Air Force Red soars to victory in the San Simeon (Ernie Belmonte/Past The Wire)
Santa Anita Press Box
ARCADIA, Calif. — Just seven days after finishing off the board in the GI Frank E. Kilroe Mile at Santa Anita, Air Force Red cut back to a sprint soared to a one-length victory in Saturday’s Grade III, $100,000 San Simeon Stakes for older horses going about 6 ½ furlongs on Santa Anita’s hillside turf course.
Ridden by Armando Ayuso, Air Force Red settled near the back of the pack as longshot Lovesick Blues (27-1) and last year’s San Simeon winner, Mucho Del Oro, showed the way down the hill. When the field reached the dirt crossing, Air Force Red appeared to be full of run. Lovesick Blues and jockey Geovanni Franco continued to motor on the lead but near the three-sixteenths pole, Air Force Red split horses and surged past Lovesick Blues inside the final furlong to win by one length.
Trained by Leonard Powell, Air Force Red won in a time of 1:12.99 following fractions of 21.64, 43.78 and 1:06.95.
“He was loaded all the way,” Ayuso said of the winner. “When he spilt horses, he did it with a powerful move.”
For Ayuso, a 31-year-old native of Panama, this was his second career graded stakes win. He also won last year’s GIII Cougar II at Del Mar aboard Midnight Mammoth for trainer Craig Dollase..
Air Force Red is a 7-year-old ridgling by Air Force Blue. He improved to 25: 7-3-2 with $711,574 in earnings for owners Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Holly Golightly.
“The instructions were not to get into a speed duel and not get stuck inside,” Powelll said. “He is a big horse and he can get shy when he is inside of horses. There was quite a bit of speed, they went 21 and change. But Armando was able to let him relax. I could see before they crossed the dirt that he was loaded and once he got the split he just exploded.”
The San Simeon was the third stakes win for Air Force Red, who over three-plus years of racing has become a favorite of Powell barn. In 2022, he won both the GII Joe Hernandez on the hillside course and the Lure Stakes going a mile on turf, also at Santa Anita.
“He is such a character and a horse we all love,” Powell said.
Air Force Red paid $11.80, $4.80 and $3.20. Lovesick Blues, trained by Librado Barocio, returned $19.00 and $6.40. Sorrento Sky, ridden by Antonio Fresu for trainer Phil D’Amato, paid $3.00.
