The last stakes race of the Santa Anita spring meet was an exciting one as W.
D. & Ella Sivage’s SHADOW OF ILLINOIS (Illinois Storm) closed determinedly
through the lane to take the $107,000 San Simeon H. (G3) on Monday. The
five-year-old gelding entered the race off an optional claiming win, his first
trip to the winner’s circle since 2003, and was subsequently dismissed as the
7-1 longshot in the six-horse field. But conditioner Anthony Saavedra and jockey
Mark Guidry would not be denied, even after the rider lost his whip in the
stretch, as the dark bay persevered by a length to return $16.60, $7.40 and $3
to his backers.
Content to rate off rapid fractions of :21 3/5, :44 1/5 and 1:06 4/5, Shadow
of Illinois was angled four wide entering the stretch, heading the leader,
Golden Arrow (Rahy) on the outside. Guidry went to the whip, lost it in
midstretch, and had to improvise with some strong hand slapping. That tactic
worked as the duo held the closing post-time favorite Geronimo (Chi) (Gold
Tribute) to second, stopping the clock in 1:12 3/5 for the about 6 1/2-furlong
firm turf test. Golden Arrow finished just a head shy of the place and two
lengths clear of Lazzeri (Grand Slam). Next came McCann’s Mojave (Memo [Chi])
and Royal Price (Ger) (Oxalagu).
Shadow of Illinois keyed $1 exotics of $31.10 for the exacta and $117 for the
trifecta, while Geronimo returned $3.60 and $2.40 and Golden Arrow paid $2.60
for the show.
Bred in California by Barbara Millard, Shadow of Illinois is the first
registered foal
out of My Annie T (Trempolino) and counts Opa (Chullo [Arg]), an unraced
two-year-old, and an unnamed yearling by Western Fame as half-brothers. This is
his first stakes score as he improves his mark to 19-4-4-2 with earnings of
$219,384.