Nyquist & Songbird Dazzle, Beholder Still On Top

THE WEEKEND’S BEST STORIES

Sept. 26th – 27th

Beholder Remains Horse Racing’s Queen in the Gr. 1 Zenyatta Stakes

Keeping her perfect five-for-five record for 2015, Beholder captured Saturday’s Gr. 1 $300,000 Zenyatta Stakes for the third consecutive year at Santa Anita Park. In her final prep race for next month’s Breeders’ Cup Classic and a likely showdown with Triple Crown winner American Pharoah, the 5-year-old mare cantered home to win by 3 ¼ lengths.

Beholder broke from the nine post and went four-wide going around the first turn – settling off the pace.  With no urging from the whip of regular jockey Gary Stevens, the daughter of Henny Hughes took the lead from My Sweet Addiction, piloted by Mike Smith, near the quarter-pole and buried the field.

“I hate to say easy, but it really did look easy,” Hall of Fame trainer Richard Mandella said. “She’s good. She’s really, really good.”

Saturday’s victory marks Beholder’s seventh consecutive win in a span of twelve months. Since her win in last year’s Zenyatta, her margin of victory totals 23 ½ lengths.

Songbird Sensational in Chandelier Stakes

Opening weekend at Santa Anita did not disappoint with a handful of graded stakes races featuring top notch talent. Two-year-old fillies took the stage in the Gr. 1 Chandelier Stakes, which saw Songbird and Mike Smith go wire-to-wire, winning by 4 ½ lengths.

“There’s a new girl in my life,” jockey Mike Smith told EverythingEq, referring to the dark bay daughter of Medaglia d’Oro. “She’s a little young for me, but she’s of age and I’m crazy about her. She’s got an exciting future ahead of her.”

Trained by Hall of Famer Jerry Hollendorfer, Songbird has won all three of her starts since her career debut in July of 2015, when she broke her maiden by 6 ½ lengths. The filly was purchased by current owners Fox Hill Farms, Inc. for $400,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Select Yearling Sale in August of 2014. To date, she has earned $402,000 and has a combined winning margin of 16 ¼ lengths. Saturday’s Chandelier Stakes marks her second consecutive Gr. 1 victory in just three short weeks.

Fractions for the 1 1/16-mile race were as follows: 23.14, 46.85, 1:11.09, 1:37.00, and a final time of 1:43.79

Doug O’Neill trained Land Over Sea finished second, while Desormeaux-trained Right There finished third, 14 ¼ lengths behind the winner.

Doug O’Neill Trained Nyquist Wins FrontRunner

With last year’s FrontRunner winner going on to become a Triple Crown champion, this year’s winner, Nyquist, has some rather large shoes to fill. The Doug O’Neill trained colt, by Uncle Mo, galloped to a ¾ length victory against a field of eight on Saturday, September 26th, posting a final time of 1:44.89.

Piloted by Mario Gutierrez, Nyquist settled in to stalk Go Long, piloted by Fernando Perez. The eventual winner went wide on the first turn, pushing out Swipe in the process, and later drifted in slightly towards his foe on the rail. The drift lead to a stewards inquiry, which was dismissed shortly after.

Nyquist, a Kentucky-bred colt owned by Reddam Racing LLC, was bred by Summerhill Farm and was purchased by Dennis O’Neill for $400,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Florida Select Two-Year-Olds in Training Sale, back in March of 2015. After breaking his maiden by a head, in June, he went on to capture the Gr. 2 Best Pal and Gr. 1 Del Mar Futurity. His win in the Gr. 1 FrontRunner marks his fourth consecutive win, third graded stakes win, and second Gr. 1 win. To date, Nyquist has accumulated $513,600 in earnings, averaging $128,400 per start.

Completing the superfecta were Swipe (2nd), Hollywood Don (3rd), and Rare Candy (4th). The $1 Superfecta paid $187.60.

Tapiture Snaps Streak in Ack Ack Handicap

Tapiture’s six-race winless streak came to an end Saturday when the Winchell Thoroughbreds owned colt held off race favorite Viva Majorca in the Gr. 3 Ack Ack Handicap at Churchill Downs. Under regular jockey Ricardo Santanta Jr., the chestnut son of Tapit stalked the pace early on before he made his move at the top of the stretch. Viva Majorca displayed a game effort but was outdueled by a half-length and finished second. Hat of Jacks was 4 ¼ lengths back in third.

Roman Unbridled set the pace with fractions of :23.10 and :46.75 through the half mile and finished third. Tapiture’s final time was 1:35.39 for the six-furlong race. The victory was Tapiture’s fifth, all of which have come in graded stakes. From 17 starts he has a record of 5-4-4 and earnings of $1,536,820.

Tapiture paid $7.40, $3.00, and $2.80. Viva Majorca paid $2.40 to place and show, while Hat of Jacks brought $5.80.

Smooth Roller Romps in Awesome Again

Lightly raced Smooth Roller proved that he was aptly named in just his fourth career start, as he scored in the Gr. 1 Awesome Again at Santa Anita Park. Watching him, it was hard to believe that he only debuted in June. The son of Hardspun glided past last year’s Breeders’ Cup Classic winner Bayern on the second turn, and looked every bit the professional, winning by 5 ¼ lengths. Hoppertunity finished second, with Bayern another 1 ½ lengths back in third.

Under Tyler Baze, Smooth Talker stalked the soft pace set by Bayern for the majority of the race and hit the wire in a final time of 1:48.08. He now has three wins from four starts and earnings of $261,810. The Kentucky-bred gelding is owned by Lucky Charm Stable and trained by Victor L. Garcia. This is his first graded stakes win.

Wedding Toast Victorious in Beldame

Wedding Toast, piloted by Jose Lezcano, rocketed out of the gates to lead the field wire to wire in the Gr. 1 Beldame at Belmont Park on Saturday. Skipping the Personal Ensign at Saratoga, due to a minor foot issue, proved to be beneficial for the five-year-old daughter of Street Sense — she has now won two straight grade ones this year.

The favorite in the field, Wedding Toast went to the front of the pack and was followed by Hot Stones and Curalina. Wedding Toast and Lezcano were ahead by one and a half lengths up the backstretch and pulled away as they rounded the turn. She crossed the wire in 1:47.67, 2 ¾ lengths ahead of Curalina, who was facing older horses for the first time. Catch My Drift was third, five lengths back.

The Beldame was a Win and You’re In, securing Wedding Toast a place in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff. The victory brought her record to 8-2-1 from 12 starts under the guidance of trainer Kiaran McLaughlin. This is her fourth graded stakes win since her career debut in June of 2013.

Wedding toast was bred by Darley and is owned by Godolphin Racing LLC.

Big Blue Kitten Sets Record in Joe Hirsch

Slumber and Twilight Eclipse were, yet again, denied victory on Saturday – and again, their denial came in the form of the bay turf machine Big Blue Kitten. In his typical fashion, the Ken and Sarah Ramsey homebred took over with a kick on the far turn and set a course record as he won the Gr. 1 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic.

Trainer Chad Brown started three horses in the field, with stablemate Shining Copper leading the field through fast fractions until they reached the second turn. Big Blue Kitten, under Joe Bravo, was 17 lengths back early on but gained and then rushed to the lead as they rounded the turn. He was alone by three lengths going into the stretch, before Slumber – the third Brown trainee – and Twilight Eclipse began their assault. Despite their best efforts, neither was able to overtake the leader, who held on for a ¾ length victory.

Slumber, Twilight Eclipse, Red Rifle, Shining Copper, Perfect Title, and Quiet Force completed the order of finish.

Big Blue Kitten’s final time of 2:23.39 for the mile and a half on turf was a course record, as well as the fastest 12 furlongs run at Belmont Park on any surface – including Secretariat’s Belmont Stakes. The victory boosted Big Blue Kitten’s record to 14-8-4 from 29 starts and his bankroll to $2,635,830. Saturday’s win also secured the seven-year-old ridgling son of Kitten’s Joy a spot in the Breeders’ Cup Turf next month.

Payouts:
Big Blue Kitten —— $7.00 win, $3.00 place, $2.30 show
Slumber (GB) —————— $4.80 place, $3.40 show
Twilight Eclipse  —————————- $3.00 show

$2 Superfecta → $145.00

Photo Call Impresses in Rodeo Drive

Hard Not to Like was full of buzz going into the weekend, but Photo Call, a four-year-old daughter of Galileo (IRE), stole the spotlight at the end of the Gr. 1 Rodeo Drive Stakes at Santa Anita Park.

Jockey Drayden Van Dyke was aboard the filly and guided her across the wire in 2:00.76, 2 ¼ lengths ahead of the rest of the field. This was her second graded win and qualified her for the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf.

Photo Call returned $19.40, $10.80, and $7.60. Elektrum paid $9.20 to place and $6.20 to show. Stormy Lucy, the longshot in the field, paid $12.40 to show. Hard Not to Like never fired and finished eighth.

The Rodeo Drive Stakes marks the bay’s second graded stakes victory and first grade one victory since debuting in April of 2014. Photo Call’s record now stands 4-2-4 from 13 starts. Graham Motion trains the filly.

Conquest Strate Up Stays Perfect in La Prevoyante Stakes

Meanwhile, in Canada, Mark Casse trainee Conquest Strate Up remains unbeaten overcoming a slow start from the gate to win Woodbine’s $125,000 La Prevoyante Stakes. The 3-year-old bay filly settled in the back of the field hugging the hedge and trailed until reaching the homestretch. She rallied under jockey Alan Garcia and edged out Internal Bourbon.

Purchased for $57,000 by Conquest Stables LLC at the OBS June 2014 Two-Year-Olds and Horses of Racing Age sale, Conquest Strate Up has earned $128,741 in three career starts. The filly, by Not Bourbon and out of Deputy, broke her maiden by 3 ¼ lengths going 6 ½ furlongs on the turf at Woodbine, back in July of 2015. This is her first stakes win.

Payouts for the race:
Conquest Strate Up ————- $12.30 win, $7.40 place, $4.70 show
Internal Bourbon ————————— $4.60 place, $3.40 show
Danish Princess  —————————————- $6.20 show

$2 Trifecta → $636.70

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