Jeranimo Aims to Defend Citation Victory

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Photo: Benoit Photo

Jeranimo won the 2011 Citation by 2 3/4 lengths.

Grade I winner Jeranimo will try to win the Citation Handicap (gr. IIT) a second straight year when he starts in an expected field of eight Nov. 23 at Betfair Hollywood Park.

Like last year, Jeranimo enters the Citation, a 1 1/16-mile turf race, off an off-the-board finish in the Breeders’ Cup Mile (gr. IT). After finishing seventh in last year’s Mile at Churchill Downs, Jeranimo rolled to a 2 3/4-length victory in the Citation.

This year Jeranimo, a 6-year-old son of Congaree  , did not have to leave his Southern California base for the Breeders’ Cup World Championships, where he finished sixth in the Mile at Santa Anita Park. Winner of this year’s Shoemaker Mile Stakes (gr. IT) on the Hollywood turf, B.J. Wright’s Jeranimo will try to secure a third graded stakes win at Hollywood and sixth graded stakes win overall.

Jeranimo is owned by Wright and trained by Michael Pender. Those connections also will send out grade I winner Ultimate Eagle in the Citation.

Ultimate Eagle, a 4-year-old by Mizzen Mast  —Letithappencaptain, by Captain Bodgit, won the 2011 Hollywood Derby (gr. IT). He makes his first start here since a 10th-place effort in the March 3 Santa Anita Handicap (gr. I).

Stuart Janney III’s Data Link also enters the Citation after starting in the Breeders’ Cup Mile, where he finished fifth. The 4-year-old War Front   colt won the Maker’s 46 Mile (gr. IT) earlier this season at Keeneland.

WinStar Farm's Doubles Partner, a graded winner on turf the last three years, heads west off a fourth-place try against Wise Dan in Keeneland's Shadwell Turf Mile (gr. IT).

$250,000 Citation Handicap (gr. IIT) (Race 9, approximately 4:35 p.m. EST) 3yo&up, 1 1/16m, turf
PP, Horse, Jockey, Weight, Trainer
1. Ultimate Eagle (KY), M. Pedroza, 119, M. Pender
2. Doubles Partner (KY), J. Leparoux, 119, T. Pletcher
3. Data Link (KY), G. Gomez, 120, C. McGaughey III
4. Tale of a Champion (KY), R. Bejarano, 114, K. Muhall
5. Calimonco (KY), M. Garcia, 115, J. Sadler
6. Jeranimo (FL), J. Valdivia, 122, M. Pender
7. Temple’s Door (KY), T. Baze, 114, J. Mullins
8. Interaction (ARG), V. Espinoza, 117, R. McAnally

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