Elektrum Leads Field of Eight in Osunitas

Elektrum, the 2015 John C. Mabee Stakes winner, drew the No. 3 post position and was made the 5-2  favorite in a field of eight for Sunday’s featured $75,000 Osunitas Stakes at 1 1/16 miles on the turf for  older fillies and mares.

 

A 5-year-old Irish-bred daughter of High Chaparral owned by Hronis Raching and trained by John Sadler, Elektrum has shown remarkable consistency in 10 U.S. races spaced over 18 months since being imported from France. Her last seven starts have all come against graded stakes competition with a victory in the Grade II Mabee, second in the Grade I Rodeo Drive and most recently a third in the Grade I Gamely on May 30 at Santa Anita being the best results.

 

The Osunitas field from the rail: Juno (Flavien Prat, 9-2), Sobradora Inc (Rafael Bejarano, 5-1), Elektrum (Victor Espinoza, 5-2), Moon Over Paris (Norberto Arroyo, Jr., 20-1), Prize Exhibit (Mike Smith, 7-2), My Year Is a Day (Kent Desormeaux, 12-1), Havanna Belle (Tyler Baze, 6-1) and Entrechat (Mario Gutierrez, 5-1).  

 

Former trainer and current president of the Edwin J. Gregson Foundation Jenine Sahadi and Daily Racing Form writer and chief West Coast handicapper Brad Free are the guests for the weekend handicapping seminars.

 

Sahadi became the first female trainer to win a Breeders’ Cup race when she saddled Lit  de Justice to win the 1996 Sprint and followed that up with a victory by Elmhurst in the same race the following year, will present her insights and selections on Saturday.

 

Free will be the guest of Scott Shapiro on Sunday.

 

The seminars begin at 12:45 and continue to approximately 1:30 and are held at the Seaside Terrace near the top of the stretch.

 

CLOSERS –  With two wins on Thursday, jockey Santiago Gonzalez trimmed the lead of Flavien Prat atop the jockey standings to three (16-13). Prat blanked on his 24^th birthday. “I don’t want him (Prat) to get too relaxed,” said Ron Ebanks, Gonzalez’s agent. “I want to keep him in range, then when I go to the left-handed stick he won’t see it coming. It’s exciting and the thing is, they’re both very good riders and real gentlemen too.” …  Selected workouts from 125 officially timed Friday morning – Imperative (5f, 1:02.00), Morganite (5f, :59.40), Patentar (5f, 1:02.40).