SANTA ANITA NOTEBOOK
APRIL 15, 2015
by John Mucciolo
A pair of graded stakes races topped the weekend at Santa Anita.
Kona Gold S. (G2): Jay Em Ess Stable’s MASOCHISTIC (Sought After) dueled
early, took a shot lead nearing midstretch and held off a stubborn foe inside
the final furlong en route to a three-parts of a length tally with Tyler Baze.
Making his debut for Ron Ellis, the California-bred five-year-old sped 6 1/2
panels on the main oval in 1:14 3/5 for his first stakes win.
Las Cienegas S. (G3): GGG Stable and Sarno’s HOME JOURNEY (Good Journey)
sped to the front soon after the break and was never seriously challenged in
posting a one-length win for trainer Mike Puype. The five-year-old mare blitzed
the about 6 1/2 furlongs on firm turf in 1:13 under the guidance of Rafael
Bejarano.
Track Stats
From a total of 34 races held at the Arcadia, California racetrack during the
past week, favorites won at a 38 percent clip and the top two betting choices
combined for 59 percent of the wins. From 23 frays contested on the dirt oval,
five animals won in wire-to-wire fashion (22 percent), while two of the 11
grassy tilts were taken all the way on the front end (18 percent).
Both of the top pair turf wire jobs come in downhill sprints this past week,
but horses forwardly placed in route events also fared pretty well.
The Thursday card yielded a trio of wire-to-wire winners on the dirt, but
just two of the remaining 18 races held on the main strip were led throughout by
the winner. Just four of the 23 dirt winners this week broke from the innermost
three post positions, hinting that the two or three path may have been the best
spot to travel upon.
Meet Totals
| RACES: | 553 | |
| DIRT: | 380 | |
| TURF: | 173 | |
| FAVORITES: | 206 (37 percent) | |
| 2ND CHOICES: | 103 (18 percent) | |
| TURF WIRE: | 27 (15 percent) | |
| DIRT WIRE: | 78 (20 percent) |
HORSES TO WATCH
Thursday (4/9)
2ND — GREAT LOU (Ready’s Image) dueled in the early going but shook clear of
that foe and increased his margin at every call, posting a fine triumph in this
heat. The Robertino Diodoro trainee finished up six panels on the fast main
strip in 1:09 4/5 and will be tough anytime he runs at this level.
5TH — LUCKY VIEWS (Lucky Pulpit) made the dirt to turf transition with
relative ease, inching clear of this field in a fairly sharp tally for
conditioner Mike Machowsky. The four-year-old gelding has run a trio of good
ones off the layoff and we love his versatility.
8TH — KNOCK EM FLAT (Flatter) took the lead right at the break and upped his
margin at every marker en route to a powerful score to close out the card. We
think the four-year-old gelding, a winner of two straight, could be a fine claim
for Keith Desormeaux.
Friday (4/10)
1ST — Our infatuation with MAGNA WARRIOR (Magna Graduate) continues after
this consistently good gelding ripped off another win while running big yet
again. The four-year-old has been on a very strong form run and might rise in
class yet again after defeating a solid group in this opener.
4TH — James Cassidy’s PURE (Quality Road) finally put it all together and
was visually impressive in graduating in this route run. The sophomore filly was
wide every step of the way but overcame it with a sweeping move into the lane
and was clear throughout in the stretch. She looms a big danger right back if
properly placed.
6TH — It was good to see multiple champion BEHOLDER (Henny Hughes) back on
the track and in the winner’s circle following this facile allowance victory
under Gary Stevens. The sublime mare was admittedly not fully cranked up for
this but still ran big, finishing her final five-sixteenths in a swift :30 3/5.
Saturday (4/11)
1ST — NEXTDOORNEIGHBOR (Lido Palace) is another, like Magna Warrior, that
continues to run excellent races and make this list. The ageless eight-year-old
sat patiently off of a few and took command in the lane like a favorite should,
continuing a fine run.
8TH — BLINGISMYTHING (Arch) showed a lot of late life in finishing a graded
stakes third in this dash behind a very nice top duo, and we think the Eric
Kruljac trainee might be a good one at this trip going forward.
Sunday (4/12)
8TH — We really liked what we saw from SERBIAN SYCLONE (Wildcat Heir) in
this stakes run when sitting off the pace and being a huge threat in the stretch
to be a very good second. The sophomore was head strong but might be figuring
things out as he develops.
9TH — ELIMINATION ROUND (Mutakddim) was live in the wagering and showed a
ton of early foot before being passed inside the final furlong of this event in
a decent second run. The four-year-old filly has now shown a ton of pace from a
pair of career outings and we think she will lead a field at every call in the
near future for Kruljac.
A Look Ahead
Saturday will play host to the $150,000 Santa Barbara Handicap (G3), while
the Sunday feature is the $100,000 San Simeon Stakes (G3).