SANTA ANITA NOTEBOOK
NOVEMBER 8, 2012
by John Mucciolo
The Breeders' Cup World Thoroughbred Championships took the spotlight over the weekend at Santa Anita. Congratulations go out to the following 'Cup winners and their connections:
| Classic | Fort Larned (E Dubai) | |
| Ladies' Classic | Royal Delta (Empire Maker) | |
| Turf | Little Mike (Spanish Steps) | |
| Filly & Mare Turf | Zagora (Green Tune) | |
| Mile | Wise Dan (Wiseman's Ferry) | |
| Dirt Mile | Tapizar (Tapit) | |
| Sprint | Trinniberg (Teuflesberg) | |
| Filly & Mare Sprint | Groupie Doll (Bowman's Band) | |
| Turf Sprint | Mizdirection (Mizzen Mast) | |
| Marathon | Calidoscopio (Luhuk) | |
| Juvenile | Shanghai Bobby (Harlan's Holiday) | |
| Juvenile Fillies | Beholder (Henny Hughes) | |
| Juvenile Turf | George Vancouver (Henrythenavigator) | |
| Juvenile Fillies Turf | Flotilla (Mizzen Mast) | |
| Juvenile Sprint | Hightail (Mineshaft) |
Track Stats
From a total of 40 races held at the Arcadia, California racetrack during the past week, favorites won at a 23 percent clip and the top two betting choices combined for 43 percent of the wins. From 25 frays contested on the dirt oval, seven animals won in wire-to-wire fashion (28 percent), while one of the 15 grassy tussles went all the way on the lead (7 percent).
The main oval was mostly biased to speed over the week of racing, with outside speed coming through on various occasions over the weekend. This has been a similar trend since the meeting kicked off, and something to remember when they come back to Santa Anita in late December.
Meet Totals
| RACES: | 219 | |
| DIRT: | 140 | |
| TURF: | 79 | |
| FAVORITES: | 62 (28 percent) | |
| 2ND CHOICES: | 49 (22 percent) | |
| TURF WIRE: | 11 (14 percent) | |
| DIRT WIRE: | 38 (27 percent) |
HORSES TO WATCH
Thursday (11/1)
5TH -- JUBILANT GIRL (Henrythenavigator) was very professional in posting this debut win on the downhill course for trainer John Sadler, taking command in the lane and keeping all comers at bay. The juvenile filly could surely be any kind and we'll keep close tabs on her.
Friday (11/2)
7TH -- DREAMING OF JULIA (A.P. Indy) blew the break, rushed up on the outside and ran evenly for the most part late in securing the third spot in here for trainer Todd Pletcher. The juvenile miss never threatened the top pair on an oval that was playing strongly to speed, but we liked how she dug deep to get this placing and think she has a bright future.
9TH -- Previously unbeaten MY MISS AURELIA (Smart Strike) suffered her first defeat in this race, but the sophomore ran huge against a top field to be clearly second-best in this affair for Steve Asmussen. We would love to see this gem of class return in 2013.
Saturday (11/3)
2ND -- GABRIEL CHARLES (Street Hero) sure looked the part in his grassy debut in this one, powering home to dust this field by 3 1/2 lengths under Joe Talamo. We've long thought this Jeff Mullins pupil had a lot of ability, and it's possible the surface switch combined with the cut back in distance had a lot to do with his success in here.
4TH -- BALANCE THE BOOKS (Lemon Drop Kid) really impressed us with his turn of foot late to just miss second behind a very nice top pair in this one for Chad Brown. We envision the colt to be a major stakes player in his sophomore year, on the turf and synthetic.
6TH -- TAPIZAR (Tapit) ran huge from start to finish in this tally, and if the bay colt could stay consistent, he could have a huge 2013 campaign. The Asmussen trainee was asked a lot early to get position through a rapid open quarter-mile in this one, but never tired in pulling away from this field with authority.
8TH -- CAPO BASTONE (Street Boss) made a good late run from last to get third in here despite bleeding in this spot without the Lasix. This colt has tried to rally from well back on a speed-favoring oval in his last pair, and he may thrive on a more fair oval in the future.
11TH -- ANIMAL KINGDOM (Leroidesanimaux) got his final half-mile of this race in something close to a scorching :44 4/5 while encountering a touch of traffic in his first race since January. Let's hope this one has a full campaign in 2013 to prove just how good he is.
Sunday (11/4)
5TH -- SWEET MARINI (Marino Marini) jumped out to the lead and never stopped in a most impressive debut win over a potentially nice field for conditioner Jorge Gutierrez. The Cal-bred filly dusted open foes with ease in this one, and she could be a very nice one-turn animal with natural progression.
10TH -- CINCO DE MARIO (Candy Ride) is clearly best on the turf and his two very good outings have come on the green, and we think he'll graduate soon for Doug O'Neill.
A Look Ahead
The racing action moves to Hollywood Park for their Autumn Meet, starting on Thursday.