ARCADIA, Calif.—Madone, a perfect three-for-three at a mile on grass before finishing eighth of 14 in the Grade I Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf at Keeneland last Nov. 6, returns to her most successful distance and surface Saturday in the Grade III Senorita Stakes, her first race in nearly six months.
Trained by Simon Callaghan for owner Kaleem Shah, Inc., the $125,000 daughter of Vancouver out of the Cherokee Run dam Indian Love Call won Santa Anita’s restricted Surfer Girl at a mile on turf last Oct. 4.
“We just gave her some time and she’s returned well,” Callaghan said. “We’re excited to have her back.”
Flavien Prat has ridden Madone (believed to mean “beautiful angel” freely translated from Italian) in her four races, but with stakes rides at Churchill Downs Saturday, including Hot Rod Charlie in the Kentucky Derby, Juan Hernandez has the mount.
The $100,000 Senorita for three-year-old fillies is race 10 of 10 with first post time at 12:30 p.m. There were 13 horses nominated to the race and 11 entered, better than 85 percent.
The field:
1. Madone, Juan Hernandez, 3-1
2. Jibber Jabber, Geovanni Franco, 20-1
3. Nimbostratus. Tiago Pereira, 12-1
4. Closing Remarks, Victor Espinoza, 5-2
5. Tetragonal, Abel Cedillo, 6-1
6. Golden, Jose Valdivia Jr., 20-1
7. Sensible Cat, Tyler Baze, 10-1
8. Stressed, Mario Gutierrez, 20-1
9. Majestic Steps, Ricardo Gonzalez, 15-1
10. Javanica, Kent Desormeaux, 4-1
11. Sweetest Angel, Edwin Maldonado, 12-1
FINISH LINES:
Santa Anita Grandstand Admission Gates will open at 7 a.m. on Derby Day; Infield Gates open at 9 a.m.
First post time on Saturday for a 10-race card is at 12:30 p.m. Fans are advised to please visit Santaanita.com/open, as there is no walk-up admission, due to COVID-19 restrictions.
Agent Tony Matos is keeping Edwin Maldonado busy Saturday. The 38-year-old Ohio native is booked to ride in nine of the 10 races, the first eight in a row. Flavien Prat holds a seemingly insurmountable 95-55 lead over Juan Hernandez in pursuit of the riding title, but it’s still a ways away from the 138 victories by Laffit Pincay Jr., who established a single-season Santa Anita record in 1970-71, when he outdistanced runner-up Jerry Lambert by 68 winners, Lambert reaching the winner’s circle 70 times. There were 86 recorded workouts at Santa Anita Friday, including a four-furlong breeze in 49.20 by Curvette, a three-year-old daughter of two-time Horse of the Year Curlin who won her debut by 5 ½ lengths as the 6-5 favorite under Prat on April 18. Owned by Stonestreet Stables LLC, Curvette is trained by Bob Baffert. With her victory on Race Judicata for her stepfather, leading trainer Phil D’Amato, in Saturday’s fifth race, Jessica Pyfer shed two pounds from her apprentice allowance and now rides with a five-pound “bug.”. Jockey Eswan Flores has been suspended five days (May 2, 7, 8, 9 and 14) for causing interference on D’s Lovely Sophia in last Sunday’s 11th race, resulting in the disqualification of his mount from second to unplaced…Tom Quigley’s pre-race handicapping seminar will start at 11:20 a.m. on Derby Day and his special guest will be XBTV’s Jeff Siegel. With a return to a 1 p.m. first race post time on Sunday, Tom’s guest will be bloodstock agent Larry Zap, with the seminar beginning at 11:50 a.m. and available at santaanita.com/live.
Santa Anita Press Release
Photo: Madone wins the 2020 Surfer Girl in October at Santa Anita. (Benoit)
