Si Sage upsets the Whittingham in front-running fashion

Overlooked at odds of 23-2, Si Sage broke on top in Santa Anita's Grade 2 Charles Whittingham Stakes and never looked back.

Part of a trio that went straight out to the front, Si Sage departed from gate 7 and joined A Red Tie Day and Bal A Bali on the lead. Coming off the hill, Bal A Bali proved hard to handle and drifted Si Sage out toward the center of the track. Straightening down the stretch for the first time, Si Sage was able to clear both Bal A Bali and A Red Tie Day to get to the rail and establish a clear lead.

The top three cleared the rest of the field by about four lengths with Patentar leading the second flight and Quick Casablanca trailing early.

Closely accompanied by Bal A Bali and A Red Tie Day, Si Sage posted splits of :47.02 for the opening half, 1:11.23 for the six furlongs, and 1:35.36 for the mile.

By the time the field hit the quarter pole, Patentar had overtaken A Red Tie Day to move into third. Heading into the stretch for the second and final time, A Red Tie Day continued to lose ground while Patentar and Montego Bay advanced on the leaders. Try as they might, they could not close on Si Sage, who kicked away at the top of the stretch and lengthened his advantage to the wire.

Si Sage stopped the clock for the 1 ¼ mile event in a sharp 1:59.48 over a course labeled firm. Patentar finished 2 ½ lengths back in second and was ½ length ahead of third place finisher Montego Bay. After pressing the pace in second, Bal A Bali was outfinished and had to settle for rounding out the superfecta. Finnegans Wake, Royal Albert Hall, Quick Casablance, Blingo, A Red Tie Day, and Play Hard To Get completed the order of finish.

Winning jockey Mike Smith said after the race, “He got carried out a little bit when we were crossing the dirt and we went a bit quicker than I wanted to go, but in doing so he was well within himself, was comfortable, very relaxed and sometimes you've just got to let a fast horse be fast.”

Si Sage, off 23-2 odds, led a large trifecta payoff, returning $25.00/$11.80/$9.40 for the win. Patentar, sent off at 32.5-1, paid $25.40/$11.80 for the place, and Montego Bay, pegged at 21-1, paid $10.60 for the show. The $1 exacta returned $238.50, the $1 trifecta paid $3,812.70, and the $1 superfecta was worth $21,343.30.

“I thought it was a pretty fast dog (with regard to him telling Mike to 'walk the dog' on the front end before the race) as I watched,” stated Jim Cassidy, who saddled the winner. “In between being on the outside and going down the hill, that forty-seven half made me think we might be in trouble.”

“If he didn't impress anybody today, shame on them,” Cassidy continued. “He certainly impressed me.”

By Sageburg (IRE) and out of the Poliglote (GB) mare Sans Rien (FR), Si Sage was bred by Ecurie D and is owned by Red Baron's Barn LLC, Rancho Temescal and Vayaconsuerte LLC. Now 6-years old, the intact son of Sageburg (IRE) earned his first and only prior graded stakes win over a year ago when he upset the Grade 3 Last Tycoon Stakes at odds of 43-1. Though that was his only prior graded victory, he also owned a couple of grade 2 placings. His record is now 26: 5-6-2 with purse earnings of $381,795.

I couldn't believe the morning line today (15-1),” exclaimed Jed Cohen, who races as Red Baron's Barn. “He won a race here last year at the same distance (three starts back, The Last Tycoon, on April 25, 2015) and I thought he beat a better group of horses than he was facing today...It's nice to have a nice horse and for him to be able to show it.”