Santa Anita Park Opens New Dirt Track with Four Stakes Races

by Bodog Racebook | Sep 29 2011

Santa Anita Park opens on Friday with its reconstructed, refurbished dirt racing surface that needed repairs after it replaced the Pro Ride synthetic in 2010.

So, when the second and third days of the meet go to the post on Saturday and Sunday, not only will we hope to see promising performances by several Breeders' Cup prospects as they compete in four Graded Stakes on dirt, (plus two more on turf), but we will also hope to see that the new dirt track performs as a dirt track should: Smoothly – with fractional splits and final times in perfect synch with the norms for a well manicured, 100 percent safe dirt racing surface.

At Santa Anita Park on Saturday, Oct. 1:

$250,000 Norfolk, G-1, 2-year-olds, 1-1/16 mi. on dirt.
$250,000 Goodwood, G-1, 3-year- olds & up, 1-1/8 mi. on dirt.
$250,000, Yellow Ribbon, G-I, Fillies & Mares, 3-year-olds & up, 1-1/4 mi. on turf.
$250,000 Lady's Secret, G-I, Fillies & Mares, 3-year-olds & up, 1-1/16 mi. on dirt.

At Santa Anita Park on Sunday, Oct. 2:
$250,000 Oak Leaf, G-1, 2-year-old fillies, 1-1/16 mi. on dirt.
$150,000 Clement Hirsch Turf Championship, G-2, 3-year-olds & up, 1-1/4 mi, turf.

***
Get all your Santa Anita Park odds at Bodog Racebook!
***

There are five Grade-1 Stakes, plus one at the Grade-2 level. Of the three G-1 stakes on dirt this Saturday, I will be watching a few horses closely.

In the Norfolk for 2-year-olds, Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert will send out Del Mar Futurity winner DRILL against once beaten CREATIVE CAUSE, who was interfered with when third to Drill in the 7 furlong Futurity on Sept. 7. While Creative Cause properly was moved up to second when the stewards disqualified MAJESTIC CITY for bearing out sharply nearing the wire. The incident also turned Drill sideways without preventing him from a well earned score.

As readers of my columns know, I think Drill has enormous potential.

Prior to the DMR Futurity, the son of Lawyer Ron worked a sharp 6 furlongs that rated five stars on my website because it included an incredible gallop out to nine furlongs in 1:51 and change. That was one of the best workouts of the year by any horse and one of the best by a 2 year old in several years.
While that led directly to his terrific performance in the Futurity, Drill will be running on a dirt track for the first time Saturday while trying two turns and a distance of ground. The same is true for Creative Cause, who is good horse in his own right with plenty of potential.

The champion filly BLIND LUCK also is facing an interesting test Saturday's Lady's Secret at 1-1/16 miles. Blind Luck has won on dirt before and has won at 1-1/16 miles. But generally speaking, she much prefers distances ranging from 1-1/8 miles to 1-1/4 miles and she is returning to the races for the first time since her gut wrenching, nose victory over the classy HAVRE DE GRACE in the Delaware Handicap on July 16.

That performance took so much out of Blind Luck that Hollendorfer vetoed the idea of running her in the 10 furlong Pacific Classic against males on the Polytrack at Del Mar on Aug 28. Hollendorfer actually felt he had to give Blind Luck a few weeks of rest so that she might recover all her energies.

With that, Blind Luck may be a vulnerable favorite in her first race back, a race that is supposed to be sued as a prep for Blind Luck's appearance in the $2 million Breeders' Cup Ladies Classic on Nov. 4. Moreover, the 1-1/16 mile distance on Saturday may be too short for her to fire her best late rally.

Among the horses she might have difficulty with include front running CHAMPAGNE D'ORO; plus ULTRA BLEND and the 3-year-old ZAZU, who finished 1-2 in the 1-1/16 mile, Grade 1 Clement Hirsch at Del Mar on Aug. 6.

There are two other important stakes on the Oct. 1 card at Santa Anita, including the 1-1/8 mile Goodwood, which should help identify a contender or two for the 1-1/4 mile, $5 million Breeders' Cup Classic and the 1-1/4 mile Flower Bowl, which will serve as a prep for the $2 million Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf. But just in case you think that is all there is, another think definitely is coming.

In addition to Sunday's two additional Graded stakes at Santa Anita Park there will be 10 Graded stakes at Belmont Park this weekend, including five at the G-1 level, worth $2.4 million on Saturday alone!

At Belmont Park on Saturday, Oct. 1:

$ 500,000 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic, G-1, 3-year-olds & up, 1-1/2 mi., turf.
$750,000 Jockey Club Gold Cup, G-1, 3-year-olds & up, 1-1/4 mi., dirt
$500,000 Flower Bowl, G-1, F&M 3-year-olds & up, 1-1/4 mi., turf.
$350,000 Beldame, G-1, $350,000 F&M 3-year-olds & up, 1-1/8 mi., dirt
$350,000 Vosburgh, G-1, 3-year-olds & up, 6 furlongs, dirt.
$250,000 Kelso Handicap, G-2, 3-year-olds & up, 1 mi. around one turn, dirt

At Belmont Park on Sunday, Oct. 2:

$150,000 Nashua, G-2, 2-year-olds, 6 furlongs, dirt.
$150,000 Tempted, G-3, 2-year-olds, 6 furlongs, dirt.
$100,000 Pilgrim, G-3, 2-year-olds, 1-1/16 mi., turf.
$100,000 Miss Grillo, G-3, Fillies, 2-year-olds, 1-1/16 mi., turf.

***
Get all your Belmont Park odds  at Bodog Racebook!
***

Travers winner STAY THIRSTY is in the Jockey Club Gold Cup to meet older horses for the first time; Arlington Million winner CAPE BLANCO will meet multiple G-1 stakes winner WINCHESTER in the Joe Hirsch Turf Classic; Beverly D winner STACELLITA  will meet the improving DELUXE in the Flower Bowl on the turf. The aforementioned HAVRE DE GRACE, who beat males in the Woodward at Saratoga on Sept 3, will meet the 3-year-old ROYAL DELTA in the Beldame.

UNCLE MO will meet the older JACKSON BEND in the Kelso  and 2010 BC sprint winner BIG DRAMA will meet the Bob Baffert trained EUROEARS  in the 6 furlong  Vosburgh.

That hardly is all. Next week, Belmont Park and Santa Anita Park will offer more Breeders' Cup prep races, while Keeneland Racetrack  will do the same beginning Friday, Oct. 7.

What is remarkable about all of this is, of course, that all of the three dozen-odd Graded Stakes that we will be betting on and watching through the early weeks of October are merely a prelude to the 15 Breeders' Cup races worth $25 million to be run at Churchill Downs on Friday Nov. 4 and Saturday Nov.5.


Good luck and good handicapping... to all of us!
Get all your horse racing odds at Bodog Racebook.