Big 'Cap or Dubai? Newgrange has options
Newgrange was in fine fettle the morning after his game one-length victory in Saturday’s Grade 2 San Pasqual Stakes, trainer Phil D’Amato reported. Next up for the 4-year-old Violence colt will likely be either the Santa Anita Handicap (G1) on March 4 or the Dubai World Cup on March 25.
“He came out of the race in good shape,” D’Amato said. “We’ll get a better idea in the next couple of days, but we’ll see if we’re Big 'Cap-bound or Dubai-bound. The owners are going to talk among themselves and come up with a game plan.”
Newgrange’s win in the 1 1/8-mile San Pasqual was his third stakes win overall and first for his current connections, which includes the ownership group of Rockingham Ranch, David A. Bernsen and Little Red Feather. Last July, after Newgrange won a pair of Grade 3 stakes on the Kentucky Derby trail for Bob Baffert, he was offered at the Fasig-Tipton horses of racing age sale. Rockingham Ranch landed the colt with a winning bid of $325,000.
In the San Pasqual, Newgrange broke alertly under leading rider Juan Hernandez and was close to the pace down the backstretch. On the second turn, Newgrange lost ground on the leaders but it was only momentary. When he reached the stretch, Newgrange kicked back into high gear to outrun favorite Hopper and win in a final time of 1:49.97.
“This horse does this in some of his races,” D’Amato said from the winner’s circle Saturday. “He likes to kind of disengage at the three-eighths pole and then come back on.”
In three prior starts for D’Amato, Newgrange was third in last summer’s Shared Belief at Del Mar, he won a highly rated classified allowance at Santa Anita and then was third in the Native Diver (G3) on Nov. 27 in his start prior to the San Pasqual.
Newgrange is now 3-for-3 at Santa Anita. Such a lofty local record appears to have D’Amato leaning toward the Big 'Cap for his next start rather than shipping to the Middle East for the Dubai World Cup. Both races are at 1 1/4 miles on dirt.
“We know he likes this racetrack, he’s undefeated here, so it would be tough to pass up a race like that,” D’Amato said.
Newgrange’s record is now 8: 5-0-2 with earnings of $747,334.