Tadahiro Hotehama’s homebred T. H. APPROVAL (With Approval) broke from the far
outside in Saturday’s $250,000
San Juan Capistrano Invitational H. (G2) at Santa
Anita, but that didn’t hinder the gray colt from moving up to challenge the
front runners in the 1 3/4-mile firm turf marathon.
All the Boys (Foreign Survivor), never far back in the early stages, took
over by the time a mile had been run in 1:38 4/5 and maintained the advantage
until the stretch. T. H. Approval and jockey Rene Douglas, who moved up to press the
pace as the field crossed under the wire for the first time, stalked
All the Boys as they entered the final turn. Moving up to take the lead in midstretch, the duo started pulling away in the final yards and easily held a
closing Exterior (Distant View) to second by 1 1/2 lengths as they stopped the
clock in 2:45.
Trained by Eduardo Inda, T. H. Approval returned $12.60, $4.60 and $3.20 to
his faithful supporters as the 5-1 fourth choice. Exterior, who came with a game
late run to nip Fitz Flag (Arg) (Flag Down) at the wire by a head, was worth
$3.20 and $2.60 as the 3-2 favorite. Show gave back $7.20 at 37-1, and the
exotics paid $21.10 for the exacta ($1), $257.70 for the trifecta ($1) and $963
for the 9-5-4-8 superfecta ($1), which had Stanley Park (Swain [Ire]) on the
bottom. Gene de Campeao (Brz) (Khatango), All the Boys, Special Matter (River
Special) and Lineout (NZ) (Jahafil [GB]) completed the order of finish.
Mondeville (Fr) (Octagonal) was withdrawn.
T. H. Approval already ran third in the San Marcos S. (G2) and San Luis
Obispo H. (G2) this year and prior to Saturday finished a close fourth in the
San Luis Rey H. (G2). He moved his record to 17-4-2-4 with $310,840 in lifetime
earnings.
The Kentucky-bred four-year-old is out of the Group 1-winning Potrichal (Arg) (Potrillazo),
who ran third in the 1994 Golden Poppy H. (G3). The 17-year-old mare is also the
dam of an unnamed 2005 colt by Pleasant Tap.
Inda said T. H. Approval would likely make his next start in the $350,000 Jim
Murray Memorial H. (G3) going 1 1/2 miles on May 14.