Each week BloodHorse.com looks forward to the weekend's biggest races. Consider this your guide to the best stakes in North America. This week we have a trio of grade 3 turf miles Saturday, Churchill Downs' opening night, and more. Races are listed in chronological order (all times Eastern) and full previews are available through the links below.
Saturday, April 29
3:25 p.m.—$100,000 Miami Mile (G3T) at Gulfstream Park
All Included, a son of Include , won the Appleton Stakes (G3T) last time out April 1 and came in second in the Gulfstream Park Turf Handicap (G1T) one race prior. The Appleton, also at a mile on the turf, was All Included's first graded stakes victory, although he finished third three times in grade 1 and grade 2 events in 2015-16.
Gulfstream Park, Saturday, April 29, 2017, Race 5Entries: Miami Mile S. (G3T)
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 1Diamond Bachelor (KY) Nicky Figueroa 119 Patrick L. Biancone 20/1 2 2War Correspondent (KY) Tyler Gaffalione 119 Christophe Clement 2/1 3 3Lubash (NY) Luca Panici 123 Christophe Clement 9/2 4 4Our Way (FL) Nik Juarez 121 H. James Bond 7/2 5 5All Included (KY) Javier Castellano 123 Todd A. Pletcher 8/5 6 6Applicator (KY) Magomet A. Kappushev 117 Mikhail Yanakov 30/1 7 7Zulu (KY) Javier Castellano 121 Todd A. Pletcher 6/5
6:54 p.m.—GG: $100,000 San Francisco Mile (G3T) at Golden Gate Fields
Alert Bay, G. G. Ryder, and Stryker Phd—the elder statesmen of Northern California—will face off once again in the San Francisco Mile. The multiple graded stakes winners are all exiting the same race, an April 2 allowance on Golden Gate Fields' synthetic main track that Alert Bay won by a length over fellow San Francisco Mile entrant Star Student. Alert Bay won the San Francisco Mile in 2016.
Golden Gate Fields, Saturday, April 29, 2017, Race 7Entries: San Francisco Mile S. (G3T)
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 1G. G. Ryder (CA) Irving Orozco 122 Jerry Hollendorfer 5/1 2 2Stryker Phd (WA) William Antongeorgi III 122 Larry D. Ross 12/1 98 3Patentar (FR) SCRATCHED 0 UNKNOWN - 4 4Many Roses (CA) Abel Cedillo 122 Ellen L. Jackson 8/1 5 5Camino Del Paraiso (CA) Ricardo Gonzalez 122 O. J. Jauregui 8/1 6 6Alert Bay (CA) Juan J. Hernandez 122 Blaine D. Wright 8/5 7 7Star Student (KY) Julien Couton 122 Dan L. Markle 6/1
7:09 p.m.—SA: $100,000 Thunder Road Stakes (G3T) at Santa Anita Park
No better than ninth in four trips outside of California, Golden Pegasus Racing and Earle Mack's Bolo will stay home instead of getting caught up in Kentucky Derby week for a third straight year. The son of Temple City has never run out of the top three in six starts on the Santa Anita Park grass.
Santa Anita Park, Saturday, April 29, 2017, Race 7Entries: Thunder Road S. (G3T)
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 1Perfectly Majestic (KY) Kent J. Desormeaux 122 Robert B. Hess, Jr. 7/2 2 2Twentytwentyvision (KY) Flavien Prat 122 Richard E. Mandella 7/2 3 3Bolo (KY) Mike E. Smith 126 Carla Gaines 5/2 4 4Mithqaal (KY) Rafael Bejarano 122 Doug F. O'Neill 15/1 5 5Fabozzi (KY) Corey S. Nakatani 122 Mark Glatt 6/1 6 6Farhaan (KY) Tyler Baze 122 Philip D'Amato 6/1 7 7Sawyer's Hill (KY) Martin A. Pedroza 122 Kristin Mulhall 7/2
10:11 p.m.—$100,000 William Walker Stakes at Churchill Downs
Syndergaard will make his first start since finishing fifth in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1) at Santa Anita Nov. 5. Prior to the Breeders' Cup, the New York-bred son of Majesticperfection finished second in the Oct. 8 Champagne Stakes (G1) at Belmont Park and won the Funny Cide Stakes at Saratoga Race Course Aug. 29.
Churchill Downs, Saturday, April 29, 2017, Race 9Entries: William Walker S.
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 1Syndergaard (NY) John R. Velazquez 118 Todd A. Pletcher 4/5 2 2Capture the Glory (KY) Dick Cardenas 118 Will Gallagher 15/1 3 3En Hanse (KY) Julien R. Leparoux 120 Michael J. Maker 5/1 4 4The Money Monster (KY) Jose Lezcano 118 William I. Mott 6/1 5 5Classic Cotton (FL) Ricardo Santana, Jr. 118 Troy S. Wismer 6/1 6 6Conquest Wildcat (FL) Corey J. Lanerie 118 Randy L. Morse 5/1 7 7Silver Bullion (KY) Florent Geroux 118 D. Wayne Lukas 12/1
Sunday, April 30
6:30 p.m.—$100,000 Santa Barbara Stakes (G3T) at Santa Anita Park
Estrechada wasn't far off in the Feb. 2 Astra II Stakes, when she finished just 1 1/4 lengths behind eventual grade 2 winner Goodyearforroses, and will try the 1 1/2-mile distance again on the Santa Anita grass in the Santa Barbara. The only two entrants with a victory at 1 1/2 miles are Evo Campo, who won the 2016 Possibly Perfect Stakes at the distance, and Laseen, who won a French handicap at 12 furlongs last year.
Santa Anita Park, Sunday, April 30, 2017, Race 6Entries: Santa Barbara S. (G3T)
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 1Estrechada (ARG) Stewart Elliott 122 Mike Puype 7/2 2 2Place des Vosges (KY) Corey S. Nakatani 122 Richard Baltas 3/1 3 3Dressed to a T (CA) Flavien Prat 122 Ben D. A. Cecil 8/1 4 4Hiking (KY) Brice Blanc 122 Simon Callaghan 10/1 5 5Responsibleforlove (IRE) Kent J. Desormeaux 122 Neil D. Drysdale 12/1 6 6Betty Draper (KY) Santiago Gonzalez 122 James M. Cassidy 20/1 7 7Mrs. Norris (KY) Victor Espinoza 122 Eoin G. Harty 10/1 8 8Evo Campo (IRE) Rafael Bejarano 122 Patrick Gallagher 7/2 9 9Laseen (IRE) Mike E. Smith 122 James M. Cassidy 9/2
