstances, he ran a really good race,” said Gary West, who owns Flashback with his wife, Mary. “To have any shot at the Derby, you need to have a hard race, and he got that. I wasn’t thrilled with the way the race unfolded, but he came back fine and he’s doing well.” Flashback returned to the track for training at Santa Anita on Thursday morning. Flashback defeated maidens in his debut, then won the Robert Lewis Stakes at Santa Anita in his second lifetime start, both with Leparoux. The first four finishers from the San Felipe – Hear the Ghost, Flashback, Tiz a Minister, and Goldencents – all are expected back for the Santa Anita Derby, a 1 1/8-mile race that offers 170 points overall, with 100 to the winner, under the new points system put in place this year by Churchill Downs to determine eligibility to the Kentucky Derby on May 4. www.drf.com/news/flashback-have-gomez-aboard-santa-anita-derby |
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cait
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Post by cait on Mar 14, 2013 22:48:35 GMT -5
again - should have gotten the babe - BJ Hernandez Jr! i just don't see this horse rating - and it's still a mystery why julien was the jock, if Baffert thought he was his best 3 yr old
i liked julien at one time..................... but after his Union Rags derby debacle............would only play if a turf race - and even then he's like a trouble magnet
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Jon
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Post by Jon on Mar 23, 2013 22:46:10 GMT -5
 Looks like another mediocre field - it's a shame. Maiden winners Storm Fighter, Summer Exclusive earn a shot By Steve Andersen ARCADIA, Calif. – The March 2 program at Santa Anita will rightfully be remembered for Game On Dude’s emphatic win in the $750,000 Santa Anita Handicap. It turns out two maiden race winners on that day – the 3-year-olds Storm Fighter and Summer Exclusive – may be deserving of attention over time. Storm Fighter, who won a race for California-breds over 1 1/16 miles in his third start, and Summer Exclusive, who won over 6 1/2 furlongs in his career debut that day, are being prepared for the $750,000 Santa Anita Derby on April 6. Storm Fighter made his first start around two turns on March 2, and drew away as the 3-5 favorite to win by 5 3/4 lengths. The Santa Anita Derby will be his first start in a stakes, and is worth a gamble, according to Karen Headley, who assists her father, trainer Bruce Headley. “Why not?” she said. “He can go farther, and he’s a really nice colt.” Storm Fighter, by Stormin Fever, races for Golden Eagle Farm. Gary Stevens will ride Storm Fighter in the Santa Anita Derby, Karen Headley said. Summer Exclusive did not have a rider for the Santa Anita Derby as of Friday, but trainer Peter Miller said he had a few candidates in mind. He is eager to work Summer Exclusive over seven furlongs or a mile this week before confirming plans for the Santa Anita Derby, which is run over 1 1/8 miles. “He’ll have to look like he’ll do it,” Miller said. “It’s a lot of money.” Owned by a partnership, Summer Exclusive won his debut by a length. The Santa Anita Derby field is led by Hear the Ghost, who won the Grade 2 San Felipe Stakes over 1 1/16 miles on March 9. The second through fourth-place finishers in that race – Flashback, Tiz a Minister, and Goldencents – as well as Super Ninety Nine, who was fifth in the Grade 2 Rebel Stakes at Oaklawn Park on March 16, are other expected candidates. www.drf.com/news/santa-anita-derby-maiden-winners-storm-fighter-summer-exclusive-earn-shot |
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Post by racinggal on Mar 24, 2013 0:07:45 GMT -5
I think you might be right! The Wood and La Derby appear to be shaping up with more competitive fields.
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Post by racinggal on Mar 24, 2013 0:15:51 GMT -5
If there are only 5-6 entries, he's possible. Right now, I would notrule out Gary riding anything!
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Post by racinggal on Mar 24, 2013 0:20:32 GMT -5
I was going to ask you! Those are all that are being talked about so far. Maybe there will be some surprises.
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Post by racinggal on Mar 24, 2013 0:28:24 GMT -5
I wouldn't mind seeing a smaller field in the Derby!
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Post by racinggal on Mar 24, 2013 0:34:19 GMT -5
12 is good. For the Derby I could see 14-16 but 20 is too many. I almost hope a sleeper enters and wins the SA Derby - even though it probably will be trained by Bob Baffert!
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Post by racinggal on Mar 24, 2013 0:40:23 GMT -5
He might enter 2 or 3 more if the field is going to be small. Nothing wrong with place or show earnings for this race!
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Post by racinggal on Mar 24, 2013 0:56:35 GMT -5
Is it possible he'd enter War Academy?
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Jon
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Post by Jon on Apr 1, 2013 11:32:43 GMT -5
There are 8 probables for the SA Derby - 3 trained by Baffert. The favorite will br Flashback- BUT - Power Broker needs points - both are owned by the Wests. I for one won't be surprised if Flashback doesn't win LOL I find it ng for CA racing that the field is small and one trainer has the competitive horses. It's possible Tiz A Minister and/or Hear the Ghost could surprise and prove their San Felipe closes weren't flukes due to pace. Broker powers up for Santa Anita Derby; Flashback to be early favorite Power Broker, one of three likely starters for Bob Baffert in Saturday's Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby, worked four furlongs in company Sunday morning in :47 2/5 for the West Coast's major stepping stone to the Kentucky Derby on May 4. Martin Garcia was aboard the Pulpit colt, who tied for the fourth-fastest work at the distance on Santa Anita's fast main track. Workmate Bank the Eight was clocked in :47 4/5. The Santa Anita Derby will be Power Broker's first race since the Breeders' Cup Juvenile at Santa Anita last November 3, in which the Gary and Mary West colorbearer finished fifth behind eventual champion two-year-old Shanghai Bobby. "The workout was very nice," Baffert said. "I got him going out (five furlongs) in :59 4/5. "He hasn't lost any of his conditioning, because he really hasn't been away," the Hall of Famer noted. "He's just been away from the action, but he has a really good foundation on him. The Breeders' Cup race was a disaster. I gave Bejarano bad instructions." That could change come Saturday, since Bejarano is again named to ride the chestnut colt he has ridden in each of his five starts, breaking his maiden in the Grade 1 FrontRunner last September 29 before disappointing as the 2-1 second choice in the Juvenile. One of Baffert's other Santa Anita Derby contenders, favored Flashback, is scheduled to work Monday. Also owned by the Wests, Flashback suffered his first defeat when he finished second as the even-money favorite in the Grade 2 San Felipe Stakes on March 9. Super Ninety Nine, winner of the Grade 3 Southwest Stakes on a sloppy Oaklawn Park surface February 18, is the third probable Baffert entrant, hoping to rebound from a fifth-place finish as the 6-5 favorite in the Grade 2 Rebel Stakes on March 16. Baffert has won the Santa Anita Derby six times, most recently with Midnight Interlude in 2011. Nine Santa Anita Derby winners have gone on to win the Run for the Roses, including I'll Have Another last year. Here are the probables for the Santa Anita Derby, listed with their riders: Flashback, Garrett Gomez; Hear the Ghost, Corey Nakatani; Goldencents, Kevin Krigger; Super Ninety Nine, Garcia; Power Broker, Bejarano; Tiz a Minister, Joe Talamo; Storm Fighter, Gary Stevens; and Dirty Swagg, Tyler Baze.Flashback will be the favorite on Jon White's Santa Anita Derby morning line when those odds are issued following Wednesday's draw for post positions. "As soon as Hear the Ghost won the San Felipe, I immediately started to think about the morning line for the Santa Anita Derby," White said. "And my initial thought was, 'Well, it looks like Hear the Ghost is probably going to be the Santa Anita Derby favorite.' "But as I monitored the reaction to the San Felipe in the days following that race, a lot of people all over the country talked about how well they thought Flashback ran in the San Felipe to lose by only a half-length after getting involved in such a fierce pace duel with Goldencents. "The reaction to Flashback's San Felipe performance, coupled with the belief expressed by many people that Hear the Ghost won partly because he was able to benefit from a pace meltdown, swayed me to think there is a strong probability Flashback is going to be the favorite when they exit the starting gate for the Santa Anita Derby. "But I also expect Flashback and Hear the Ghost to be pretty close in the betting. Keep in mind that in the most recent Kentucky Derby Future Wager pool, Flashback's price was 15-1 and Hear the Ghost also was 15-1. Goldencents was 49-1." White said another factor in deciding to make Flashback the Santa Anita Derby morning line favorite is the strong backing he has received in each of his races. "Flashback has been a heavy favorite in all three of his races so far," said White, who again will be making the official morning lines for all of this year's Breeders' Cup races at Santa Anita in November. "Flashback was even money in his career debut, 1-2 when he won the Lewis and even-money again in the San Felipe. "Hear the Ghost has never been the favorite in his three races. He was 16-1 in his career debut, 7-2 when he ran second in the San Pedro and 5-1 when he won the San Felipe. "In terms of the Santa Anita Derby, I think it's kind of a tricky call as to just how strongly Flashback is going to get bet," White continued. "On the one hand, he has yet to be higher than even money. Based on that, I wouldn't be surprised to see him start at somewhere around even money in the Santa Anita Derby. "On the other hand, Flashback did get beat last time and he has yet to earn a big Beyer Speed Figure. His top Beyer has been only a 93. A lot of bettors who emphasize Beyer Speed Figures, Thoro-Graph figures or Ragozin figures probably are not going to be betting on Flashback, especially since he will be lower than 2-1. That's why I am not inclined to make Flashback as low as even-money or 6-5 for the Santa Anita Derby. "All things considered, it seems to me the proper morning line price on Flashback is something lower than 2-1 but higher than 6-5. Unless there are any changes with respect to the currently anticipated Santa Anita Derby field of eight, I am thinking 9-5 for Flashback's morning line price, with Hear the Ghost 5-2." There will be a $750,000 guaranteed Late Pick 4 on Santa Anita Derby Day; fans at Santa Anita will be offered a free Santa Anita Derby T-shirt with paid admission, while supplies last; KROQ presents Iration in concert; and there will be more than 50 microbrew/craft beer vendors, in addition to Premium Food Trucks. www.brisnet.com/cgi-bin/editorial/news/article.cgi?id=35565&from=656 |
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Post by Evelyn on Apr 1, 2013 16:47:59 GMT -5
Baffert owns CA racing but Hollendorfer can be "sneaky". I just don't know how the SA speedballs will do at Churchill. Yes - I know last year's winner was from CA but enough has been said about the clouds hanging over his TC wins. For that reason (and others), I will not be playing Goldencents!
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cait
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Post by cait on Apr 1, 2013 22:16:24 GMT -5
who knows - baffert may enter 2 or 3 more lol and no, i would not be surprised to see a baffert trainee other than flashback go all out as they do need point - FB doesn't
this field should only be worth 50-20-10-5 - not worth 100 points - kind of like those CA G1's that have less purse $ than either tracks G2-3's
i really think points should be awarded based on the entries - like dog shows - there has to be a minimum # of entries to get a "major" in dog shows - the derby preps should be the same - this field is not a "major" lol
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Jon
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Post by Jon on Apr 3, 2013 17:18:52 GMT -5
Moved thread for easier access
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Jon
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Post by Jon on Apr 5, 2013 17:12:32 GMT -5
The Baffert Derby doen't deserve the amount of points it's getting. I will probably be watching the NCAA and maybe catch a replay later because this race just ain't what it used to be. The points system may just lead to some "games" being played. Ninety Nine looks poised to rebound in Santa Anita Derby By Byron King LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Bettors accustomed to watching a lot of races often can spot winners as the horses are traveling in the early to middle portion of their races. Their jockeys are relatively motionless, and the horses are moving smoothly without encouragement. Super Ninety Nine fit the opposite profile in last month’s Rebel Stakes at Oaklawn, never looking like a winner. Hustled early to gain position by jockey Rafael Bejarano, he was again called upon at several stages in the race to try to keep pace with advancing rivals. He looked beaten long before the field hit the stretch, and he caved in down the stretch, finishing fifth, 8 1/4 lengths behind the victorious Will Take Charge. Entered back in Saturday’s Santa Anita Derby, this time with Martin Garcia in the saddle, he can’t afford another flop if he is to challenge in the race, much less earn enough points for a starting berth in the Kentucky Derby. Dismissed at 6-1 on the morning line, Saturday seems like a good time to forgive that last-race performance, which trainer Bob Baffert quipped was the equivalent of bowling a “gutter ball.” This is a colt who threw in a clunker once before – a distant fourth in an allowance race at Santa Anita on Dec. 28 – but rebounded a race later to win a one-mile allowance in fast time at Santa Anita, followed by an 11 1/4-length score in the Southwest Stakes in the slop. It is also a positive signal that Baffert keeps him in California to race in the Santa Anita Derby. He knows the colt likely needs to run first or second to make the Kentucky Derby, and considering that Baffert is running two other horses in the race, Power Broker and probable favorite Flashback, starting Super Ninety Nine would appear to reflect an unwavering belief in the colt. Beyond that, Super Ninety Nine doesn’t have to repeat all the shipping he endured by going back and forth to Oaklawn, as he did twice before. He is simply being led from his own stall to a track on which he already is a winner. With some of the shine off Super Ninety Nine, he is the value play of the Santa Anita Derby www.drf.com/news/byron-king-super-ninety-nine-looks-poised-rebound-santa-anita-derby |
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Post by Evelyn on Apr 6, 2013 21:30:21 GMT -5
My only comment is I hope we're spared this horse shooting for a TC! Pitino was just interviewed at halftime - and congratulated. Goldencents sends O'Neill, Pitino to Kentucky Derby By Dave Grening Goldencents, now starting on the path O’Neill trod last year with I’ll Have Another, ran his way into the May 4 Kentucky Derby with a 1 1/4-length victory over favored Flashback on Saturday in the Grade 1, $750,750 Santa Anita Derby before an ontrack crowd of 33,005. Goldencents is owned by a partnership that includes Rick Pitino, the head coach of the University of Louisville basketball team, which won its Final Four semifinal game on Saturday, 72-68, against Wichita State. As with I’ll Have Another – who was owned by Paul Reddam - Goldencents was purchased at auction by O’Neill’s brother, Dennis. He cost $62,000 as a 2-year-old. He has now earned $1,250,000. Goldencents ($15) atoned for a fourth-place finish in last month’s San Felipe Stakes, in which he and Flashback, who ran second in that race to Hear the Ghost, dueled early, costing both dearly. This time, Goldencents was able to stalk pacesetter Super Ninety Nine, then repelled the bid of Flashback when they hooked up at the top of the lane. The first two crushed the rest of the field, with Super Ninety Nine – a stablemate of Flashback in Bob Baffert’s barn -- a distant 8 1/2 lengths farther back in third. Tiz a Minister was fourth and was followed, in order, by Power Broker, Storm Fighter, Summer Exclusive, and Dirty Swagg. Hear the Ghost was scratched from the race on Thursday with a knee injury. Goldencents completed 1 1/8 miles on the fast main track in 1:48.76. Goldencents handled the commotion without any signs of nervousness, similar to jockey Kevin Krigger’s ride in the Santa Anita Derby. As O’Neill did last year with Mario Gutierrez, who rode I’ll Have Another to victories in the Santa Anita Derby, Kentucky Derby, and Preakness, O’Neill has never wavered from sticking with the unheralded Krigger, who gave Goldencents a flawless ride on Saturday to earn his first Kentucky Derby mount. O’Neill said Goldencents being able to stalk early “has a lot to do with Kevin.” “We’ve been doing a lot in the mornings with the horse, but a lot of it has been in Kevin’s hands,” O’Neill said. Super Ninety Nine broke sharpest of all and set off quickly for the lead. He crossed over toward the rail, allowing Goldencents to get outside of him. Flashback, starting from the rail, was very aggressive behind horses the first quarter-mile but then seemed to settle better as the field advanced up the backside. Super Ninety Nine set splits of 22.72 seconds for the opening quarter, 46.48 seconds for a half-mile, and 1:10.47 for six furlongs. As the field neared the quarter pole, Super Ninety Nine was trying to hold off Goldencents, who was going the better of the two, and then Flashback loomed up three paths wide, his escape made possible when stablemate Power Broker began to fade. Flashback loomed dangerously as he and Goldencents left Super Ninety Nine in the dust, but Goldencents never wavered. He gradually increased his lead coming to the sixteenth pole, and then Krigger hand-rode him from there to the wire. “He wasn’t pulling at all early,” Krigger said. “I just wanted to keep him going at the same pace.” Garrett Gomez, aboard Flashback for the first time, said he thought at the quarter pole that Flashback would overtake Goldencents, “but he didn’t pick it up the way I thought he would.” “He did pick it up, but not enough,” Gomez said. Goldencents, a colt by Into Mischief, has now won 4 times in 6 starts. He won the Grade 3 Sham Stakes earlier this meet on Jan. 5, and last year, at age 2, won the Grade 3 Delta Jackpot and was second in the Grade 1 Champagne. Victory in the Santa Anita Derby was worth 100 points per the system put in place this year by Churchill Downs to determine the Kentucky Derby field. Flashback earned 40 points. This Santa Anita Derby was run following enhanced security for all runners for the 72 hours leading up to the race. The security was paid for in part by Golden Eagle Farm, whose Storm Fighter finished sixth. www.drf.com/news/santa-anita-derby-goldencents-sends-oneill-pitino-kentucky-derbyPhoto from Bloodhorse:  Photo: Benoit Photo |
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