Santa Anita H. (gr. I)
(gr. I , 10f ,)
EINSTEIN (BRZ)
(DK B/ h,
121
lb) $600,000
Spend a Buck —Gay Charm (BRZ) , by
Ghadeer (FR)
B—Fazenda Mondesir,
BRZ.;
O—Midnight Cry Stable;
T—Helen Pitts
Champs Elysees (GB)
(B h,
118
lb) $200,000
Danehill —Hasili (IRE) , by
Kahyasi (IRE)
B—Juddmonte Farms Inc,
GB.;
O—Juddmonte Farms, Inc.;
T—Robert J. Frankel
Matto Mondo (CHI)
(DK B/ g,
116
lb) $120,000
Sir Cat —Muy Euforica (CHI) , by
Sadlers Congress (IRE)
B—Haras El Sheik,
CHI.;
O—Yatse Stables I;
T—Richard E. Mandella
Margins: 1, neck, ½. Others: Monba 115($60,000) , Magnum (ARG) 116($20,000) , Dansant (GB) 116 , Court Vision 119 , Cowboy Cal 120 , Zambezi Sun (GB) 116 , Stream Cat 116 , Cause 114 , Heroi Do Bafra (BRZ) 111 , Blue Exit 116 . Winning Jockey, Julien R. Leparoux.
Einstein, a three-time grade I winner on turf, won his first grade I stakes on the main track when he captured the March 7 Santa Anita Handicap over the Pro-Ride surface at Santa Anita. The victory was his sixth in a graded stakes.
Bred in Brazil, Einstein is a rarity among racehorses exported to the United States in that he arrived unraced. Einstein came from Brazil at 2 in 2004. He is by 1985 Horse of the Year and Kentucky Derby (gr. I) winner Spend a Buck, who stood in Brazil at the time of EinsteinÕs conception.
Einstein, fresh off a third-place effort in the Jan. 31 Donn Handicap (gr. I) at Gulfstream Park, captured the 11Ú4-mile Santa Anita Handicap by a length under top weight of 121 pounds. The next two under the wire also were foreign-breds. Champs Elysees, bred in Great Britain, finished a neck in from of Chilean-bred Matto Mondo.
The 121 pounds carried by Einstein in the Big ÕCap was well below the record of 130 pounds carried by seven previous winners. Seabiscuit won the 1940 running under 130 pounds, two years after he had run second under 130 pounds to Stagehand, who carried 100 pounds.
The next horse to win the Santa Anita Handicap under 130 pounds was Thumbs Up in 1945, followed by Mark-Ye-Well in 1953, Round Table in 1958, Ack Ack in 1971, Spectacular Bid in 1980, and John Henry in 1982. The last named finished second but was moved to first after the disqualification of Perrault. Bill Shoemaker was aboard the last four runners in their Big ÕCap wins.
The most weight carried in the Santa Anita Handicap by a horse that hit the board was the 132 pounds toted by Citation, who finished second to Noor in the 1950 running. Noor carried 110 pounds.
Einstein races for William Gallion and Shirley Cunningham Jr.Õs Midnight Cry Stable. Trainer Kenneth McPeek privately purchased Einstein for $60,000. McPeekÕs former assistant, Helen Pitts-Blasi, has trained Einstein throughout the horseÕs career.
Midnight Cry is best known for racing 2007-08 Horse of the Year Curlin in partnership. Curlin, who initially was trained by Pitts-Blasi, won such major races as the BreedersÕ Cup Classic Ð Powered by Dodge (gr. I), Preakness Stakes (gr. I), Emirates Airline Dubai World Cup (UAE-I), and consecutive runnings of the Jockey Club Gold Cup (gr. I).
Deceased Spend a Buck, who stood at several North American farms as well as in Brazil, is represented as a stallion by 38 stakes winners. He died at age 20 in Brazil in 2002.ÑD.S.
