Majestic Harbor, Talamo, O’Neill win Santa Anita honors
Majestic Harbor, who crushed six rivals including three-time Santa Anita
Handicap winner Game On Dude in the Gold Cup at Santa Anita on Saturday, was
named Horse of the Meet in the inaugural Spring Meet Media Poll.
A six-year-old Rockport Harbor horse bred in Kentucky and trained by Sean
McCarthy for owner Ron Beegle of Arcadia who races as Gallant Stables, Majestic
Harbor won the 1 1/4-mile Gold Cup by 6 1/4 lengths under Tyler Baze, leaving in
his wake Clubhouse Ride, Imperative, Game On Dude, Lideris, Fury Kapcori and
Salto Del Indio.
“We’re honored by this recognition,” said McCarthy, who won the first Grade 1
race of his career. “It’s a great thrill, and to win a race of that caliber at
this race track is a dream come true for a guy growing up wanting to do what I’m
doing today.
“I understand the magnitude of it and the history of it and I know it was
formerly at Hollywood Park, but a Grade 1 with a Gold Cup attached to it is a
tremendous thrill.”
Majestic Harbor also was named Older Horse of the Meet.
Joe Talamo and Doug O’Neill were voted Jockey of the Meet and Trainer of the
Meet. Talamo, a 24-year-old native of Louisiana, won 43 races to outdistance
runner-up Tyler Baze during the 38-day meet by 12 victories. Talamo also led in
stakes wins with nine. His back-to-back Grade 1 victories in the Shoemaker Mile
and the Vanity Stakes on June 14 was named Achievement of the Meet.
O’Neill captured his fourth Santa Anita training title, having previously won
three straight Winter/Spring meets, 2004-05, 2005-06 and 2006-07. A 46-year-old
Michigan native who won the Santa Anita Derby, the Kentucky Derby and the
Preakness in 2012 with I’ll Have Another, O’Neill edged Peter Miller, 27-23.
Drayden Van Dyke, who finished fifth in the standings with 23 wins, was voted
the meet’s top apprentice jockey.
Obviously, impressive winner of the Shoemaker Mile on turf for trainer Phil
D’Amato, was named Outstanding Grass Horse, while Miss Serendipity, who captured
the Gamely Stakes at 1 1/8 miles on turf by a desperate nose over Emollient, was
named Outstanding Grass Filly or Mare.
The exciting Gamely also was named Race of the Meet.
Other winners were Iotapa, winner of the Vanity Stakes for John Sadler,
Outstanding Older Filly or Mare; Can the Man, winner of the Affirmed Stakes for
Bob Baffert, Outstanding Three-Year-Old; Room Service, who captured the American
Oaks for trainer Wayne Catalano, Outstanding Three-Year-Old Filly; and
Declassify, winner by a nose of the Triple Bend Stakes for Baffert, Outstanding
Sprinter.
Kaleem Shah was named Owner of the Meet. He tied for first in wins with five
and led in purse money earned with $414,190.
Chicsdigtheshark, a five-year-old California-bred gelding by Onebadshark
trained by Bill Spawr, was named Claimer of the Meet by virtue of three
victories, one at the $22,500 level, another in an optional claiming race and
the third at the $40,000 plateau. The wins came at seven furlongs, 6 1/2
furlongs, and one mile.
Santa Anita’s first-ever 38-day Spring Meeting concluded Sunday and by all
accounts it was a rousing success, as both attendance and handle numbers far
exceeded initial projections. The Spring Meet, which was effectively combined
with the track’s 69-day Winter Meet that ran from December 26 through April 20,
generated total pari-mutuel handle that exceeded $1 billion.
With superstar California Chrome leading the way through the Triple Crown,
Santa Anita posted huge year-to-year gains on and off track on Kentucky Derby
Day (May 3), Preakness Day (May 17), and Belmont Day (June 7) — and also of
significant importance was Saturday’s initial Gold Cup at Santa Anita Park,
which generated large increases in attendance and on-track handle.
“This has been a very successful and gratifying meet on several levels,”
Santa Anita Chairman Keith Brackpool said. “This was uncharted territory for us
and on balance we’re very pleased with the way the meet went in terms of handle
and purses, and that we were able to expose many more thousands of new fans to
our sport.
“One of our primary objectives has been to get people excited about coming
out to Santa Anita and our modernization projects throughout the facility have
been a great help in that regard. The successes of this meet though would not
have been possible without the support from our fans, owners, trainers, jockeys
and dedicated employees, and for that we are deeply appreciative. We look
forward to seeing everyone again when our Autumn Meet commences in September.”
Santa Anita’s 2014 Autumn Meet will open on Friday, September 26, and it will
be highlighted by the Breeders’ Cup World Championships, which will be hosted by
Santa Anita for an unprecedented third consecutive year on October 31 and
November 1.