GENTLEMEN PREFERS WIRE-TO-WIRE WIN.Byline: Brad Nelson Brad Nelson (born December 23, 1982 in Algona, Iowa), is a minor league baseball player in the Milwaukee Brewers organization. He has played first base and outfield. He was acquired by the Brewers in the fourth round of the 2001 amateur draft. Daily News Staff Writer First a track record, then a victory over a Breeders' Cup Classic The Breeders' Cup Classic is a Grade 1 Weight for Age thoroughbred horse race for 3 years old and older run at a distance of 1ΒΌ miles (2012 m) on dirt. It is held annually at a different racetrack in the United States or Canada as part of the Breeders' Cup. champion. It's hard to tone down all the excitement being generated by Gentlemen these days. On Sunday at Santa Anita Santa Anita may refer to:
Round Table won this race in 1958. , solidifying his reputation and fueling speculation about just how much he might accomplish this year. Gentlemen was the star on a day that saw trainer D. Wayne Lukas Darrell Wayne Lukas (born September 2, 1935 in Antigo, Wisconsin) is a former educator who became one of the most successful horse trainers in American Thoroughbred horse racing history and a U.S. Racing Hall of Fame inductee. earn a split in the day's other two features. Lukas won the $500,000 Strub Stakes The Strub Stakes is an American race for thoroughbred horses run at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California each year. Currently a Grade II stakes race with a purse of $300,000, it is open to horses, age four, willing to race one and one-eighth miles on the dirt and offers. with Victory Speech, shortly after watching his Kentucky Derby Kentucky Derby One of the classic U.S. Thoroughbred horse races. It was established in 1875 and run annually on the first Saturday in May at Churchill Downs track in Louisville, Ky. With the Preakness and the Belmont Stakes, it makes up U.S. racing's coveted Triple Crown. contender, Boston Harbor, finish fourth in the $105,950 Santa Catalina Santa Catalina (săn`tə kăt'əlē`nə) or Catalina Island, S Calif., one of the Santa Barbara Islands, off Huntington Beach, Calif. It is a resort island, 22 mi (35 km) long and 1 to 8 mi (1.6–12. Stakes, won by Hello and jockey Chris McCarron Christopher John "Chris" McCarron (b. March 27 1955, Boston, Massachusetts) is an American thoroughbred horse racing Hall of Fame retired jockey. He was introduced to the sport of thoroughbred racing by his older brother, jockey Gregg McCarron. . But the most anticipated duel of the day was the one between Gentlemen, who set a Hollywood Park track record at 1-1/8 miles (1:45 1/5) in December, and Alphabet Soup, who beat Cigar at the Breeders' Cup in October. ``We did something today,'' said Gentlemen's trainer, Richard Mandella. ``It's nice to beat Alphabet Soup - that's proving ground there. Alphabet Soup has never gotten the respect I think he deserves.'' The crowd of 27,687 gave all its respect to Gentlemen, making him the 1-2 favorite, with Alphabet Soup going off at 2-1 in the five-horse field. Gentlemen, winner of five straight with career earnings of more than $800,000, was in front throughout. He built a three-length lead entering the stretch before Alphabet Soup rallied in the final strides to make it close. The final time for the 1-1/8 miles was 1:47 1/5, the fastest San Antonio time in five years. ``I thought he was very, very impressive,'' said his jockey, Gary Stevens. ``He wasn't getting tired by any means. He wasn't putting any effort into the race at all. When (Alphabet Soup) came to my hip, he just rebroke and started accelerating again the last 50 yards.'' Trainer David Hofmans was proud of Alphabet Soup's effort. ``He ran hard, didn't he?,'' Hofmans said. ``I was worried that Gentlemen was going to open up too much (of a lead) and he did.'' Hofmans' horse might or might not get another shot at Gentlemen in the $1 million Santa Anita Handicap The Santa Anita Handicap is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually in the late winter at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California. It is a Grade I race for horses three years old and up, and is considered the most important race for older horses in North America during on March 2. Mandella is planning to send Gentlemen to the $4 million Dubai World Cup The Dubai World Cup is a Thoroughbred horse race held annually since 1996 at the Nad Al Sheba Racecourse in the city of Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The race is operated through the Emirates Horse Racing Authority (EHRA) whose Chairman is Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, on March 29 and wants to make sure he can handle both that race and the Big 'Cap. ``We're going to have to think real hard on whether to stay for the Santa Anita Handicap,'' said Mandella, who knows that skipping the Big 'Cap could be expensive. A horse who wins that race, the Hollywood Gold Cup The Hollywood Gold Cup is a Grade I stakes race for thoroughbred horses inaugurated in 1938 at Hollywood Park Racetrack in Inglewood, California. It was run as a handicap race until 1997 when it was switched to weight-for-age conditions. and Del Mar's Pacific Classic earns a $3 million bonus. In the 1 1/16-mile Santa Catalina, Hello, an Irish-bred trained by Ronald McAnally, was making the first start of his career on dirt and only his second U.S. start. Benefiting from a swift pace up front, McCarron made his move with Hello entering the stretch and stormed past tiring Boston Harbor for a 1-3/4-length win over Bagshot in 1:42 3/5. ``This horse has really surprised me,'' said McAnally. ``He's small, but he sure is gutty.'' The next start for Hello could be the one-mile San Rafael Stakes The San Rafael Stakes is a race for thoroughbred horses run at Santa Anita Park, located in Arcadia, California. The race is a Grade II event with a purse of $150,000 and is open to three-year-olds willing to race one mile (8 furlongs) on the dirt. at Santa Anita on March 2. There, he could face another McAnally 3-year-old, Mud Route, who has quickly moved up the ladder of many people's 3-year-old lists with two dominating victories in three career starts. For Lukas, Boston Harbor's defeat - only his second in eight career starts - was disappointing but just a bump in the road. ``He just isn't tight enough right now to keep up with a pace like that,'' said Lukas, who is also pointing to the San Rafael for Boston Harbor. ``Our objectives aren't in February. We'd like to win the race, but obviously we know we've got a top horse.'' Lukas' Victory Speech, ridden by East Coast star Jerry Bailey, took the Strub by 1-1/2 lengths. He went off at 7-1 odds after finishing out of money as the favorite in his past two races, the Malibu Stakes and the San Fernando Stakes at Santa Anita. SEE HOW THEY RAN The top three finishers in Sunday's three feature races at Santa Anita: $300,000 San Antonio Handicap Horse Jockey odds Gentlemen Stevens 1-2 Alphabet Soup McCarron 2-1 Kingdom Found Desormeaux 8-1 $105,950 Santa Catalina Stakes Hello McCarron 5-1 Bagshot Delahoussaye 6-1 Carmen's Baby J. Garcia 10-1 $500,000 Strub Stakes Victory Speech Bailey 7-1 The Barking Shark Hunter 22-1 Ambivalent Solis 6-1 CAPTION(S): Photo, Box Photo: (color) Gentlemen, a 1-2 favorite, crosses the finish line a half-length ahead of Alphabet Soup in Sunday's $300,000 San Antonio Handicap at Santa Anita. Gene Blevins/Special to the Daily News Box: SEE HOW THEY RAN (see text) |
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