SANTA ANITA NOTEBOOK
APRIL 7, 2011
by John Mucciolo
A pair of graded sprints was held this past week at Santa Anita.
Potrero Grande S. (G2): Sanford and trainer Bill Spawr’s AMAZOMBIE went four-wide turning for home and got up inside the final
yards to bag his first graded win in this one. The ultra-consistent Cal-bred
gelding flew home to complete the 6 1/2 furlongs in 1:14 1/5, winning by a head
under Mike Smith.
Las Flores S. (G3): Gaines-Gentry Thoroughbreds et al’s GILDED GEM
got her much deserved graded win when mowing down this field in
the stretch for trainer Bob Baffert. The talented five-year-old mare stopped the
teletimer in 1:15 1/5 for 6 1/2 panels on the main oval beneath Joel Rosario.
Track Stats
From a total of 35 races held over the Arcadia racetrack during the four-day
race week, favorites won at a 37 percent clip and the top two betting choices
combined for 57 percent of the wins. From 22 frays contested on the dirt oval,
five animals won in wire-to-wire fashion (23 percent), while one of the 13
grassy tussles went all the way on the lead (8 percent).
This marks the second week in succession where speed was not much of an
advantage, if at all, on the dirt course. There were only two winners going
wire-to-wire from Thursday through Saturday from 15 races.
The turf oval seemingly favored horses from off the pace as well, with only
one leading from start to finish from 13 samples.
It will be interesting to see how the track plays this week, especially on
Saturday when the Santa Anita Derby takes place. The main oval seems to play
faster on big days, not just here but at many venues, and we would not be
surprised to see speed holding early in the card and possibly all day long.
Meet Totals
| RACES: | 536 | |
| DIRT: | 389 | |
| TURF: | 147 | |
| FAVORITES: | 198 (37 percent) | |
| 2ND CHOICES: | 111 (21 percent) | |
| TURF WIRE: | 26 (18 percent) | |
| DIRT WIRE: | 103 (26 percent) |
Main Track Post Positions (wins):
| RAIL: | 43 | |
| 1-3: | 154 | |
| 4-6: | 161 | |
| 7-out: | 74 |
HORSES TO WATCH
Thursday (3/31)
5TH — TEMPLE’S DOOR was last early but came home with
excellent energy to upend this solid maiden claiming field at first asking for
Carla Gaines. The debuting sophomore colt was impressive from a visual
standpoint and almost surely won’t be offered for a tag in his first try versus
winners. We’ll watch this one next out.
6TH — LEGAL SEPARATION was always best in here and ran a big one in
winning for conditioner Ed Moger Jr. The gelded four-year-old proved his
affinity for dirt and could be of stakes quality against fellow Cal-bred runners
with another move forward. He got six panels in a swift 1:08!
Friday (4/1)
5TH — RED ALERT DAY has rated kindly in two straight and
the move has paid off, especially in here when the gelding was a much the best
winner over this group. The six-year-old is a big win player in his return
versus similar foes.
7TH — DUBAWI HEIGHTS ran off to his second straight stylish
win in this one for Simon Callaghan, taking over at will and striding clear
under a confident Rosario. The four-year-old miss has a lot of
talent.
Saturday (4/2)
4TH — BROKEN DREAMS was last in this field but is clearly better
on turf, so we consider this a throw out race for conditioner Tom Proctor. The
five-year-old mare has run big ones sprinting on the lawn and belongs there.
Sunday (4/3)
1ST — SUBTLE GREEK didn’t have much of a trip in here and was used
twice by Blanc prior to her second-place finish. The four-year-old will be
formidable if entered against this type in her subsequent try for Tom Bell.
7TH — UNCLE SAM made a triumphant return to the races with a nice
tally in this one for Baffert, leading at every call and holding on late in a
solid tally. We’ve long liked this lightly raced colt and envision him being a
graded stakes factor this year, especially when the distances increase.
A Look Ahead
The $1 million Santa Anita Derby headlines a huge day of racing this
Saturday at Santa Anita. Also on tap are the $150,000 Arcadia, $150,000
Providencia and the $100,000 Las Cienegas.