New Wagering Menu, New Races on Tap For 81st Season
Favorable Outcome (photo by Jordan Sigmon).
Racing Returns to Santa Anita Park on Tuesday!
Tuesday’s opening day card features nine races, including four graded stakes and the signature opening-day races — the La Brea Stakes for fillies and the Malibu Stakes for sophomore colts and geldings. Both are Grade 1 affairs.
Eastern invaders Favorable Outcome and C Z Rocket head a wide-open field of nine sophomores in the $300,000 Malibu, which has been carded as the day’s eighth race and is set to leave the gate at 3:30 p.m. PT.
The Chad Brown-trained Favorable Outcome comes off a recent victory in a 6 ½-furlong allowance at Aqueduct on Nov. 26. The winner of the Swale Stakes (GII) at Gulfstream Park earlier this year, the son of Flatter has a win and a third-place finish in two starts at this seven-furlong distance.
Undefeated Florida-bred C Z Rocket ships in off a recent 2-length score in a Churchill Downs allowance race and makes his first start against stakes company here. The Al Stall Jr.-trained son of City Zip, who was an expensive $800,000 2-year-old in training purchase, has found a good spot to test the tougher waters. Regular jockey Jose Lezcano will be in town to ride.
The locals are well represented and they are led by Donegal Racing’s Irish Freedom. The Bob Baffert-trained colt by Pioneerof the Nile was second last out in the Native Diver Stakes (GIII) on Nov. 25 and will cut back in distance off of five consecutive two-turn events. Baffert’s go-to rider, Mike Smith, will be aboard.
Baffert will also tighten the girth on Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa al Maktoum’s Dabster, who would carry two wins at this seven-furlong distance, but was disqualified from victory in his first start of the year. The son of Curlin, who was a $1 million 2-year-old in training purchase, has actually crossed the wire in front in all three of his career races and won a nice seven-furlong allowance at Del Mar in his last start on Nov. 3. Flavien Prat will be back aboard after their win together last time and have landed in a good spot to try stakes company for the first time.
Others set for the Malibu include stakes winners Edwards Going Left, Heartwood and Grade 3 winner Pavel.
Unique Bella (photo by Jordan Sigmon).
Eight fillies are set to run in the La Brea Stakes (GI), led by multiple Grade 1 winner Paradise Woods. The daughter of Union Rags has won three of four career starts over the Santa Anita Park main track — including her two biggest career scores in the Santa Anita Oaks (GI) and Zenyatta Stakes (GI) — and returns after a little rest following a strong third-place showing in the Nov. 3 Breeders’ Cup Distaff (GI). She cuts back in distance for Hall of Famer Richard Mandella, but it’s hard to argue with the veteran conditioner’s choices and she will be tough under regular jockey Flavien Prat.
Unique Bella returns to her favorite track after faltering badly to finish seventh as the even-money favorite in the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint (G1). She was the biggest thing in racing, aside from Arrogate, in the spring and, after injury sent her to the sidelines for several months, her highly anticipated return to the elite level was a little disappointing. We know she’s better than her last and if she returns to previous form, she will be dangerous for the win. Mike Smith returns in the saddle for fellow Hall of Famer Jerry Hollendorfer.
Faypien (photo by Jordan Sigmon).
Bayoma Corporation’s Faypein already has a win at this seven-furlong distance here at Santa Anita, breaking her maiden in her second start back in April. The now stakes-winning Florida-bred daughter of Ghostzapper was second in the Test Stakes (GI) and again in the Beverly Lewis Stakes, but has now been off a while after a fresheining and working well for her return. Drayden Van Dyke rides for trainer Bob Baffert.
Grade 2 winner Miss Sunset returns off a two-month break after taking the Raven Run Stakes (GII) at Keeneland in October. If the California-bred multiple stakes winner by Into Mischief shows the same form here, she is dangerous for the upset for trainer Jeff Bonde. She’s been working well and Julien Leparoux will be in town to ride and lead the field to post.
Others set for the La Brea are recent allowance winner Marley’s Freedom, who will have Hall of Famer Javier Casellano aboard, and stakes winners Princess Karen and Mopotism.
The La Brea is the seventh race and carries a post time of 3:00 p.m. PT.
California native and lifelong horsewoman Margaret Ransom is a graduate of the University of Arizona’s Race Track Industry Program. She got her start in racing working in the publicity departments at Calder Race Course and Hialeah Park, as well as in the racing office at Gulfstream Park in South Florida. She then spent six years in Lexington, KY, at BRISnet.com, where she helped create and develop the company’s popular newsletters: Handicapper’s Edge and Bloodstock Journal.After returning to California, she served six years as the Southern California news correspondent for BloodHorse, assisted in the publicity department at Santa Anita Park and was a contributor to many other racing publications, including HorsePlayer Magazine and Trainer Magazine. She then spent seven years at HRTV and HRTV.com in various roles as researcher, programming assistant, producer and social media and marketing manager.
She has also walked hots and groomed runners, worked the elite sales in Kentucky for top-class consignors and volunteers for several racehorse retirement organizations, including CARMA.In 2016, Margaret was the recipient of the prestigious Stanley Bergstein Writing Award, sponsored by Team Valor, and was an Eclipse Award honorable mention for her story, “The Shocking Untold Story of Maria Borell,” which appeared on USRacing.com. The article and subsequent stories helped save 43 abandoned and neglected Thoroughbreds in Kentucky and also helped create a new animal welfare law in Kentucky known as the “Borell Law.”Margaret’s very first Breeders’ Cup was at Hollywood Park in 1984 and she has attended more than half of the Breeders’ Cups since. She counts Holy Bull and Arrogate as her favorite horses of all time.She lives in Robinson, Texas, with her longtime beau, Tony. She is the executive director of the 501(c)(3) non-profit horse rescue, The Bridge Sanctuary.