From Santa Anita Park

RING WEEKEND, TWENTYTWENTYVISION, FLAMBOYANT & A RED TIE DAY ALL PROMINENT IN WIDE OPEN GRADE II, $200,000 SAN GABRIEL STAKES AT 1 1/8 MILES ON TURF SATURDAY

ARCADIA, Calif. (Jan. 4, 2017)–With strong resumes in abundance, Ring Weekend, Twentytwentyvision, Flamboyant and A Red Tie Day all figure prominently in Santa Anita’s Grade II, $200,000 San Gabriel Stakes at 1 1/8 miles on turf this Saturday. The San Gabriel, to be run for the 70st time, has attracted a field of 12 older horses.

RING WEEKEND: This highly accomplished 6-year-old gelding by Tapit comes off a game head victory going 1 1/16 miles on grass in Del Mar’s Grade II Seabiscuit Handicap. A winner of the Grade I Frank E. Kilroe Mile (turf) at Santa Anita in March, 2015, he’s two for three at the San Gabriel distance and brings an overall mark of 20-7-4-2. Trained by H. Graham Motion and owned by St. Elias Stable and West Point Thoroughbreds, he’s the leading money earner in the field with $1,448,744.

TWENTYTWENTYVISION: Although he has yet to win his first graded stakes, this 6-year-old gelding by Pollard’s Vision has been gem of consistency for trainer Richard Mandella, he’s never been worse than third in 14 career starts. Freshened since running third, beaten three quarters of a length by A Red Tie Day at even money here in the restricted one mile turf Lure Stakes Oct. 30, Twentytwentyvision kept good company in six starts last year and looms dangerous at the distance. With a win and a second from two tries at 1 1/8 miles on turf, he’s 14-5-3-6 overall. Owned and bred by Ellen and Peter O. Johnson, he has earnings of $400,518.

FLAMBOYANT: The defending champ in the San Gabriel, this French-bred 6-year-old gelding followed his San Gabriel triumph by winning the Grade II San Marcos Stakes here on Feb. 6, and was subsequently sent to Dubai, where he finished a close fifth in the $6 million Dubai Turf Stakes at 1 1/8 miles. Although winless since the San Marcos, Flamboyant has ample class and a late running style that may prove effective on Saturday. Trained by Paddy Gallagher, he’s owned by David Bienstock and CHRB Chairman, Charles Winner. Flamboyant brings an overall mark of 24-5-3-6 and earnings of $753,058.

A RED TIE DAY: Trained by Richard Baltas, he was fifth, beaten 2 ½ lengths by Ring Weekend in the Grade II Seabiscuit Handicap Nov. 26. This 7-year-old gelding by Indygo Shiner took the restricted one mile turf Lure Stakes two starts back here on Oct. 30 by a half length and will get the services for the first time of comebacking Corey Nakatani, who has been active in the mornings at the Baltas barn. Owned by Bloom Racing, LLC, A Red Tie Day has four wins from seven starts over the Santa Anita turf and posted three wins from nine starts last year. Although close on three occasions last year, he has yet to win a graded stakes, but earned a career-best 102 Beyer Speed figure in his most recent start. A Red Tie Day is 19-5-0-4 overall with earnings of $255,308.

THE GRADE II SAN GABRIEL STAKES IN POST POSITION ORDER WITH JOCKEYS & WEIGHTS

Race 9 of 9 – Approximate post time 4:30 p.m. PST

1. Blue Tone–Kent Desormeaux–120
2. Point Piper–Mario Gutierrez–122
3. Flamboyant–Flavien Prat–122
4. Syntax–Joe Talamo–120
5. Itsinthepost–Tyler Baze–120
6. Conquest Daddyo–Luis Contreras–120
7. A Red Tie Day–Corey Nakatani–120
8. Quick Casablanca–Gonzalo Ulloa–122
9. Twentytwentyvision–Mike Smith–120
10. Perfectly Majestic–Victor Espinoza–120
11. Ring Weekend–Drayden Van Dyke–125
12. Some in Tieme–Tiago Pereira–122

WELL ACCOMPLISHED GORMLEY & FIRST-OUT WINNER AMERICAN ANTHEM HEAD GRADE III, $100,000 SHAM STAKES SATURDAY AT SANTA ANITA

NEWLY TURNED 3-YEAR-OLDS TAKE FIRST GRADED STEP TOWARD $1 MILLION SANTA ANITA DERBY

ARCADIA, Calif. (Jan. 4, 2017)–The road to the $1 million Santa Anita Derby on April 8 will have its first graded stop on Saturday at Santa Anita, as Grade I winning Gormley and recent first-out maiden winner American Anthem head a group of seven newly turned 3-year-olds in the Grade III, $100,000 Sham Stakes, to be contested at a flat mile.

GORMLEY: A 4 ¼ length first-out maiden winner going 6 ½ furlongs on Sept. 4 at Del Mar, this John Shirreffs-trained colt by Malibu Moon took Santa Anita’s Grade I, 1 1/16 miles FrontRunner Stakes by three lengths in gate to wire fashion on Oct. 1 at odds of 10-1. Owned by Jerry and Ann Moss, he bobbled at the start and suffered his first loss when well beaten in the Grade I Breeders’ Cup Juvenile on Nov. 5. Idle since, he’ll again get the services of Victor Espinoza, who’s been aboard for all three of his starts.

AMERICAN ANTHEM: Trained by Bob Baffert, he made a solid run from off the pace to take his 6 furlong debut by a neck on Dec. 3 at Del Mar, earning a Sham-best last-out Beyer Speed figure of 86. A Kentucky-bred colt by Bodemeister, he’ll most likely be forwardly placed in his first spin around two turns. Bred in Kentucky by Winstar Farm, LLC and owned by Winstar and China Horse Club, he’ll be ridden for the first time by “Big Money” Mike Smith.

THE GRADE III SHAM STAKES IN POST POSITION ORDER WITH JOCKEYS AND WEIGHTS

Race 7 of 9 – Approximate post time 3:30 p.m. PST

1. American Anthem–Mike Smith–119
2. Term of Art–Joe Talamo–124
3. Bird Is the Word–Gonzalo Ulloa–119
4. Colonel Samsen–Flavien Prat–121
5. Gormley–Victor Espinoza–124
6. Big Hit–Santiago Gonzalez–119
7. Blabimir–Mario Gutierrez–119

GRADED STAKES WINNER PRIZE EXHIBIT AND COURSE SPECIALIST WATCH THIS CAT LEAD THE FIELD IN SATURDAY’S GRADE III, $100,000 LAS CIENEGAS STAKES FOR FILLIES AND MARES GOING SIX AND A HALF FURLONGS DOWN HILLSIDE TURF COURSE

ARCADIA, Calif. (Jan. 4, 2017) – Graded stakes winner Prize Exhibit and recent course specialist Watch This Cat head a field of five fillies and mares in Saturday’s 43rd running of the Grade III, $100,000 Las Cienegas Stakes at Santa Anita going six and a half furlongs down the Camino Real hillside Turf Course.

Trained by Jim Cassidy and owned by Deron Pearson’s D P Racing, Prize Exhibit, almost exclusively a stakes router since coming to the U.S. in late 2014, will run in her 21st stakes race on Saturday, her 17th graded.

A winner of the Grade II Monrovia Stakes on Jan. 3, 2016 down the hill, Prize Exhibit went on to have an inconsistent year but will shorten up in distance and return to the hill for the first time since her Monrovia success.

A 5-year-old mare by Showcasting, bred in Great Britain by Mrs. R. F. Johnson Houghton, Prize Exhibit has an overall record of 30-6-3-2 and has amassed earnings of $577,045.

Trained by Richard Baltas and owned by Harry Bederian, Harout Kamberian and Hagop Nakkashian, Watch This Cat, a 5-year-old mare by Eskendereya, is two for two down Santa Anita’s hillside turf course in her last two outings. Claimed out of a dirt mile effort for $32,000 on June 6, Watch This Cat, who’s only added money attempt came at Woodbine with then trainer Mark Casse in May of 2015 (a fifth place finish in the Grade III, Selene Stakes over Woodbine’s Tapeta surface) will jump up in class in a big way on Saturday. Watch This Cat will try to make it three in a row with new rider, and Santa Anita turf specialist, Corey Nakatani at the helm.

Watch This Cat, bred in Kentucky by Hinkle Farms, has a career record of 15-3-4-1- overall with $104,220 in earnings.

Off since March 20, trainer Mark Glatt’s Cadet Roni will try the hillside for the first time as she comes off of a third place finish in the Grade III Las Flores sprinting over the main track and a victory in the Jan. 31 Wishing Well Stakes, which was taken off the hillside turf course due to weather and run over a wet fast main track. She will again be ridden by Rafael Bejarano on Saturday and will break from the rail.

The 5-year-old mare by Colonel John, bred by Kentucky’s WinStar Farm and owned by Saundra and Al Kirkwood, has a record of 12-4-1-3 with career earnings of $160,840.

The field, including jockeys and weights, for the Grade III Las Cienegas Stakes –

Race 3 – Approximate post time of 1:30 p.m.PST

1. Cadet Roni, Rafael Bejarano, 122
2. Paquita Coqueta, Flavien Prat, 120
3. Lajatico, Drayden Van Dyke, 120
4. Prize Exhibit, Mike Smith, 120
5. Watch This Cat, Corey Nakatani, 120