Racing! Omaha Beach wows in return

Hello, my name is John Cherwa and welcome back to our horse racing newsletter as Richard Mandella has a bittersweet day.

You can’t say enough about Omaha Beach’s return to racing in the Grade 1 $300,000 Santa Anita Sprint Championship, a qualifier for the Breeders’ Cup Sprint. He stayed off the pace and then came firing on the inside to win by a head over heavy favorite Shancelot.

The win was certainly tempered for trainer Richard Mandella, who lost a 5-year-old gelding during training when Ky Colonel collapsed and died after jogging on the training track in the morning. It is currently considered a sudden death event, which usually means a heart attack. It was not considered a catastrophic, which is a muscular-skeletal event that can lead to a painful to watch breakdown.

Mandella was in a good mood after winning Saturday’s race.

“I’m just very relieved to have him back,” Mandella said. “At the eighth pole, I thought we were [going to be] clear, but it took some race riding.…This horse has a heart of gold and he’s got the greatest personality of any horse I’ve ever had. I would say anything’s possible.”

Winning the race gave Omaha Beach a free pass into the Breeders’ Cup Sprint, which may not be the race he wants to run in.

“I want to enjoy this one, but the [Breeders’ Cup] Sprint, the Mile and the mile-and-a-quarter (Classic) are all possible,” Mandella said. “We’re gonna run in the Breeders’ Cup. For now, I’ll just drink that big bottle of champagne and think it over.”

More on the race down below.

Preakness staying at Pimlico

It looks as if the Preakness is staying at Pimlico Race Course, at least that’s the plan for now. It seems as if everyone has gotten together and in exchange for turning Pimlico over to the city of Baltimore, the Stronach Group will get a bunch of money to update Laurel.

TSG said it plans to keep the Preakness at Pimlico for at least 30 more years. Now, there has to be entities that are willing to put in the money to rebuild part of Pimlico and it seems as if the money will be coming from slot machine revenue, if the legislature approves it. Pimlico will get about $200 million, which will allow them to rebuild the grandstand, reconfigure the course to allow the sale of land to be sold commercially.

I’ve been to Pimlico quite a few times, and it strikes me that $200 million is the equivalent of putting lipstick on a pig. I hope they’ve got great plans that will wow everyone. But, I’ve thought that anything short of one of those Las Vegas hotel implosions would be foolish. Heck, we didn’t even have running water at the Preakness last year. Well, Baltimore needs to put its faith in the engineers and in three-to-four years we’ll have a completely transformed facility.

Oh, Laurel, owned by TSG, will get about $173 million in improvements to include a new clubhouse, stabling areas and a synthetic track.

If you want to know more about this story, just click here.

Handicapping lesson from Rob Henie

Here’s our weekly contribution from Rob Henie of the WCHR (West Coast Handicapping Report) and the ECHR (East Coast Handicapping Report). Today’s analysis comes from the fourth race at Santa Anita and incorporates some handicapping angles into the mix. Rob, take it away.

“This is the Zuma Beach at a mile on the turf. Much of successful handicapping, is playing the role of a contrarian. It’s this mindset which allowed us to reflect a ROI profit on every race at the recent Del Mar Summer Meet in fact, the third straight summer we’ve pulled this feat, and it was contrarian thinking allowing us to find the $35 winner in the City of Hope Mile on Saturday. Thinking outside the box, knowing when to zig, and when to zag. With this in mind, we look at the 8-5 morning line favorite here, ENCODER, who’s two for two, but can make a case to beat him? We’re gonna try. We’ll rationalize his first try routing last time out, was good, but was it 3-5 good? We’ll mention, both wins came down at Del Mar, thus, does he love that track, or will he offer just as much at this new venue? With a short price attached, we’ll look elsewhere. Top selection is COOL RUNNINGS (#7). Yes, he’s a maiden, but the placement alone, when coming from a competent trainer such as Keith Desormeaux, is encouraging, one of confidence. Will the new venue move him forward? He’s also running for a third straight time to begin his career, telling us he’s healthy, and right now, this course is more than fair, usually the case at any meet, as the ground has more bounce, allowing those from off the pace to actually make up ground in the face of a tougher surface for those on the front end. It’s different than late in the meet when the ground is harder, and the effect is more like that of a conveyor belt. Expecting a sharp try with a decent price attached, as the stigma of being a maiden in a stakes race, is often too much for many handicappers to accept, actually more often than not though, the wrong approach. WAR BEAST (#6) is interesting. He tried running on late two back in the face of some slower early splits, and last time out, set the running himself while going quicker. He’s shown two styles so far, and Sunday, over this bouncier course, will look for trip in between each of those efforts, likely right off the Peter Miller runner, using the blinkers which were added last time out, to his advantage once again, focused up close, getting first run before having to deal with our top choice, as well as the John Sadler favorite. Again, try to create a contrarian viewpoint, seeing what other horse players aren’t seeing, this is where value can be had, as 7-5 favorites are simply the result of everyone seeing the same thing.

“Hot / Cold Race Trends: none

“Win Contenders (order of preference): 7-6-1

“X Out Runners (eliminating on the win end): none

“Positive Notes:

“1 Hariboux - Mullins has had some success with Euro imports over the last six months, usually turning to Drayden as well.

“TOP PICK: COOL RUNNINGS (#7 10-1 Desormeaux)

“SECOND CHOICE: WAR BEAST (#6 8-1 Cedillo)”

^{The West Coast Handicapping Report can be found at http://www.westcoasthorseracing.com It has been endorsed by leading trainers, handicappers and industry sources.}

Santa Anita review

Some really good racing on Saturday, so let’s get right to the summaries of the races.

Grade 3 $100,000 L.A. Woman Stakes: Lady Ninja came late to win by a nose over a determined Selcourt in the race for fillies and mares going 6 ½ furlongs. Lady Ninja was a $32,000 claim 10 races ago and certainly has been worth the money for trainer Richard Baltas.

Lady Ninja paid $7.40, $3.40 and $2.10. Selcourt was second and favorite Anonymity was third.

Here’s what the winning connections had to say.

Richard Baltas (winning trainer): “She’s been in those stretch duels before and she’s won ‘em. I know that she ran her race [Saturday]. She’s been an over-achiever, that’s all I can tell you. She broke straight up in the air [when she finished third in the Rancho Bernardo Handicap Aug. 11]. … She came from the inside and she split horses and she ground it out. I’m happy.”

Drayden Van Dyke (winning jockey): “She broke good, compared to last time. After that, I had to wait and see where I could get out. When the four (Anonymity) backed out, I was able to get outside of Selcourt and from there, she was really game.”

Grade 2 $200,000 City of Hope Mile: It was another great finish with True Valour getting up to win by ahead in a five-horse finish in this 11-horse turf race. The horse hadn’t raced since Feb. 9 and made for a good price in winning. He paid $35.80, $16.20 and $7.00. Restrainedvengence was a longshot second place followed by Prince Earl.

Here’s what the connections had to say.

Simon Callaghan (winning trainer): “He’s such a cool horse he always comes up and shows a big showing. It was nice to get the head bob today. He had some time off after the Thunder Road stakes (Feb. 9) due to some minor bone bruising and we wanted to give him some time off. We felt we had him really fit [Saturday]. He was pretty fresh early, he pulled Drayden early, gave him a perfect ride, he sprint quick to the front and it worked out well. He needs to play his cards where they lay and Drayden certainly did that.

“Qatar [Racing Limited] may want to go for the Breeders’ Cup Mile, it’s here and he’s shown a pretty good affinity for the track as far as his last two races, it will be tougher but they might want to take a shot.”

Drayden Van Dyke (winning jockey): “Simon told me to keep him covered up, that’s the main thing. If he sees daylight, he gets aggressive, which he was early. From there, I just tried to find a path and someone to follow. I knew I had won, they (the placing judges) were trying to figure out who was second and third.”

Grade 1 $300,000 Santa Anita Sprint Championship: This is a very good six-furlong test even though the winner may not be going in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint. We covered a lot about this race up top. So, let’s get to the payoff and some quotes.

Omaha Beach paid $7.20, $2.40 and $2.10. Shancelot was second and Flagstaff finished third.

Here’s a few more quotes.

Mike Smith (winning jockey): “He broke extremely well, almost too well, he slipped a little leaving there but man he settled right in behind them really nice. He was loaded coming off that turn, Mr. Mandella really had him ready [Saturday]. His last work was brilliant and he ran the way he worked.”

“He’s a throwback to those classic horses. He can do anything. Three quarters to a mile-and-a-quarter. He’s extremely fast and he’s got tremendous stamina. When you need him to be quick, he is. He can do it all. The only thing that surprised me today was that I had to stay inside. His last work was his best one, no question. [Saturday], he hit his best stride late.”

Jorge Navarro (trainer of second place Shancelot): “I really don’t know what to think right now, to be honest. I thought maybe he (jockey Emisael Jaramillo) waited too long. …What’s he looking back for?”

Santa Anita preview

The Sunday card, at 12:30 p.m., is real good with three $100,000 stakes races, one of which is a win-and-your-in Breeders’ Cup race. Four of the eight races are on the turf. In addition to the three stakes there are two allowance/optional claimers, which makes up for the almost full claiming race cards on weekdays.

Let’s get right to the stakes previews.

$100,000 Zuma Beach Stakes: This race is for 2-year-olds going a mile on the turf. Encoder, at 8-5, is the favorite for trainer John Sadler and jockey Flavien Prat. He is undefeated in two starts at Del Mar, winning by 1 ½ lengths and a head. He rallied in the stretch to win his last race.

There are two second favorites at 5-2, Hariboux for Jeff Mullins and Van Dyke and Billy Batts for Peter Miller and Norberto Arroyo, Jr. Hariboux is making his first U.S. start after winning three of five in England. Billy Batts has won one of five and started his career in Kentucky before coming west for his last two races. Post wil be about 2:15 p.m.

$100,000 Speakeasy Stakes: This is a win-and-your-in race for the Breeders Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint. The race is five furlongs on the turf for 2-year-olds. The favorite is Ginobili for Richard Baltas and Van Dyke. He’s won one of his three races and finished fourth in the Del Mar Futurity.

Greg’s Diva, at 9-2, is the second favorite for Phil D’Amato and Tyler Baze. She (yes, a filly) has one win and two seconds in three starts. She’s coming off a win in a maiden special. Post is around 3:25 p.m.

$100,000 Surfer Girl Stakes: It’s a mile turf race for 2-year-old fillies. Mind Out is the 5-2 favorite for Simon Callaghan and Prat. She has run once and won by three-quarters of a length. Mind Out was an $850,000 purchase as a yearling.

Yesterdayoncemore is the second favorite at 5-2 for James Stack and Victor Espinoza. She ran five races in Ireland before coming to Del Mar and winning her first race. Post is in the final race at about 4:25 p.m.

Big Races review

A look at graded stakes or races worth $100,000 or more on Saturday.

Belmont (5): $150,000 Belmont Turf Sprint Invitational, 3 and up, 6 furlongs on turf. Winner: Final Frontier ($8.20)

Belmont (6): Grade 3 $150,000 Matron Stakes, fillies 2-years-old, 6 furlongs on turf. Winner: Alms ($3.30)

Keeneland (6): Grade 2 $200,000 Woodford Select Stakes, 3 and up, 5 ½ furlongs. Winner: Stubbins ($17.20)

Parx (8): Grade 3 $200,000 Greenwood Cup Stakes, 3 and up, 1 ½ miles. Winner: Adventist ($103.00)

Belmont (8): Grade 2 $400,000 Hill Prince Stakes, 3-year-old, 1 1/8 miles on turf. Winner: Neptune’s Storm ($22.40)

Keeneland (7): Grade 2 $250,000 Thoroughbred Club of America Stakes, fillies and mares 3 and up, 6 furlongs. Winner: Spiced Perfection ($10.20)

Belmont (9): Grade 1 $500,000 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic, 3 and up, 1 ½ miles on turf. Winner: Arklow ($10.00)

Woodbine (8): Grade 3 $125,000 Mazarine Stakes, fillies 2-years-old, 1 1/16 miles. Winner: Curlin’s Voyage ($4.20)

Keeneland (8): Grade 1 $400,000 First Lady Stakes, fillies and mares 3 and up, 1 mile on turf. Winner: Uni ($8.00)

Belmont (10): Grade 1 $500,000 Champagne Stakes, 2-year-olds, 1 mile. Winner: Tiz the Law ($4.80)

Keeneland (9): Grade 1 $500,000 Claiborne Breeders’ Futurity, 2-year-olds, 1 1/16 miles. Winner: Maxfield ($14.80)

Santa Anita (5): Grade 3 $100,000 L.A. Woman Stakes, fillies and mares 3 and up, 6 ½ furlongs. Winner: Lady Ninja ($7.40)

Keeneland (10): Grade 1 $1 million Shadwell Turf Mile, 3 and up, 1 mile on turf. Winner: Bowies Hero ($18.40)

Santa Anita (8): Grade 2 $200,000 City of Hope Mile, 3 and up, 1 mile on turf. Winner: True Valor ($35.80)

Santa Anita (9): Grade 1 $300,000 Santa Anita Sprint Cup, 3 and up, 6 furlongs. Winner: Omaha Beach ($7.20)

Fresno (8): $100,000 Harris Farms Stakes, Cal-breds 3 and up, 6 furlongs. Winner: Fashionably Fast ($4.80)

Big races preview

A look at graded stakes or races worth $100,000 or more on Sunday. All times PDT:

1:12 Belmont (7): Grade 3 $150,000 Futurity Stakes, 2-year-olds, 6 furlongs on turf. Favorite: Four Wheel Drive (9-5)

1:35 Keeneland (7): $200,000 Indian Summer Stakes, 2-year-olds, 5 ½ furlongs on turf. Favorites: Kimari, Mysic Lancelot (5-2)

1:47 Belmont (8): Grade 1 $500,000 Flower Bowl Stakes, fillies and mares 3 and up, 1 ¼ miles on turf. Favorite: Sistercharlie (1-5)

1:59 Woodbine (8): $225,000 Cup and Saucer Stakes, Ont-bred 2-year-olds, 1 1/16 miles on turf. Favorite: Pleasecallmeback (3-1)

2:10 Keeneland (8): Grade 3 $250,000 Dixiana Bourbon Stakes, 2-year-olds, 1 1/16 miles on turf. Favorite: Vitalogy (4-1)

2:15 Santa Anita (4): $100,000 Zuma Beach Stakes, 2-year-olds, 1 mile on turf. Favorite: Encoder (8-5)

2:20 Belmont (9): Grade 1 $400,000 Frizette Stakes, fillies 2-years-old, 1 mile. Favorite: Wicked Whisper (2-1)

3:18 Keeneland (10): Grade 1 $500,000 Juddmonte Spinster Stakes, fillies and mares 3 and up, 1 1/8 miles. Favorite: Hallawallah (7-2)

3:25 Santa Anita (6): $100,000 Speakeasy Stakes, 2-year-olds, 5 furlongs on turf. Favorite: Greg’s Diva (9-2)

4:25 Santa Anita (8): $100,000 Surfer Girl Stakes, fillies 2-years-old, 1 mile on turf. Favorite: Mind Out (5-2)

Ciaran Thornton’s SA pick of the day

RACE SIX: No. 4 Mr. Tip (12-1)

Mr. Tip won his debut at Arlington Park last month going five furlongs on the all-weather track. Trained at Keeneland since they shipped him out here this week and brought the jockey Sophie Doyle out as well. The jockey is two-for-two for this trainer. Some sharp works since the debut win this 12-1 morning line looks very nice in what looks to be the best value race on the card. I also will be using No. 3 Commander, No. 8 Square Deal and No. 7 Raging Whiskey in my bets.

Saturday’s result: Unapologetic should apologize to us for looking so good on paper. The horse looked like it may make a move midway through the race but had nothing.

Ciaran Thornton is the handicapper for Californiapick4.com, which offers daily full card picks, longshots of the day, best bets of the day.

Ed Burgart’s LA pick of the day

FOURTH RACE: No. 2 She Runs By You (5-2)

While 6-5 morning-line favorite Cuthroat continues to find ways to lose, I like the chances of third-time starter She Runs By You to score a mild upset. Making only her third lifetime start and just second trip postward in five months, she broke more than one length slow when fifth at the same level in last. She showed talent when posting a 12.4 gate drill when outworking her company last April and has more upside than Cuthroat, who has finished second four times in seven starts.

Final thoughts

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And now the stars of the show, Saturday’s results and Sunday’s entries.