First Look: California Crown is jewel of 16 weekend graded stakes
Photo:
Casey Phillips / Eclipse Sportswire
Outside of the Breeders’ Cup, there are only two $1 million Thoroughbred races left in California. The lack of supplemental gambling revenue, as in sports betting and slot machines and historic horse racing, has put a crimp in purses.
The Pacific Classic (G1) during the Del Mar summer is one exception. Santa Anita offers the other Saturday with the Grade 1 California Crown, a jacked-up reboot of what was the $300,000
Awesome Again. National Treasure and Muth bring a combined five Grade 1 wins from
the Bob Baffert barn that won this race a record eight times before it got its
new name.
The Stronach Group’s 1/ST Racing wants to make the card as
big a party as its Pegasus World Cup Invitational (G1) has become during the Florida
winter. Aside from concerts and parties, the $750,000 John Henry Turf
Championship (G2) and the $750,000 Eddie D (G2) will offer bigger purses, and
the $200,000 City of Hope Mile (G2) is a Breeders’ Cup qualifier as is the
Saturday feature.
Counting the California party, 16 graded stakes, including
six Breeders’ Cup qualifiers, plus a Canada classic are scheduled this weekend
at five tracks.
Saturday
California Crown (G1), Santa Anita, 1 1/8 miles,
3-year-olds and up, Breeders’ Cup Classic automatic qualifier
On one hand there is National Treasure, he of the three
Grade 1 wins and $5,378,000 in earnings for SF Racing and its seven partners.
The 4-year-old Quality Road colt has earned trophies from the Preakness in
2023, the Pegasus World Cup Invitational (G1) early this year and the Met Mile
(G1) in June. Curiously, he is 0-for-5 at his home track Santa Anita, notably
coming within a nose and a stewards review of Cody’s Wish in the 2023 Breeders’
Cup Dirt Mile. On the other hand there is Muth, Amr Zedan’s 3-year-old Good
Magic colt who is 3-for-3 this year. He might have been 4-for-4 if he had not
spiked a fever three days before the Preakness. Muth came back from a
five-month break to win Sept. 1 in the Shared Belief at Del Mar. If the angle
is to play the other Baffert, then Santa Anita Handicap (G1) victor Newgate
would fill the bill if he were to be entered off a nearly six-month break since
he finished ninth in the Dubai World Cup (G1).
John Henry Turf Championship (G2), Santa Anita, 1 1/4
miles, turf, 3-year-olds and up
Xxx.
Eddie D (G2), Santa Anita, 6 1/2 furlongs, turf,
3-year-olds and up
Xxx.
City of Hope Mile (G2), Santa Anita, 1 mile, turf,
3-year-olds and up, Breeders’ Cup Mile automatic qualifier
Xxx.
Joe Hirsch Turf Classic (G1), Belmont at Aqueduct, 1 1/2
miles, turf, 3-year-olds and up
Xxx.
Woodward (G2), Belmont at Aqueduct, 1 1/8 miles,
3-year-olds and up
Xxx.
Pilgrim (G2), Belmont at Aqueduct, 1 1/16 miles, turf,
2-year-olds, Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf automatic qualifier
Xxx.
Vosburgh (G3), Belmont at Aqueduct, 7 furlongs,
3-year-olds and up, Breeders’ Cup Sprint automatic qualifier
Xxx.
Lukas Classic (G2), Churchill Downs, 1 1/8 miles,
3-year-olds and up
Hit Show has won twice in Grade 3 stakes, most recently Aug. 4 when he
closed to win by a half-length in the West Virginia Governor’s at Mountaineer.
This will be his fifth try to get a win at a higher level. Among his losses,
the 4-year-old Candy Ride colt trained by Brad Cox finished fifth at 24-1 in
last year’s Kentucky Derby and fourth at 9-1 in the 2023 Belmont Stakes. Owned
by Qatar-based Wathnan Racing, Hit Show came back from a 7 1/2-month break to
win a $100,000 allowance race over the same course and distance as the Lukas
Classic.
| Post | Silks | Horse / Sire | Rating | Trainer / Jockey | Last Start / Next Start | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
|
Stilleto Boy Shackleford |
6.75 |
7th, KD ALW (08/31/2024-R3) |
Entered | |
|
Last Race Next Race |
7th, KD ALW (08/31/2024-R3) |
|||||
| 2 |
|
Rattle N Roll Connect |
6.26 | Entered | ||
|
Last Race Next Race |
||||||
| 3 |
|
Happy American Runhappy |
4.47 | Entered | ||
|
Last Race Next Race |
||||||
| 4 |
|
Cooke Creek Uncle Mo |
5.42 | Entered | ||
|
Last Race Next Race |
||||||
| 5 |
|
Disarm Gun Runner |
7.64 | Entered | ||
|
Last Race Next Race |
||||||
| 6 |
|
Hit Show Candy Ride |
7.16 | Entered | ||
|
Last Race Next Race |
||||||
| 7 |
|
Bolzy Gun Runner |
4.79 | Entered | ||
|
Last Race Next Race |
||||||
| 8 |
|
Warrior Johny Cairo Prince |
4.12 | Entered | ||
|
Last Race Next Race |
||||||
Ack Ack (G3), Churchill Downs, 1 mile, 3-year-olds and
up, Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile automatic qualifier
There is every reason to think Saudi Crown will be favored after
his gate-to-wire victory Aug. 11 in the one-mile R.A. Cowboy Jones at Ellis
Park. The 4-year-old Always Dreaming colt trained by Cox won the 2023 Pennsylvania
Derby (G1) in the Parx slop. He began 2024 with a 5 3/4-length triumph in the
Louisiana Stakes (G3) at Fair Grounds, earning a 105 Beyer Speed Figure, according to Daily Racing Form. Owned by Saudi
Arabia-based FMQ Stables, he then came in a close third in the $20 million
Saudi Cup (G1) before he looked empty finishing 12th in the Dubai World Cup
(G1). A four-month break preceded his win at Ellis, where he went off at 3-5
odds. Saudi Crown is 4-for-4 when he is the post-time favorite.
| Post | Silks | Horse / Sire | Rating | Trainer / Jockey | Last Start / Next Start | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
|
Tumbarumba Oscar Performance |
6.40 |
2nd, Hanshin S. Presented by JRA |
Entered | |
|
Last Race Next Race |
2nd, Hanshin S. Presented by JRA |
|||||
| 2 |
|
Stage Raider Pioneerof the Nile |
4.84 | Entered | ||
|
Last Race Next Race |
||||||
| 3 |
|
Cagliostro Upstart |
6.37 | Entered | ||
|
Last Race Next Race |
||||||
| 4 |
|
Mufasa Practical Joke |
0.00 |
1st, CNL AOC (08/12/2024-R6) |
Entered | |
|
Last Race Next Race |
1st, CNL AOC (08/12/2024-R6) |
|||||
| 5 |
|
Three Technique Mr Speaker |
6.08 | Entered | ||
|
Last Race Next Race |
||||||
| 6 |
|
Big Blue Line Atreides |
4.27 | Entered | ||
|
Last Race Next Race |
||||||
| 7 |
|
Saudi Crown Always Dreaming |
7.17 | Entered | ||
|
Last Race Next Race |
||||||
Durham Cup (G3), Woodbine, 1 1/8 miles, synthetic,
3-year-olds and up
Paramount Prince has proven himself a must-consider commodity for bettors this year. The 2023 King’s Plate winner graduated to open-company graded stakes in 2024 at Woodbine. After finishing a tantalizingly close third to Palazzi in the Eclipse (G2), the 4-year-old Society’s Chairman gelding trained by Mark Casse led at every call to win both the Dominion Day (G3) and Seagram Cup (G3) this summer. If Casse were to win Saturday, he would join fellow dual Hall of Famer Roger Attfield with his record-tying sixth triumph in this race that was first run in 1906.
| Silks | Horse / Sire | Rating | Trainer / Jockey | Last Start / Next Start | Status | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
Paramount Prince Society’s Chairman |
6.34 |
1st, Seagram Cup S. |
Possible | ||
|
Last Race Next Race |
1st, Seagram Cup S. |
|||||
|
|
Palazzi Pioneerof the Nile |
6.05 |
3rd, Niagara S. Presented by The Greenwood |
Possible | ||
|
Last Race Next Race |
3rd, Niagara S. Presented by The Greenwood |
|||||
|
|
Sir London Malibu Moon |
5.60 |
3rd, Red Bank S. |
Possible | ||
|
Last Race Next Race |
3rd, Red Bank S. |
|||||
|
|
Never Surprised Constitution |
5.57 |
6th, WO AOC (08/23/2024-R11) |
Possible | ||
|
Last Race Next Race |
6th, WO AOC (08/23/2024-R11) |
|||||
|
|
Eyes On The King Street Sense |
5.48 |
6th, Niagara S. Presented by The Greenwood |
Possible | ||
|
Last Race Next Race |
6th, Niagara S. Presented by The Greenwood |
|||||
|
|
Rapid Test Souper Speedy |
0.00 |
1st, WO AOC (08/23/2024-R11) |
Possible | ||
|
Last Race Next Race |
1st, WO AOC (08/23/2024-R11) |
|||||
|
|
Stanley House Army Mule |
0.00 |
2nd, Niagara S. Presented by The Greenwood |
Possible | ||
|
Last Race Next Race |
2nd, Niagara S. Presented by The Greenwood |
|||||
Sunday
Miss Grillo (G2), Belmont at Aqueduct, 1 1/16 miles,
turf, 2-year-old fillies, Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf automatic
qualifier
Xxx.
Gallant Bloom (G2), Belmont at Aqueduct, 6 1/2 furlongs,
fillies and mares, 3-year-olds and up
Xxx.
Breeders’ Stakes, Woodbine, 1 1/2 miles, turf,
Canada-bred 3-year-olds
The last of the Canada classics is not unlike the Belmont Stakes. If there is not a live Triple Crown possibility, some of the starch is taken out of the buildup. Since King’s Plate winner Caitlinhergrtness is not walking back through that gate, Vitality will try to put together the more modest accomplishment of winning consecutive jewels after finishing first Sept. 10 in the Prince of Wales on the Fort Erie dirt. Where this would be the Street Boss gelding’s first turf foray in more than 11 months, Hurricane Clair and Stormcast have proven themselves adept at making the surface switch. They finished in that order Sept. 8 at the front of the 1 1/4-mile Wonder Where Stakes at Woodbine.
| Silks | Horse / Sire | Rating | Trainer / Jockey | Last Start / Next Start | Status | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
Vitality Street Boss |
0.00 | Probable | |||
|
Last Race Next Race |
||||||
|
|
Wyoming Bill Curlin |
4.45 | Possible | |||
|
Last Race Next Race |
||||||
|
|
Hurricane Clair Silent Name |
0.00 |
1st, Wonder Where S. |
Possible | ||
|
Last Race Next Race |
1st, Wonder Where S. |
|||||
|
|
King Rosso Vino Rosso |
0.00 |
3rd, WO MSW (09/02/2024-R5) |
Possible | ||
|
Last Race Next Race |
3rd, WO MSW (09/02/2024-R5) |
|||||
|
|
Passioned Paynter |
0.00 | Possible | |||
|
Last Race Next Race |
||||||
|
|
Roscar Oscar Performance |
0.00 |
3rd, WO AOC (08/11/2024-R4) |
Possible | ||
|
Last Race Next Race |
3rd, WO AOC (08/11/2024-R4) |
|||||
|
|
Stormcast Mitole |
0.00 |
2nd, Wonder Where S. |
Possible | ||
|
Last Race Next Race |
2nd, Wonder Where S. |
|||||
|
|
Thor’s Cause Brody’s Cause |
0.00 |
7th, King’s Plate S. |
Possible | ||
|
Last Race Next Race |
7th, King’s Plate S. |
|||||
Oklahoma Derby (G3), Remington Park, 1 1/8 miles,
3-year-olds
How good is undefeated Most Wanted? Gary and Mary West’s
homebred Candy Ride colt led the whole way and held on to win by a nose Aug. 11
in the one-mile Ellis Park Derby. Cox stretches him for this race against
Society Man and E J Won the Cup. Trained by Danny Gargan, Society Man finished 16th
in the Kentucky Derby, won the Matt Winn (G3) and then finished third Aug. 4 in
the West Virginia Derby (G3). E J Won the Cup punched above his weight when he
finished third in the Santa Anita Derby (G1). Doug O’Neill trained him to two wins
since in black-type stakes, most recently by 9 1/4 lengths Aug. 24 to get a 101
Beyer in the St. Louis Derby.
| Post | Silks | Horse / Sire | Rating | Trainer / Jockey | Last Start / Next Start | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
|
Indispensable Constitution |
0.00 | Entered | ||
|
Last Race Next Race |
||||||
| 2 |
|
E J Won the Cup Omaha Beach |
6.17 |
1st, St. Louis Derby Presented by FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK |
Entered | |
|
Last Race Next Race |
1st, St. Louis Derby Presented by FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK |
|||||
| 3 |
|
Canada Gate Constitution |
0.00 |
1st, DMR MSW (08/22/2024-R3) |
Entered | |
|
Last Race Next Race |
1st, DMR MSW (08/22/2024-R3) |
|||||
| 4 |
|
Flat Hanby Flat Out |
0.00 |
1st, Oklahoma Stallion Colts and Geldings H. |
Entered | |
|
Last Race Next Race |
1st, Oklahoma Stallion Colts and Geldings H. |
|||||
| 5 |
|
Dimatic Gun Runner |
6.23 | Entered | ||
|
Last Race Next Race |
||||||
| 6 |
|
Most Wanted Candy Ride |
6.07 | Entered | ||
|
Last Race Next Race |
||||||
| 7 |
|
Mena Hard Spun |
3.79 |
1st, RP ALW (09/11/2024-R7) |
Entered | |
|
Last Race Next Race |
1st, RP ALW (09/11/2024-R7) |
|||||
| 8 |
|
Society Man Good Magic |
6.48 | Entered | ||
|
Last Race Next Race |
||||||
Santa Anita Sprint Championship (G2), Santa Anita, 6
furlongs, 3-year-olds and up
Xxx.
Zenyatta (G2), Santa Anita, 1 1/16 miles, fillies and
mares, 3-year-olds and up
Xxx.
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