Golden Gate Fields – El Camino Real Derby
Gulfstream Park – Sprint Championship
Santa Anita – Santa Maria Stakes
Laurel Park – Barbara Fritchie Handicap
Thoroughbred Racing Action
Golden Gate Fields – El Camino Real Derby
Three-Year-Olds in the Bay
The major three-year-old prep race on Saturday is the Grade 3 El Camino Real Derby at Golden Gate Fields. A field of ten will line up for the nine-furlong race with Russian Greek installed as the 5-2 morning line favorite.
Russian Greek is the horse-for-course at Golden Gate with two wins in three starts over the track. His biggest and best win came in the $100,000 California Derby, which is the local prep for the El Camino Real.
In the Cal Derby Russian Greek was unhurried early, but flew in a hurry late to catch Cahill Chrome and win going away. Russian Greek, by Giant’s Causeway, should love the additional half furlong and is the horse to beat.
In addition to Russian Greek and Cahill Chrome there are two other horses that come out of the Cal Derby. Senor Rain was third and Unveiled Heat was fifth. Senor Rain is a salty 12-1 on the morning line for the race Saturday after being 4-1 in the Cal Derby. He is likely to improve in his second start off the layoff and may set the early pace. Unveiled Heat is a long shot again and will need to step up. His best two races were on the turf and is winless in five career starts over the Tapeta at Golden Gate.
The best of the new shooters are Daddy Nose Best, Lucky Chappy and Handsome Mike, who all might be better on the turf.
Daddy Nose Best drew the rail for the El Camino Real and will be making his first start on a synthetic surface. So far in his eight race career he has run six times on the turf and twice on the dirt with both his wins coming over the grass. Jockey Julien Leparoux will need a hot pace up front if his mount is going to be effective.
Lucky Chappy is another turf closer and runs for the same connections who won the Kentucky Derby last year with Animal Kingdom. The High Chaparral-colt is winless in three starts in the U.S. after going two-for-three in Italy.
Handsome Mike has something that the above two don’t have and that’s a start over synthetics; however, they weren’t exactly top efforts. In his debut he was fourth, beaten seven, at Del Mar then in the Grade 1 Cash Call Futurity at Hollywood Park he was seventh, beaten just under three lengths. He broke his maiden on the downhill turf course at Santa Anita and was second in the Grade 3 Generous over the Hollywood Park turf.
Handsome Mike appears to be one of the pace players on Saturday as does Senor Rain, Cahill Chrome, Rockinarz Recruit, All Squared Away and Lady of Fifty. Rockinarz Recruit and All Squared Away will be long shots when the gates open, but Lady of Fifty is interesting from post ten.
By the name you can figure out that Lady of Fifty is a filly taking on the boys. She is four-for-five in her career with three straight including the $100,000 California Oaks over the surface last month. Even though the two races came a week a part the speed figure earned by Lady of Fifty was higher than her male counterpart Russian Greek earned in the California Derby. Both Russian Greek and Lady of Fifty are trained by Jerry Hollendorfer with Aaron Gryder riding the Greek and Russell Baze taking the call on Lady of Fifty. You can never count out Hollendorfer and Baze in Northern California.
Scheduled as race eight on Saturday the El Camino Real Derby goes to post at 7:15 ET.
Gulfstream Park – Sprint Championship
Force Freeze Drops to Score
The feature race on Saturday at Gulfstream Park is the 36th running of the Grade 2 Sprint Championship for older horses. The seven-furlong sprint drew a field of eight led by Force Freeze.
Force Freeze comes into the Sprint Championship off an excellent second to Amazombie in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Sprint at Churchill Downs. Under jockey John Velazquez, Force Freeze stalked the pace for the first quarter mile, but soon found himself on the lead. He put away all his pace rivals, but was just collared at the wire by the late-running closer.
Prior to the Breeders’ Cup, Force Freeze was second in the Grade 1 Vosburgh Invitational over a muddy, sealed track at Belmont Park and won a stakes race at Monmouth Park, which was his first start in the U.S. since May 2008 after a campaign in Dubai.
The biggest concern for the backers of Force Freeze is the distance. The seven-year-old gelding has never been further than six furlongs in his career. He runs like he can get the extra furlong, but may be looking for the wire hoping to hold off the closers.
On speed figures Force Freeze stands out. His last three speed figures have been all over 100 with a 106 top in his last. In comparison only two other horses, Bold Warrior and Capt. Candyman Can, have run speed figures in the 100’s in their career.
Bold Warrior topped the 100-mark in his last race, a second place finish in a $58,000 stakes race at Belmont Park last October. That race was at one mile around one turn and he has a win and a second in two career starts at seven furlongs.
Capt. Candyman Can is the seven-furlong specialist with five wins in six starts at the distance. The six-year-old gelding is a Grade 1 winner at seven furlongs after taking the King’s Bishop via disqualification at Saratoga in 2009. He is a closer and thus is at the mercy of the pace, which may not be all that strong.
Decisive Moment has some front-running races, but all of those have been at longer distances. He set a very slow pace in his last race, the Hal’s Hope, and may not be the one to take up the early running on Saturday. That leaves Simba’s Story for trainer Todd Pletcher and his go-to rider John Velazquez.
Simba’s Story steps way up after a win in an allowance race, but if any trainer can get the job done it’s Pletcher. Velazquez should know Force Freeze well after riding him in the Breeders’ Cup and being drawn inside that rival, Velazquez could take up the early running. It may not be enough to hold off the favorite, but he could hold on for the minor awards.
Troilus is an interesting runner from the Marty Wolfson barn. The Speightstown-colt has won his last three races including his last two around one mile over the track. He began his career with three straight starts at seven furlongs, but was only able to manage a second and a third. Since his last race Troilus has worked a hole in the wind with back-to-back bullet works. He is the upsetter and one to watch going forward.
Rounding out the field are the Louisiana-bred Amanecer de Oro and the claimer Dixie Slam.
Post time for race, which goes as race ten on the 11-race card, is 4:45 ET.
Santa Anita – Santa Maria Stakes
Ellafitz Looks for Three Straight
Ellafitz is a front-runner nightmare for her rivals and once again she gets a chance to display her speed when she takes on six other fillies and mares on Saturday in the Grade 2 Santa Maria Stakes at Santa Anita.
Ellafitz as well as Spirit Seeker, Kayce Ace and Vision in Gold are all coming out of the $83,000 Paseana Handicap, which was run at the same course and distance as the Santa Maria, in mid-January. Spirit Seeker was third with Kayce Ace fourth and Vision in Gold sixth.
Vision in Gold actually started favored in the Paseana even though she was coming into the race off a ten-month layoff. What bettors were focusing on had to be the third in the Grade 1 Santa Margarita at Santa Anita and a win in last year’s Santa Maria.
The one interesting thing about Vision in Gold for the Paseana was that she showed up in front wraps, which is never a great thing to see for the first time in her career coming off a long layoff. If the wraps come off on Saturday then expect a big effort from the Medaglia d’Oro filly.
Kayce Ace defeated Ellafitz when they met at Hollywood Park last June, but could not close the gap in the Paseana. She will need to be closer to the pace in the Santa Maria and hope that one of the other rivals goes with Ellafitz early.
Spirit Seeker was projected to be closer to the pace in the Paseana, but for some reason was taken back. She pulled early and had nothing late, which prompted trainer Doug O’Neill to make a jockey switch back to Rafael Bejarano. Joe Talamo, the jockey on Spirit Seeker in the last, winds up with Kayce Ace. With the jock change expect Spirit Seeker to be pushing Ellafitz from the start.
Miss Mittagong and Love Theway Youare are coming off of graded stakes races, but were easily handled by Ellafitz in the Grade 2 Bayakoa Handicap at Hollywood Park in early December. Miss Mittagong is making her first start on the conventional dirt and is bred to handle it being by Breeders’ Cup Classic and Dubai World Cup winner Pleasantly Perfect.
The final filly in the race is Great Hot, who is coming into the race off a second place finish in the Grade 2 La Canada last month. In the La Canada Great Hot was closer to the pace than in the past, but could not out run the winner Include Me Out in the late stages. Include Me Out is trained by Ron Ellis so the connections are hoping to out duel his Vision in Gold on Saturday.
Post time for the Santa Maria is 7:07 ET.
Laurel Park – Barbara Fritchie Handicap
Grade 2 Fillies and Mares
The “other” Graded stakes race on Saturday is the Grade 2 Barbara Fritchie Handicap for fillies and mares going seven furlongs on the main track at Laurel Park. A field of nine will go postward and contention runs deep.
The probable morning line favorite is the Michael Hushion-trained Nicole H, who is coming into the race with back-to-back scores over the inner dirt at Aqueduct. On New Year’s Day Nicole H won by a neck, despite traffic, in the Interborough then won with ease in the Correction in her last start. The one caveat about Nicole H is that she is five-for-five at the Big A and only two-for-thirteen elsewhere.
C C’s Pal is also coming off back-to-back score at Aqueduct winning the Garland Of Roses at six furlongs then stretching out to win the nine furlong Ladies Handicap on New Year’s day. Since moving to the Rick Dutrow barn, C C’s Pal is three-for-four with her only loss coming to Lovely Lil, who is also entered in the Fritchie.
In her last six starts Lovely Lil has been in-the-money in all six including three wins highlighted by a win in the Grade 2 Go For Wand over the main track at Aqueduct in November. Seven furlongs isn’t the best distance for Lovely Lil as evident by her zero-for-three record. A stablemate of Nicole H, Lovely Lil is likely to be part of the early pace on Saturday.
The other pace player is Red’s Round Table, who loves the Laurel Park course. In five career starts over the track she has four wins and a second. She comes off a smashing allowance win in late January at Laurel and won the Wide Country Stakes over the course and distance last year.
Silver Heart is somewhat of a distance specialist having run twelve of her 29 career starts at seven furlongs. In those twelve she only has three wins, two seconds and two thirds with most coming in West Virginia-bred races. She will get a good stalking trip from the outside and could round out the tri or superfecta.
Aquitania, three-for-three at Laurel, Magical Feeling, four wins in her last five starts, are the next contenders in line with Terra Rolla and Lily Quatorze the long shots in the group.
Post time for the Barbara Fritchie 3:55 ET.
Thoroughbred Racing Action
Weekend Stakes Action
Great racing action from across the country this weekend. Watch these races all on BetAmerica.com.
Saturday – February 18
- Golden Gate Fields: El Camino Real Derby – G3, $200,000, 3yo, 9f
- Gulfstream Park: Sprint Championship – G2, $150,000, 4yo & up, 7f
- Santa Anita: Santa Maria Stakes – G2, $200,000, 4yo & up, 8.5f
- Laurel Park: Barbara Fritchie Handicap – G2, $200,000, 3yo & up f&m, 7f
- Oaklawn Park: Bayakoa Stakes, $100,000, 4yo & up f&m, 8.5f
- Tampa Bay Downs: Turf Dash, $75,000, 3yo & up, 5f turf
- Turfway Park: Dust Commander Stakes, $50,000, 4yo & up, 8f
- Sunland Park: Sydney Valentini Handicap, $110,000, 4yo & up, 8f
- Sam Houston: Jim’s Orbit Stakes, $100,000, 3yo, 8f
- Turf Paradise: Phoenix Gold Cup, $75,000, 4yo & up, 6f
Sunday – February 19
- Santa Anita: San Vicente Stakes – G2, $150,000, 3yo, 7f
- Gulfstream Park: Hurricane Bertie Stakes – G3, $150,000, 4yo & up f&m, 6.5f
- Oaklawn Park: Spring Fever Stakes, $60,000, 4yo & up, 5.5f
Monday – February 20
- Santa Anita: Buena Vista Handicap – G2, $150,000, 4yo & up f&m, 8f turf
- Oaklawn Park: Southwest Stakes – G3, $250,000, 3yo, 8f
- Laurel Park: General George Handicap – G2, $200,000, 3yo & up, 7f
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