Misremembered Strikes Gold in Santa Anita Handicap
by Patricia Woo | Mar 8 2010
On Saturday, March 6, the $750,000 Gr. 1
Santa Anita Handicap took place at Santa Anita Park. Neko Bay, Misremembered and St Trinians were among the 14 that lined up for the 1 ¼-mile race.
As expected, front-running Mast Track, with David Flores aboard, set the early pace. Misremembered, a 4-year-old colt trained and bred by Bob Baffert, settled comfortably behind the leader. Paired with jockey Martin Garcia for the first time, Misremembered chased Mast Track for nearly a mile before making his move on the final turn. With challengers Dakota Phone (with Misremembered's regular rider Victor Espinoza aboard) and Neko Bay (ridden by Mike Smith) in close pursuit, Misremembered managed to draw away slightly in the lane. And despite a late bid by Neko Bay, who came up fast along the rail and was able to reel in Dakota Phone, Misremembered hung on for the victory in a time of 2:02.20.
The Santa Anita Handicap marks Misremembered's first grade 1 win; he'd had to settle for runner-up in his last three outings, including the $200,000 Gr. 2 Strub Stakes where he ran second to Santa Anita Handicap rival Jeranimo. The last time Misremembered was in the winner's circle was October 2009, when he captured the $500,000 Indiana Derby at
Hoosier Park. A son of Candy Ride, Misremembered now exceeds the million-dollar earnings mark with the $450,000 winner's share of the purse – his career record now stands at 11-5-4-0 and $1,188,589.
Neko Bay, a 7-year-old trained by John Shirreffs, earned $150,000 for owners Jerry and Ann Moss for his second-place finish. He had come into the Santa Anita Handicap off a win in the $150,000 Gr. 2 San Pasqual Handicap on Jan. 9, also at Santa Anita Park. The Jerry Hollendorfer-trained Dakota Phone turned in another surprising performance to capture third, off a runner-up finish in his previous outing, the $150,000 Gr. 2 San Antonio Handicap on Feb. 7.
Five-year-old mare St Trinians, trained by Mike Mitchell and ridden in the Big 'Cap by Joel Rosario, was squeezed between horses early on in the race and could not recover; the 3-1 favorite finished sixth.
Following Dakota Phone to the wire: Jeranimo, Rendezvous, St Trinians, Marsh Side, Delightful Kiss, Pick Six, Pool Play, Loup Breton, Tiger's Rock, Eagle Poise and Mast Track, who faded to last place.
Don't miss out on any of the excitement at Santa Anita Park.
Bet on horse racing at the Bodog Racebook!
