Romance is Diane takes the Bayakoa Handicap (gr. II).
Photo: Benoit
Quick Enough lived up to his name in the Morvich Handicap (gr. IIIT) Oct. 11 as he gave jockey Patrick Valenzuela his first Oak Tree stakes win in nearly four years with a 1 1/2-length score in the six-furlong turf event.
Trainer Doug O'Neill watched his retired star Lava Man lead the post parade for Oak Tree's $250,000 California Cup Classic, then saw his newest stable standout Mr. Chairman dig in to defeat the favored filly Romance Is Diane by a head Oct. 5 at Santa Anita.
Four-year-old filly Romance Is Diane, a grade I stakes winner, is the 5-2 favorite among eight entrants in the $250,000 California Cup Classic presented by City National Bank, the centerpiece of Oak Tree's 10-stakes series of races exclusively for state-breds at Santa Anita Oct. 5.
The nay-sayers who thought Zenyatta might have been vulnerable after her comparatively plodding win in the Vanity (gr. I) last time out were left with little left to criticize when the statuesque filly blew by her rivals to capture the $300,000 Clement L. Hirsch (gr. II) under wraps at Del Mar Aug. 2. Zenyatta, the top-ranked older female in the nation, remains perfect in seven lifetime races.
Tough Tiz's Sis, who has given undefeated Zenyatta her two most difficult tests, is back to try once again for trainer Bob Baffert in the $300,000 Clement L. Hirsch Handicap (gr. II) over Del Mar's Polytrack racing surface Aug. 2.
Dearest Trickski handed trainer John Sadler his third stakes win at Hollywood Park June 28 when she led all the way in the $150,000 A Gleam Handicap (gr. II) on the Hollywood Park Cushion Track.
Intangaroo was a little known 3-year-old filly with one lifetime win when she competed at Hollywood Park last winter. She returns to the Inglewood track for the A Gleam Invitational Handicap (gr. II) June 28 with two surprising grade I wins to her credit and trainer Gary Sherlock thinking about the Breeders' Cup Fillies & Mares Sprint (gr. I) at Santa Anita in October.
Undefeated Zenyatta overcame a bump at the start to record her fifth consecutive victory, winning the $183,300 Milady Breeders' Cup Handicap (gr. II) the way a 3-10 shot should May 31 at Hollywood Park.
Undefeated Zenyatta, a smashing winner of the Apple Blossom Handicap (gr. IT) in her last start, returns to her Hollywood Park base for the $175,000 Milady Handicap (gr. II), where she will face seven rivals on the Cushion Track May 31.
Ever a Friend, dominant winner of the Frank E. Kilroe Mile Handicap (gr. IT) at Santa Anita Park March 1 for trainer Mike Mitchell, worked four furlongs in :52 2/5 under Tyler Baze at Hollywood Park March 31.
Multiple grade I winner Nashoba's Key was named California-bred Horse of the Year for 2007 during the Feb. 18 California Thoroughbred Breeders Association's (CTBA) annual meeting and awards dinner at the Langham Huntington Hotel and Spa in Pasadena, Calif.
Undefeated Zenyatta unleashed the best effort of her brief career when she blew past grade I winners Tough Tiz's Sis and Romance Is Diane mid-stretch to win the $150,000 El Encino (gr. II) Jan. 13.
Grade I winners Romance Is Diane and Tough Tiz's Sis, the respective first two finishers in last month's Bayakoa Handicap (gr. II), tangle once more in the $150,000 El Encino Stakes (gr. II) at Santa Anita Jan. 13.
Romance Is Diane is the latest credit for California sire In Excess, who has long been the leading contender for the unofficial title of ?best North American sire standing outside of Kentucky.?
Romance Is Diane proved she is back on the top of her game with a determined front-running victory over Tough Tiz's Sis in the $150,000 Bayakoa Handicap (gr. II) on the Hollywood Park Cushion Track Dec. 1.
Romance Is Diane proved she is back on the top of her game with a determined front-running victory over Tough Tiz's Sis in the $150,000 Bayakoa Handicap (gr. II) on the Hollywood Park Cushion Track Dec. 1.
Frank Stronach's Sugar Shake seeks her fourth graded stakes victory of the year Dec. 1, as she leads a field of seven in the $150,000 Bayakoa Handicap (gr. II), a 1 1/16-mile test for fillies and mares on the Hollywood Cushion Track.
Grade I winners Romance is Diane, Greg's Gold and Debonair Joe are among the entries in Sunday's $1.3 million Gold Rush VIII program at Hollywood Park, a 10-race card for California-breds.
Cash Included and Romance Is Diane, both grade I winners as 2-year-olds, are among the leading contenders in the $250,000 Las Virgenes (gr. I) for 3-year-olds at Santa Anita Saturday.
The California Thoroughbred Breeders' Association has announced its 2006 award winners, with the exception of Horse of the Year, which will be presented at the organization's annual meeting and awards dinner Feb. 5. Finalists for the honor include Brother Derek, Lava Man, and Thor's Echo.
Romance Is Diane drew away from the field at the head of the stretch to post a major upset in the $459,250 Hollywood Starlet (gr. I), giving jockey David Flores his fifth win Sunday and providing a measure of satisfaction for winning trainer Mike Mitchell.
| Trainer | Mike R. Mitchell |
|---|---|
| Jockey | Rafael Bejarano |
| Owner | Senji Nishimura |
| Breeder | Swan Equine Service Co. |
| Romance Is Diane View Five-Cross Pedigree | In Excess (IRE) | Siberian Express |
| Kantado | ||
| Romantic Fibs | Prized | |
| Scatillac |
| Sale / Hip | Type | Buyer | Consignor | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FTKJUL2005 Hip 602 |
Yearling | Taylor Made Sales Agency, agent | ($37,000) | |
| KEENOV2008 Hip 163 |
Racing or broodmare prospect | Adena Springs Farm | Taylor Made Sales Agency, agent | $1,350,000 |
| KEENOV2009 Hip 59 |
Broodmare | Adena Springs, agent | ($700,000) |
Prices in parentheses indicate a horse did not sell because it did not meet its reserve price.
| California Chrome |
| Rachel Alexandra |
| Upstart |
| Bodemeister |
| Texas Red |
| International Star |
| Far Right |
| Main Sequence |
| Buddy's Saint |
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