SANTA ANITA HANDICAP: BIG 'CAP LURES STARS WINTER'S TOP HORSES TO PASS ON DUBAI.Byline: Kevin Modesti Staff Writer ARCADIA - The Santa Anita Santa Anita may refer to:
Sired by Saint Ballado out of the dam Quiet Dance, by Quiet American, Saint Liam was unraced as a two-year-old. - the winter stars of their respective coasts - are entered today in what is expected to be a 10-horse race Saturday. Rock Hard Ten's and Saint Liam's trainers chose 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 after considering the $6 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, , the March 26 event that often draws headliners away from the Big 'Cap. ``Everything's going so well, I didn't want to upset the apple cart,'' Richard Mandella Richard Mandella (born November 5, 1950 in Beaumont, California) is a Thoroughbred horse trainer and a member of the Racing Hall of Fame. Mandella's father, a blacksmith, introduced him to horses at an early age and while still in high school he began breaking and training said, referring to the possibility 4-year-old Rock Hard Ten's Strub Stakes-winning form would be thrown off by a trip to the United Arab Emirates United Arab Emirates, federation of sheikhdoms (2005 est. pop. 2,563,000), c.30,000 sq mi (77,700 sq km), SE Arabia, on the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. . Mandella won the Dubai race with Pleasantly Perfect Pleasantly Perfect (born April 2, 1998 in Lexington, Kentucky) is a Thoroughbred racehorse who retired as the fourth richest American horse in career earnings. A son of Pleasant Colony, winner of the 1981 Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes, he was out of the mare Regal State who in 2004 and said that horse's subsequent spotty performance was no factor in his decision to play safe with Rock Hard Ten. Richard Dutrow Jr. said he's passing up the richer Dubai race for 5-year- old Saint Liam because money is ``not why my owner (William Warren) and I are in the game.'' ``The Santa Anita Handicap has a big purse, and it's a big race,'' Dutrow said. ``It's a long year, and we didn't want to take a chance on a trip to Dubai when (this) suits him quite nicely.'' Saint Liam's victory over Roses in May in the Feb. 5 Donn Handicap in Florida - and his close second to Horse of the Year Ghostzapper last September - are likely to persuade Santa Anita fans to make him the favorite over Rock Hard Ten in the 68th Big 'Cap. Saint Liam aims to be the first Big 'Cap winner from out of state since Broad Brush knocked off Ferdinand in 1987. The horses (with riders), listed in weight-assignment order, expected to be entered today: Saint Liam (Edgar Prado), 122 pounds; Lundy's Liability (Patrick Valenzuela), 120; Rock Hard Ten (Gary Stevens), 119; Imperialism (Alex Solis), 117; Truly a Judge (Martin Pedroza), 117; Congrats con·grats Informal interj. Congratulations. pl.n. Congratulations: sent him my congrats. (Tyler Baze), 115; Supah Blitz (Victor Espinoza), 115; Borrego (Garrett Gomez), 113; Island Fashion, 113; Grade Reward (Rafael Bejarano), 112. The field also will be set today for Saturday's $200,000 Santa Catalina Stakes for 3-year-olds, including early-season Kentucky Derby favorite Declan's Moon and recent stakes winners Spanish Chestnut, Going Wild and Fusaichi Rock Star. Kevin Modesti, (818) 713-3616 heymodesti(at)aol.com |
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