Santa Anita Notebook

SANTA ANITA NOTEBOOK

MARCH 10, 2005

by Bernard T. Moore

Santa Anita Park was one of two racetracks, the other being Gulfstream Park,

which took center stage in Thoroughbred racing this past weekend. Santa Anita

presented its annual Big 'Cap Day racecard, with the $1 million Santa Anita

Handicap (G1) serving as the main attraction.

And, if that were not enough to entice fans to come out and enjoy a

spectacular day of racing, Saturday also marked the debut of Eclipse Award

winner DECLAN'S MOON (Malibu Moon) as a three-year-old.

The undercard at Santa Anita on Saturday was extraordinary, to say the least,

but everyone anxiously awaited the Santa Catalina S. (G2). The lure for that

particular race was of course the return of the undefeated Declan's Moon. The

Ron Ellis trainee proved worthy of his star billing and did not disappoint his

backers, who hammered him down to 4-5 favoritism, nor the fans who came to see

him run as he triumphed over five rivals en route to a decisive two-length

victory.

Making his first start since his victory in the Hollywood Futurity (G1) last

December, Declan's Moon was a bit eager during the early stages of the race

before settling down on the backstretch. He raced just to the outside of the

early pacesetter and would maintain that position until the stretch, when he was

asked in earnest for run by regular pilot Victor Espinoza. While the response

was not instantaneous, it did come, as Declan's Moon kicked into overdrive in

midstretch, leaving both Going Wild (Golden Missile) and Spanish Chestnut (Horse

Chestnut [SAf]) in his wake. The runner-up, Going Wild, was game in defeat, but

simply could not match strides with the winner in the stretch. Spanish Chestnut

set an uncontested pace only to weaken under pressure in the stretch.

According to Ellis, Declan's Moon was not fully cranked up for the Santa

Catalina. With the main objective for his prized pupil being the Kentucky Derby

(G1), this contest served its purpose, sort of a bridge race to the Santa Anita

Derby (G1) on April 9, which is also at Santa Anita. His victory on Saturday

solidified his status as the top sophomore in the country and the early Kentucky

Derby favorite.

LEROIDESANIMAUX (Brz) (Candy Stripes) once again demonstrated his affinity

for the turf at Santa Anita as he wired his field to take down the lion's share

of the purse in the $300,000 Frank E. Kilroe Mile H. (G1). Showing a versatility

in running styles, the Bobby Frankel-trained runner set a pressured pace on the

front end over a course labeled "good" and refused to yield on the lead while

annexing back-to-back victories in Grade 1 events. Buckland Manor (Bien Bien)

closed late to take second, a length ahead of Sweet Return (GB) (Elmaamul). The

third-place finisher, Sweet Return, who was the defending champion in the

Kilroe, tried in vain to get by the winner in the stretch before eventually

giving ground grudgingly in a strong effort.

When Saint Liam (Saint Ballado) soundly defeated Roses In May (Devil His Due)

in the Donn H. (G1) at Gulfstream Park in February, many people held the opinion

that he destined to carve out a niche as one of the elite older handicap horses

in 2005. A victory in the Santa Anita H. (G1) would have gone a long way toward

accomplishing that task. However, those plans had to be put on the backburner

for now as Saint Liam failed to bring his "A game" to California, with ROCK HARD

TEN (Kris S.) continuing to make his own mark by annexing the Big 'Cap by 1 3/4

lengths over stablemate Congrats (A.P. Indy). Both horses are trained by Richard

Mandella, who had to be ecstatic with his one-two finish in such a prestigious

race.

Rock Hard Ten, who is an imposing physical specimen, looked the part of a

winner as he settled off the early pace down the backstretch. He began to level

off nicely on the far turn for jockey Gary Stevens before pulling alongside

Grand Reward (Storm Cat), who had gained near the mile marker. Rock Hard Ten soon disposed

of that rival and finished powerfully as Congrats closed belatedly to gain the

place over Borrego (El Prado [Ire]). Saint Liam, the even-money favorite in the

field of 11 runners, was taken off the pace by jockey Edgar Prado by design,

sitting in perfect striking position throughout. However, when he was asked for

run on the far turn, he could not accelerate and faded to finish sixth.

Mandella hinted after the race that some sort of respite was in the cards for

Rock Hard Ten, but was noncommittal as to what exactly that meant. He alluded to

the fact that he wants a fresh horse for some of the bigger races down the road,

and one such race that immediately comes to mind is the Pacific Classic (G1) at

Del Mar in August.

The last stakes contest of the weekend was the La Habra S. for three-year-old

fillies going 6 1/2 furlongs on Santa Anita's downhill course on Sunday. The

winner, SHINING ENERGY (Rahy), conditioned by Julio Canani, proved to be a

punctual favorite when she unleashed an explosive burst of late speed to collar

the pacesetters in the stretch and drew clear to win by 2 3/4 lengths. Ridden

once again by Rene Douglas Shining Energy trailed early before improving her

position after a half-mile. Despite having to maneuver around a rival who was

forced to check, Shining Energy continued her determined rally to win going

away.

Kohar (Future Storm), the second-place finisher, held well for second in her

grass debut after dictating the pace from the outset. Royal Wave (Royal Academy)

made a strong move leaving the far turn to vie for the lead, could not sustain

her rally and finished on even terms with Berbatim (Bernstein), who was

compromised a bit while racing in traffic. Revealed (Old Trieste), the 4-1

second choice in the wagering, appeared to race without incident and finished a

non-threatening seventh.

Shining Energy, a Kentucky-bred, remained unbeaten since arriving in the

United States with this victory. She gives every indication that she should be

able to stretch out to a route with success, and Canani's prowess with turf

routers is legendary.

It's a real horse race, forgive the pun, for leading rider honors. Tyler Baze

owns a one win advantage over Douglas, who in turn holds a single victory edge

over Pat Valenzuela. Espinoza and Jon Court are fourth and fifth, respectively.

Doug O'Neill remains far out in front in the trainer's standings, with Jeff

Mullins 16 victories behind him in second place. Bob Baffert remains in the

third spot as Mandella, Frankel and Steve Knapp are in a three way dead-heat for

fourth.

The main track featured a blend of speed, stalkers and off the pace runners

last week. The turf course played favorably to speed most of the week, but

closers dominated on Sunday.

HORSES TO WATCH

Wednesday (3/2)

3RD – WEST COAST GEE GEE (Bertrando) was a good second despite being

ambitiously spotted off the claim. She held well disputing the early pace and

yielded late to a fresh closer.

5TH – QUATRAIN (Quiet American) returned from a layoff in this useful sprint

sharpener. She failed to sustain her rally into the stretch and finished evenly.

Both of her wins thus far have come around two turns.

7TH – DRAKE'S VICTORY (Victory Gallop) finished a strong second despite

trouble. Caught in cramped quarters attempting to rally, he finished with good

energy once clear.

Thursday (3/3)

2ND – GOLD RUCKUS (Gold Alert) put forth a much improved effort off the shelf

while returning to grass. He closed well to miss the place by less than a length

despite a rather ordinary early pace.

3RD – FAMILY GUY (Western Guy) regressed horribly off a sharp second in his

career debut, exiting an extremely quick race. He came up empty when called upon

in the stretch and deserves another chance, especially if given a brief

freshening and/or a cutback to a sprint.

Friday (3/4)

2ND – ALL THE BOYS (Foreign Survivor) was a dominant winner off the Mullins

claim. He responded favorably to rating tactics and can win right back.

4TH – LORD MACHO (Lord Carson) was hard used contesting fast fractions from

an outside post, winning the pace battle but losing the war. He'll show

dangerous speed if able to shake loose.

Saturday (3/5)

9TH – Sweet Return was a sharp third off the layoff for McAnally. He vied for

command with the subsequent winner virtually every step of the way, giving

ground grudgingly late in a game effort.

10TH – LUNDY'S LIABILITY (Brz) (Candy Stripes) found 1 1/4 miles a bit beyond

his scope in the Santa Anita H. He loomed a dangerous presence in the stretch,

but could not kick it in when it mattered. All three main track wins have come

at nine furlongs.

Sunday (3/6)

6TH – SKIPPADOO (Montbrook) put forth a much improved effort when finally

dropped to her proper level. She finished with good energy while well clear of

the third-place finisher and can continue forward level of progression if kept

at her current class level.