Almendares uses his class late to get up in time in the American Stakes, Benoit Photo
Santa Anita Press
Get your reservation for our annual Kentucky Derby seminar now! Details Here
ARCADIA, CA —After finishing second or third in nine graded stakes, Almendares got a long-awaited breakthrough victory Saturday when rallying from last under Antonio Fresu to win the Grade III, $100,000 American Stakes for older horses at one mile on turf at Santa Anita.
Almendares, the 8-5 favorite trained by Phil D’Amato, was shifted to the outside for clear racing room at the top of the stretch and surged past leader Genius Jimmy (7-1) to win by a neck. It was another one length back to Seal Team (9-2) in third. King of Gosford, a Grade I winner who was returning from a 7 ½-month layoff for D’Amato, was another half-length back in fourth.
“He’s just like a fine wine this horse,” D’Amato said of Almendares. “It’s taken us a while to figure out what his style is, but we finally have and everything worked out well today.” Earlier on the card, D’Amato also won the John Shear Stakes for 3-year-olds sprinting on the hillside turf course with Later Than Planned.
Bred in England, Almendares is a 6-year-old gelding by Havana Grey. He is campaigned by CYBT, McLean Racing Stables, Saul Gevertz, Michael Nentwig and Ray Pagano. He improved to 23: 6-5-6 with more than $640,000 in earnings.
In two previous starts this year, Almendares finished third in both the GI Pegasus World Cup Turf at Gulfstream Park in January and the GII Frank E. Kilroe Mile on March 7 at Santa Anita. “Ever since we ran him in the Pegasus turf in Florida, he’s just come on little by little and become more professional,” D’Amato said. “His works this year have really been spectacular. The work leading up to this race was one of the best he’s ever given me.”
Almendares and Fresu settled at the back of the pack as Captain Choochies (9-1) set opening fractions of 23.30 and 47.78 seconds for a half mile. At the quarter pole, which was reached in 1:10.84, Almendares still had only one horse beat. Meanwhile Genius Jimmy, who had been pressing Captain Choochies in second, grabbed the lead under Juan Hernandez and continued on strongly to the wire. But rolling on the outside was Almendares, who outfinished Genius Jimmy to win in a time of 1:34.14.
“I was loving where I was,” Fresu said. “This horse, his best race is when he’s at the back and chilling. That’s when he has a turn of foot. Otherwise, he can get too keen and doesn’t use it. “Around the (second) turn, I was preparing my horse to use his turn of foot. Once we hit the stretch, I put him outside and he was impressive.”
The American is a potential steppingstone to the GI Shoemaker Mile on May 25 at Santa Anita.
Almendares paid $5.40, $3.00 and $2.40. Genius Jimmy, trained by Michael McCarthy, returned $6.40 and $4.00. Seal Team, with Hector Berrios aboard for trainer Richard Mandella, paid $4.40.
Live racing resumes Sunday at Santa Anita with a nine-race card starting at 1 p.m. PT.
GRADE III, AMERICAN STAKES QUOTES
JOCKEY QUOTES
ANTONIO FRESU, ALMENDARES, WINNER: “I was loving where I was. This horse, his best race is when he’s at the back and chilling. That’s when he has a turn of foot. Otherwise, he can get too keen and doesn’t use it. I was loving where I was. I saved ground on the first turn. On the backside I was figuring out who to follow. I had Seal Team right in front of me and he was taking me. Around the (second) turn, I was preparing my horse to use his turn of foot. Once we hit the stretch, I put him outside and he was impressive.”
“The pace wasn’t as strong as you would expect in these kind of stakes. My horse, he’s been too unlucky not to win a graded-stakes. He’s placed in Grade Is, Grade IIs, Grade IIIs. He has to have the trip where he’s relaxing.”
TRAINER QUOTES
PHILIP D’AMATO, ALMENDARES, WINNER: “He’s just like a fine wine this horse. It’s taken us a while to figure out what his style is, but we finally have and everything worked out well today. Ever since we ran him in the Pegasus turf in Florida, he’s just come on little by little and become more professional. His works this year have really been spectacular. The work leading up to this race was one of the best he’s ever given me.
ON KING OF GOSFORD, FOURTH: “You never know. He was coming off an eight-month layoff. He’s a horse that knows he’s a colt and he likes to flaunt it every now and then. So I think he got a little rank on us early. All in all, he got beat a couple of lengths. It’s something to definitely build off of and I definitely think he can be on the win-end next time.”
NOTES: The winning owner is CYBT, McLean Racing Stables, Saul Gevertz, Michael Nentwig, and Ray Pagano.
