Nancy From Nairobi Can Continue Winning Ways in Santa Ana
John Sadler is hopeful Nancy From Nairobi continues her winning ways in Saturday’s Grade II, $200,000 Santa Ana Stakes for older fillies and mares at 1 1/8 miles on turf.
The five-year-old English-bred mare owned by Hronis Racing has won her last two starts but seeks her first U.S. stakes win in the Santa Ana.
“She’s coming off an impressive win,” said Sadler, who will give Abel Lezcano a leg up on the daughter of Sixties Icon for the fifth straight race in this country. “I had seen him ride at Los Al, and he looked really good, so I put him on a couple horses,” Sadler said. “We’ve done real well together. He won on Nancy From Nairobi twice and three other horses for me, and was second on Hard Aces in the Santa Anita Handicap.
“He looked like he could ride and he’s ridden well.”
The Santa Ana, race five of 11: Her Emmynency, Joe Talamo, 2-1; Nancy From Nairobi, Abel Lezcano, 5-2; Nashoba’s Gold, Rafael Bejarano, 10-1; Fresh Feline, Alex Solis, 8-1; Glory, Mike Smith, 7-2; and Tuttipaesi, Chris DeCarlo, 3-1.
FINISH LINES: Trainer David Hofmans said Thursday Santa Anita Handicap winner Melatonin would make his next start in either the Grade II Charles Town Classic at 1 1/8 miles on April 23 or the Grade II Oaklawn Handicap at 1 1/8 miles on April 16 . . . Three-time Eclipse Award winner Beholder could make her first career start on the turf in the $200,000, Grade II Royal Heroine Stakes on opening day of Santa Anita’s Summer Meet, Thursday, May 5. “It would be there or the Adoration Stakes (Grade II, $100,000 at 1 1/16 miles on dirt May 8), one of the two,” Richard Mandella said Thursday morning. “She’s never run on turf but the Royal Heroine is worth $100,000 more.” Beholder’s long-range objective is the Grade I Vanity Mile on June 4 . . . Effective today, agent J.R. Pegram will represent three-time Kentucky Derby winner and Hall of Fame jockey Kent Desormeaux, replacing Mike Ciani, who had booked Desormeaux on 17 winners which had earned $1,499,610 in purse money through Sunday of this meet. Pegram will retain Edwin Maldonado, enjoying a strong meet with 33 victories through 51 days, while no longer representing apprentice David Lopez, who loses his five-pound weight allowance at midnight, April 11 . . . John Sadler has older female champion of 2015 Stellar Wind set to have her first breeze Saturday or Monday since finishing an eventful second in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff last Oct. 30. “It will be one of those days,” the trainer said. “I’m still tweaking the schedule.” . . . Santiago Gonzalez is expected to miss six weeks after suffering a broken jaw and an ailing right leg when his mount, Follini, appeared to clip heels in Sunday’s fifth race. Gonzalez was second to Rafael Bejarano through Sunday, trailing the perennial Southern California kingpin, 60-47 . . . Champion Songbird worked five furlongs Wednesday in 59.60, breezing, for the Grade I Santa Anita Oaks on April 9. Her fractional times were 23.80, 36 flat and 48 flat, with a six furlong gallop out time of 1:12.20 . . . Trainer Simon Callaghan said Thursday that La Canada winner Taris, second in the Santa Margarita at 1 1/8 miles last Saturday, will make her next start in the Grade I Humana Distaff Stakes at seven furlongs May 7 at Churchill Downs . . . Santa Anita morning line oddsmaker Jon White will be Tom Quigley’s guest Saturday, and Jon Hardoon of The Ragozin Sheets Sunday, both days 11:20 a.m. in the East Paddock Gardens.