Ag Bullet rallied powerfully off the turn for home to win by 1 ¼ lengths. (Ernie Belmonte/Past The Wire)
Baltas’ Comeback Complete As Ag Bullet takes $100,000 Stakes By 1 ¼ Lengths
ARCADIA, Calif. —Sidelined due to a suspension for 12 months and absent from the entry box in California since July of 2022, veteran trainer Richard Baltas, who returned to action this past December, was all smiles following today’s $100,000 Wishing Well Stakes at Santa Anita, as his 4-year-old filly Ag Bullet rallied powerfully off the turn for home to win by 1 ¼ lengths, providing Umberto Rispoli with his third winner on the day.
Owned by longtime clients Calvin Nguyen and Joey Tran, Ag Bullet got about 6 ½ furlongs down the hillside turf course in 1:12.85.
Breaking like a shot from her number four post in a field of 10 older fillies and mares, Ag Bullet was immediately engaged to her inside by Phenom and Edwin Maldonado. Approaching the dirt crossing at the top of the lane, Ag Bullet pulled alongside Phenom and at that point, had favored Gracelund Gray pinned to the inside.
Turning for home, Ag Bullet and Phenom were head and head to the eighth pole as Gracelund Grey was unable to find racing room at the rail. A sixteenth of a mile out, Ag Bullet shook loose, opening up two lengths as Gracelund Grey shifted into the three path, but by that time, Ag Bullet had the Wishing Well in-hand.
Idle since a well beaten fifth in an ungraded stakes at Turfway Park on March 25 of last year and in her first-ever try down the hillside turf, Ag Bullet was off as the second choice at 7-2 and paid $9.80, $4.80 and $3.60.
A Kentucky-bred filly by Twirling Candy out of the Forestry mare Noble Grey, Ag Bullet, a winner of the ungraded Lady of Shamrock Stakes when conditioned by George Papaprodromou two starts back on Feb. 12, 2023, thus notched her second stakes win and third overall win from five starts. With the winner’s share of $60,000, she increased her earnings to $170,300.
Ridden by Kazushi Kimura, Gracelund Gray was extra game late and finished second by a head over a fast-finishing Miss Lizzy. Trained by Peter Eurton, Gracelund Gray was off as the 2-1 favorite and paid $4.00 and $2.60.
Trained by Doug O’Neill and ridden by Hector Berrios, Miss Lizzy, off at 9-1, paid $4.00 to show while finishing a nose better than English-bred Lunar Impact.
Fractions on the Wishing Well were 22.00, 44.10 and 1:06.62.
Racing resumes at Santa Anita with first post time for a nine-race card on Friday at 12:30 p.m.
$100,000 Wishing Well Stakes Quotes
Jockey Quotes
Umberto Rispoli, Ag Bullet, Winner: “He had this filly ready. Richard did an amazing job. She almost had a year layoff, he told me, ‘I have this filly ready, don’t worry about it.’ I didn’t take anything away from her. I popped out of the gate, and I had a good trip. I was outside of the leader and going down the hill I said, ‘Wow, I’m loaded, I have so much horse underneath.’
“I’m glad to see Ritchie back in the Winner’s Circle with a stakes winner, he really deserves it more than anyone else.”
Trainer Quotes
Richard Baltas, Ag Bullet, Winner: “It feels great. I’ve been running some horses up the track the past month and a half. I knew this one had some quality, and she was training really well, and she really showed up today. It was a great ride from Umberto.”
Owner Quotes
Calvin Nguyen, Ag Bullet, Winner: “I’m so happy for Richard Baltas, he really did a marvelous job with this horse like Umberto said. The horse is ready, and he is great trainer, I am just so happy for him, and I’m very fortunate to be a part of the team.”
