John Sadler has Edgeway poised for what he hopes will be another successful campaign as the ultra-consistent five-year-old mare looms a heavy favorite in Sunday’s Grade III Las Flores Stakes for older fillies and mares at six furlongs.
A Kentucky-bred daughter of Competitive Edge owned by Sadler’s principal clients, Kosta and Peter Hronis, Edgeway has a 6-3-1 record from 10 starts and is coming off a front-running victory by almost two lengths in the restricted Kalookan Queen Stakes at 6 ½ furlongs on Jan. 2.
“Her record speaks for itself, second in the Breeders’ Cup (Filly & Mare Sprint behind champion Ce Ce),” Sadler said. “She’s a multiple stakes-winning filly and top class.
“We’re just mapping out a campaign for the whole year, and hopefully end up in the Breeders’ Cup again, and win it.”
Edgeway breezed five furlongs last Sunday in a bullet 59.20, fastest of 57 drills at the distance.
The field for the 69th edition of the Las Flores, the first of eight races with a 12:30 p.m. first post time: Private Mission, Juan Hernandez, 6-5; $2,000 supplemental nominee Park Avenue, Tyler Baze, 10-1; Edgeway, John Velazquez, 4-5; Dynasty of Her Own, Ricardo Gonzalez, 8-1; and $2,000 supplemental nominee Aloha Kitten, Flavien Prat, 15-1.
HIGH PERCENTAGE HALL OF FAMER MCANALLY WINS FRIDAY’S FIRST RACE
Although he remains sidelined with a persistent throat infection, Hall of Fame trainer Ron McAnally and his wife Debbie were no doubt all smiles following Friday’s first race, as their 5-year-old maiden homebred mare Red Diamond won easily under Jose Valdivia, Jr., negotiating six furlongs on turf in 1:09.80, while winning by three lengths.
“This was our first start of the meet, so we wanted to make it count,” joked longtime McAnally assistant Dan Landers. “Ronnie’s watching from home, but he’s getting better and he should be back to the track in another week.”
A native of Covington, KY, McAnally, who will turn 90 on July 11 and will forever be remembered as the trainer of seven-time Eclipse Champion and two-time Horse of the Year John Henry, ranks fifth on Santa Anita’s all-time list of stakes winning trainers with 113, behind fellow Hall of Famers Charlie Whittingham (204), Bob Baffert (211), Bobby Frankel (146) and Richard Mandella (128).
A three-time winner of the Santa Anita Handicap, with John Henry in 1981 & 82 and with Mr. Purple in 1996, McAnally won the 1976 Santa Anita Derby with An Act. A three-time Eclipse Award winning conditioner whose uncle Reggie Cornell trained the legendary come from behind winner of the 1958 Santa Anita Derby Silky Sullivan, has also trained such stalwarts as Bayakoa, Candy Ride, Cassaleria, Hawkster, Northern Spur, Olympio, Paseana, Tight Spot and many others.
By races won at Santa Anita’s Winter/Spring Meetings, McAnally ranks sixth, with 784.
CERIN ENJOYS LA TO PHOENIX DOUBLE
In a true racing rarity, Vladimir Cerin was glued to a pair of television monitors on Friday afternoon at Santa Anita as his Mucho Del Oro was in a head and head battle in the $100,000 Cotton Fitzsimons Mile Handicap at Turf Paradise while his Fenestra, at odds of 9-1, simultaneously loomed large turning for home in Santa Anita’s seventh race, a six furlong claimer for older horses in for a $32,000 tag.
Separated by 375 miles, off time for the Cotton “Fitz” named for the Phoenix Suns’ late coach, was officially 3:38 PT, while Santa Anita’s seventh race was off at 3:39, with identical results– victory on both fronts. In the case of Mucho Del Oro, he won by a nose on turf under Juan Hernandez, while Fenestra prevailed by 1 ¼ lengths on dirt under Umberto Rispoli.
“I’ve never had that happen before,” said Cerin on Saturday morning. “Just the fact that they both won was great. I really didn’t think the horse in Arizona won, because it’s so hard to see. The video isn’t very good and my eyes are pretty bad.
“The race here, I could see my horse was finishing good and I was on the phone with (owner) David Wilson, because he was unable to watch on television. I was trying to talk him through it and I was doing my best Trevor Denman imitation…Fenestra got a really good ride. He’s still a little green and he panics at times, but he was on the outside yesterday and that helped.”
When reminded that in another racing rarity, it was the third consecutive win for both horses, Cerin said, “Oh really?” And alluding to Fenestra’s 5 ½ furlong allowance win two starts back at Turf Paradise on Jan. 13, he said “And two of those wins came in Arizona.”
When asked what might be next for Mucho Del Oro, a $40,000 claim four starts back at Del Mar Nov. 21, he said, “I don’t know what’s next for him, but he’s coming back here to Santa Anita tonight. We’ll evaluate him, see how he trains and I’ll talk to the owner and we’ll decide together.”
Owned by Peerenboom Racing Stables, LLC, Mucho Del Oro, a 4-year-old gelding by Mucho Macho Man, was off at 4-5 and paid $3.60 to win.
Fenestra, who is owned by longtime Cerin clients Holly and David Wilson, was off at 9-1 and returned $21.20 to win.
Locally, Cerin continues to enjoy a solid meet with 10 wins, two of them in stakes.
JETAVATOR READY TO ‘STAR’ AFTER A YEAR
It’s been a long time between drinks, or races, actually, for Jetavator, but the six-year-old California-bred son of Grazen returns in next Sunday’s $100,000 Sensational Star Stakes at about 6 ½ furlongs on turf.
The gray gelding’s last race will be almost a year ago to the day, as he led into the stretch before finishing fourth in the Sensational Star on March 21, 2021.
That was Jetovator’s first stakes race, so this year’s will be his second, oddly enough both in the same event.
“Just some minor things, nothing really all that serious,” trainer Peter Eurton said in explaining the lengthy absence. “He just had a couple hiccups when I brought him back.
“We’re just taking our time, and knock on wood, he’s training very well.” To that end, under Edwin Maldonado, Jetavator breezed five furlongs this morning in company with Mygalsdawnnlori, in respective times of 1:01.40 and 1:01.60.
Owned by Ciaglia Racing LLC and SAF Racing, Jetovator was ridden by Ruben Fuentes in his last race, but Maldonado will be aboard for this year’s Sensational Star.
Maldonado piloted Jetovator once previously, finishing an eventful fifth in an overnight race July 12, 2020, at Del Mar.
“Last year’s Sensational Star was not run on the downhill course, but since it was moved from the five-eighths turf distance and the chute, the horse seems to have taken to it,” Eurton said.
FINISH LINES: San Luis Rey Stakes Trivia: Today’s featured San Luis Rey was won a record NINE times by the legendary Bald Eagle, Charlie Whittingham, most recently in 1989 with Frankly Perfect. Who was Charlie’s first San Luis Rey winner and in what year?… REMINDER, Daylight Saving Time begins this Sunday, March 13. Turn your clocks ahead one hour Saturday night. Accordingly, regular first post time will shift to 1 p.m. beginning Friday, March 18… Santa Anita Morning Line Maker Jon White will be host Tom Quigley‘s guest Sunday, 10:20 a.m. in the East Paddock Gardens . . . There were 138 recorded workouts Saturday, 27 on the training track. Merneith, winner of the last two runnings of the Grade II Santa Monica Stakes, went five furlongs on the main track in 1:00.20 for Bob Baffert…TRIVIA ANSWER: Howard Keck’s Fiddle Isle, in 1970.
LATEST CONTENT FROM XBTV:
FEATURES:
Eddie Olczyk’s Hat Trick for Saturday March 12th, 2022
Preview of The Las Flores Stakes
WORKOUTS:
Coalinga Road (Outside) and Minister Shane (Gaines) 3-11-22
England’s Rose (Shirreffs) 3-11-22
Bletchley Park (Outside) and Montebello (Baffert) 3-11-22
Smooth Like Strait (Outside) and Happy Runner (McCarthy) 3-11-22
Im Still Thirsty (Outside) and At the Spa (Periban) 3-10-22
Triple Tap (Outside) and High Connection (Baffert) 3-10-22
Gritty Girl (Mullins) 3-10-22
Quidproquo Joeblow (Outside) and Goldini (D’Amato) 3-10-22
Private Mission (Baffert) 3-09-22
Charlito (Outside) and Kura (Mandella) 3-09-22
Brittle and Yoo (Ellis) 3-09-22
Micro Share (Mandella) 3-09-22
Restrainedvengence (Brinkerhoff) 3-09-22
Say the Word (Outside) and Jack Six Pack (D’Amato) 3-07-22
McLaren Vale (Outside) and Blackadder (Baffert) 3-07-22
Going Global (Outside) and Lansdowne (D’Amato) 3-07-22
Santa Anita Stable Notes: Ed Golden
Photo: Edgeway (Benoit Photo)
