1 of 2 | She Feels Pretty wins Thursday’s Grade I American Oaks at Santa Anita. Benoit photography, courtesy of Santa Anita
Dec. 27 (UPI) — Santa Anita’s traditional Opening Day of the winter meeting produced dominant victories by Johannes on the turf and She Feels Pretty in the American Oaks, a record-breaking win for jockey Flavien Prat and a disappointment for Kentucky Derby winner Mystik Dan.
The Boxing Day program also attracted 41,562 fans and a 17.4% increase in all-sources handle — good signs for a struggling California racing industry.
And, that was just the start of a nice schedule for the final weekend of the year.
Classic / Dirt Mile
Raging Torrent, making his first start since finishing seventh in the Breeder’s Cup Sprint, edged away from the competition at mid-stretch and ran on to win Thursday’s $300,000 Grade I Malibu Stakes for 3-year-olds at Santa Anita by 1 1/4 lengths.
Kentucky Derby winner Mystik Dan never ran a lick of the 7 furlongs and jogged home last.
Raging Torrent, a Maximus Mischief colt trained by Doug O’Neill, had three straight wins before the Breeders’ Cup misadventure.
“Of course, I was afraid of Mystik Dan, Kentucky Derby winner,” winning rider Frankie Dettori said. “But I thought the day to beat him was today, at seven eighths. My horse was very sharp and he proved it.”
Mystik Dan’s rider, Brian Hernandez, said the cutback from the 1 1/4 miles of the Belmont Stakes in his last start “took away from him. … The horse is fine.”
On the Santa Anita undercard, J B Strikes Back struck the lead at the half-mile pole in the $200,000 Grade II Laffite Pincay Jr. Stakes and never quite relinquished it, holding off Tarantino and American Admiral through the final strides.
Yet to come: Saturday’s $175,000 Tinsel at Oaklawn Park and Sunday’s $150,000 Queens County at Aqueduct.
Distaff / Dirt Mile
Windy Walk led throughout in Thursday’s $140,000 Rampart Stakes at Gulfstream Park and won by a neck over Power Squeeze with the odds-on favorite, Soul of an Angel, third. The 3-year-old Munnings filly, trained by Christopher Davis, ran 1 mile in 1:38.01.
Hoosier Philly had ’em all the way in Thursday’s $100,000 Joseph E. Spanky Broussard Memorial and won by 4 3/4 lengths, ridden out by Edgar Morales.
Turf
Johannes capped off a remarkable year with a stretch-running victory in Thursday’s $200,000 Grade II San Gabriel at Santa Anita. The 4-year-old Nyquist colt, with Umberto Rispoli riding confidently, swooped by the leaders in the stretch and won by 3/4 length.
He had won four straight graded stakes this season before finishing second in the Breeders’ Cup Mile. Next stop, all being well: the Grade I Pegasus World Cup at Gulfstream Park.
Yet to come: Saturday’s $100,000 Woodchopper for 3-year-olds at Fair Grounds.
Filly & Mare Turf
She Feels Pretty dominated 10 rivals in Thursday’s $300,000 Grade I American Oaks at Santa Anita. After tracking the pace patiently for jockey John Velazquez, the Karakontie filly easily took the lead in the stretch and rolled home first by 2 1/2 lengths, ridden out.
She ran 1 1/4 miles on firm turf in a snappy 1:58.69, backing up her 6-length victory in her last race, the Grade Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup at Keeneland.
La Mehana got first run to the lead in the final furlong of Thursday’s $140,000 Via Borghese Stakes at Gulfstrearm Park and held off the favorite, Forever After All, to win by a neck.
Yet to come: Friday’s $100,000 Grade III Robert J. Frankel at Santa Anita and Saturday’s $100,000 Pago Hop for 3-year-old fillies at Fair Grounds.
Turf Mile
King of Gosford took the lead no one else wanted in Thursday’s $200,000 Grade II Mathis Mile for 3-year-olds at Santa Anita, turned back repeated challenges and ran on to win by 1 length from stay hot as jockey Prat notched his record 56th graded stakes victory of 2024.
Turf Sprint
Oeuvre chased down pacesetting Speedy Traveler in the final sixteenth of Thursday’s $100,000 off-the-turf Nelson J. Menard Memorial at Fair Grounds, dueled with that one while being forced out and nonetheless prevailed by a head, winning the race for the third straight year.
The 5-year-old, Illinois-bred mare by Shackleford ran 5 1/2 furlongs on a fast track in 1:04.26. David Cohen rode for trainer Chris Block.
Yet to come: Saturday’s $200,000 Grade II Joe Hernandez at Santa Anita and Saturday’s $115,000 Abundantia for fillies and mares at Gulfstream Park.
Sprint
On the horizon: Saturday’s $165,000 Grade III Mr. Prospector at Gulfstream Park and Saturday’s $150,000 Gravesend at Aqueduct.
Filly & Mare Sprint
Kopion, at odds of 37-1, got the lead in the lane in Thursday’s $300,000 Grade I La Brea Stakes for 3-year-old fillies at Santa Anita and held off 25-1 shot Splendora to win by 2 3/4 lengths.
The favorite, One Magic Philly, who could have given Prat his 57th graded stakes win of the year, finished sixth. Kopion had been sidelined since finishing fourth in the Grade II Santa Anita Oaks.
The Road to the Roses
Thursday’s second race at Santa Anita, a $60,000 maiden special weight event, was noteworthy for two expensive Bob Baffert-trained 2-year-old colts.
Madaket Road, who debuted with a second-place finish in the Grade III Bob Hope at Del Mar on Nov. 17, graduated with a sharp move at mid-stretch that propelled him past first-time runner San Saba and to the lead.
Father Ted took second from the other Baffert charge, San Saba, as Madaket Road, a son of Quality Road, finished in 1:09.94 with Juan Hernandez up.
Yet to come: Saturday’s $100,000 Heft at Laurel Park, 7 furlongs; Sunday’s $100,000 Louisiana Futurity for state-breds at Fair Grounds; and Sunday’s $100,000 Eddie Logan on the Santa Anita turf.
The Road to the Oaks
Worth noting: Saturday’s $100,000 Gin Talking at Laurel Park, 7 furlongs; Saturday’s $100,000 Blue Norther on the turf at Santa Anita; and Sunday’s $100,000 Louisiana Futurity for state-breds at Fair Grounds
Around the world, around the clock
Japan
Saturday’s Grade 1 Hopeful Stakes for 2-year-olds at Nakayama Racecourse is the final Japanese Grade 1 of 2024 but, for some talented youngsters, also springboard to the 2025 Classics.
Croix du Nord, undefeated after two starts including the Grade 2 Tokyo Sports Hai, is seen as the one to beat. But there’s no shortage of talent taking on the Kitasan Black colt.
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