Tamarando tops Snow Chief as Santa Anita hosts Gold Rush Day

Tamarando tops Snow Chief as Santa Anita hosts Gold Rush
Day

Tamaradno tries turf for the first time in the Snow Chief (Benoit Photos) Snow Chief, the great Cal-bred who won the Santa Anita Derby in 1986 by six lengths and was favored to win the Kentucky Derby but didn’t, went on to earn an Eclipse Award that year as the nation’s outstanding three-year-old. Santa Anita honors Snow Chief Saturday with the $250,000 Snow Chief going nine grassy furlongs as the featured event on its Gold Rush program. No one could be prouder than retired trainer Mel Stute, who conditioned the colt, also winner of both the Preakness and the Jersey Derby during his three-year-old campaign. “His best race was the Santa Anita Derby,” the 86-year-old Stute asserted. “He won it by six lengths; California Chrome only won it by 5 1/4.” When asked if Snow Chief was the horse that put him on the map, Stute’s response was quick and firm. “No, no, no,” he said. “The guy who put me on the map was Jim Murray, the Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist for the Los Angeles Times. In a column, he compared me to all the great baseball mangers. He said, ‘Today, Mel Stute feels like Casey Stengel. He’s got the favorite for the Derby. He doesn’t have Joe DiMaggio or anybody to pinch hit.’

“I think I won nine stakes before he wrote that article. In the next two
years, I won 37 stakes. It was that article that made the difference.”

Trainer Jerry Hollendorfer has already achieved fame, and numerous trophies,
but will look to add the Snow Chief to his mantle when saddling Tamarando. A Kentucky Derby hopeful prior to a disappointing eighth-place finish as the favorite in the
March 22 Spiral at Turfway Park, the Bertrando colt hopes to regain the form that enabled
him to win the Del Mar Futurity and two other stakes as he heads a field
of eight sophomores bred or sired in California in Saturday’s contest.

Tamarando was away slowly as the
2-1 favorite in the 12-horse Spiral and never got untracked en route to
an 11 1/2-length defeat over Turfway Park’s synthetic Polytrack. Prior to that,
the dark bay was an
impressive half-length victor of the El Camino Real Derby on Golden Gate Fields’
all-weather Tapeta. He’ll be
trying turf for the first time in the Snow Chief with Rafael Bejarano aboard.

Hollendorfer will also saddle Pray Hard, who will try two turns for the first time and help to ensure
a solid pace in the Snow Chief. A gelding by Kafwain, Pray Hard was an impressive three-length
allowance winner as the 3-5 favorite two starts back going six furlongs. He comes off a fourth-place finish at 6
1/2 furlongs in the Echo Eddie on April 5. Corey Nakatani has the call.

One race before the Snow Chief, trainer Mike Machowsky’s Rovenna will shoot for her third
consecutive win as she heads a field of eight sophomore fillies in the $250,000
Melair
at 1 1/16 miles on the main track.

Swiss Lake Yodeler’s last win came in the Soviet Problem H. in December (Benoit Photos) Rovenna is riding a two-race win streak that includes a 2 3/4-length score in the Evening Jewel under Victor Espinoza, who rides her back in the Melair. The Vronsky filly, who has finished worse than third just once in her eight-race career, also ran a respectable third in the Golden State Juvenile Fillies on Santa Anita’s main track last November and filled that same spot in the Cal Cup Oaks on Santa Anita’s green in January. Hollendorfer’s Swiss Lake Yodeler, who defeated Rovenna in both the Soviet Problem back in December and Golden State Juvenile Fillies, will try to rebound following a 24 3/4-length defeat in the Bourbonette Oaks at Turfway on March 22. The daughter of Swiss Yodeler will have Bejarano in the irons on Saturday. Harlington’s Rose, runner-up in the Evening Jewel, worked a half-mile on Santa Anita’s main track last Saturday under exercise rider Fernando Serna in :48 1/5 in preparation for the Melair. “She finished six furlongs in 1:10.37 and galloped out seven-eighths in 1:28 2/5,” trainer Steve Knapp said. “It was a very solid work. She’s ready.”

Knapp hopes to turn the tables on Rovenna, who
outsprinted Harlington’s Rose in the Evening Jewel.

“We just have to
hope that someone goes with Rovenna on the front end,” he remarked. “I think there’s plenty of
speed in the race, and my horse has learned how to relax, so we’ll be fine.”

Barring the unforeseen, Storm Fighter is the one to catch
in the $125,000
Tiznow
at one mile on the main track earlier on the card. The four-year-old Stormin Fever colt trained by Bruce Headley
is coming off a front-running,
three-quarter length victory over track and distance on April 5.

“He’s working really well, and he’s turned into a
beautiful, mature horse,” Headley said. “It looks like he’s ready to go.”

Storm Fighter will get tested for class as he aims for his third win from
seven starts. Edwin Maldonado has the call.

With more than $700,000 in earnings, Rousing Sermon is easily the leading money earner in
the race. The Hollendorfer pupil looms large despite
finishing a well-beaten sixth in the Santa Anita Handicap on March 8.

Winner of the 7 1/2-furlong On Trust Handicap last November, Rousing Sermon was then a close third in
the Native Diver and an even
fifth in the San Pasqual prior to his Big ‘Cap run. The Lucky Pulpit
five-year-old keeps Bejarano in the saddle.

Hollendorfer will also saddle Kate’s Event, the elder statesman at age seven in
the seven-strong field and winner of
last year’s Tiznow at the now-shuttered Hollywood Park.

Trainer Barry Abrams’ Lakerville will try dirt for the first time Saturday in
the Tiznow and the six-year-old chestnut rates a chance if he can
demonstrate a closing kick similar to the one he unfurled when second in the
grassy San Simeon two weeks ago.

The Bay Area-based Specht saddles Marks Mine in the $125,000

Spring Fever, and the four-year-old Benchmark filly drew the rail against
seven rivals. The bay miss was an authoritative half-length winner as the
even-money favorite in the Camilla Urso at Golden Gate Fields in March going the
same six-furlong distance as the Spring Fever.

“Once in a while she’ll take a stutter step leaving there
and not get away so great, but most of the time she leaves there in a hurry, and
it doesn’t look like there’s anything directly to her outside that’s going to
pester her too much,” Specht said of the inside post. “She shipped down here in good shape and she’ll
be tough.”

Marks Mine has an impressive resume that includes seven wins, two seconds and a
third from 10 starts at six furlongs. She will be handled by regular rider
Frank Alvarado, who was aboard for her five-furlong drill at Golden Gate Fields
last Sunday
in 1:00 2/5.

Trainer Craig Lewis is hoping his Warren’s Veneda will come
back running after finishing third in the Bayakoa at Hollywood
Park on December 7. An impressive allowance winner at Santa Anita last October 13, the
four-year-old Affirmative filly has proven effective routing
but will try six furlongs for the first time Saturday. Warren’s Veneda will be
ridden by Joe Talamo.

Idle since running a close seventh in the 8 1/2-furlong Osunitas Stakes over Del Mar’s
grassy last July, Hollendorfer’s Top Kisser
will try dirt for the first time in her ninth career start. She’s routed
on turf in her last seven races, but has the advantage of breaking from the
outside post 8 with Nakatani. The Old Topper mare also captured last year’s
Fran’s Valentine on the final Gold Rush program at Hollywood Park.

Hollendorfer’s Halo Dolly seeks millionaire
status as she heads a field of seven older fillies and mares in the $100,000
Fran’s Valentine
to get the 2014 Gold Rush stakes action underway. The one-mile turf contest,
like the rest of the Gold Rush races, is being contested for the first time at
Santa Anita.

Halo Dolly comes off an authoritative win going a mile on dirt in the March
23 Dream
of Summer. Although winless in three tries over the Santa Anita
lawn, the six-year-old Popular mare has eight wins from 10 starts at a mile on grass.
Nakatani will be aboard Halo Dolly, who needs to run first or second to eclipse
the million dollar mark in winnings.

Trainer Jeff Bonde’s Unusual Way
comes off a second-place finish to Halo Dolly as the 1-2 favorite in the Dream
of Summer and will try to turn the tables Saturday. Blessed with an abundance of
speed, the four-year-old Unusual Heat filly will be ridden for the first time in
10 starts by Bejarano.

Ciao Bella Luna will be stretching out to a mile here after capturing the Sunshine Millions Filly &
Mare Turf Sprint in January, finishing second in the Irish O’Brien on March 15,
and running fifth in the April 12 Las Cienegas in her past three, all at 6 1/2 furlongs down
Santa Anita’s hillside turf course. Trained by Peter Miller, the four-year-old
Tribal Rule filly gets Victor Espinoza in the pilot’s seat.

First post time on Saturday is 1 p.m. (PDT). Admission gates will open at 11
a.m.

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