Kinza, Big City Lights, Missed the Cut win Santa Anita stakes
Hammered late to even money favoritism and pressed throughout, Bob Baffert’s Kinza would not be denied as she posted an impressive gate to wire victory in Saturday’s Grade 3, $100,000 Las Virgenes Stakes at Santa Anita.
The victor won by two lengths with Juan Hernandez up while getting one mile in 1:37.03.
In only her second start, Kinza darted to the early lead with Kopion in close attendance around the first turn and up the backside. Although Kopion loomed ominously, getting to the hip of the winner around the far turn, Kopion could never get on terms as Kinza maintained a two length advantage en route to a solid win.
Hernandez said Kinza improved on her last race on Saturday.
"Last time she showed a lot of speed. Today, it was a faster pace but she handled it pretty good," he said. "I felt like I was putting in a really good pace. My feeling was that she was really comfortable in front. I never asked her to go that fast she was doing it all on her own. I think that was the key to win the race, that she was comfortable the whole race. When I asked her at the quarter pole, she picked it up, so I think she is a really nice filly.”
Jimmy Barnes, Baffert's assistant trainer, said the barn had confidence in the filly in her first start around two turns.
“She acts like a filly that can handle (two turns)," he said. "You don’t know until you do it, but she had shown in the morning, in her workouts that she could go further."
A 7 1/2 length first-out maiden winner going six furlongs here on Dec. 29, Kinza was the clear choice in a field of five sophomore fillies and paid $4.00, $2.20 and $2.10.
A $350,000 2-year-old in training sale purchase last May, Kinza, who is owned by Michael Lund Petersen, is by Carpe Diem out of the Quality Road mare Secret Wonder. With the winner’s share of $60,000, she increased her earnings to $99,000.
The Las Virgenes, a traditional prep to the Santa Anita Oaks (G2) on April 6, is also a points qualifier to the Kentucky Oaks (G1) on May 3.
Ridden by Flavien Prat, Kopion, who was stretching out for the first time as well off an impressive 5 ¾ length score in the Santa Ynez (G3) on Jan. 7, kept to her task in game fashion and finished 1 1/2 lengths in front of She’s a Tempest. Off at 6-5, Kopion paid $2.60 and $2.10.
Off at 16-1 with Tiago Pereira up, She’s a Tempest sat third the entire trip and paid $3.00 to show while finishing some 9 1/4 lengths in front of Nothing Like You.
Fractions on the race were 22.99, 46.91, 1:10.82 and 1:23.35.
Big City Lights edges Hopkins in Palos Verdes
Although he didn’t show his customary early zip, Richard Mandella’s heavily favored Big City Lights kept to his task when it counted and was up to beat Bob Baffert’s Hopkins by a nose in Saturday’s Grade 3, $100,000 Palos Verdes Stakes at Santa Anita.
Ridden by Flavien Prat, California-bred Big City Lights, got six furlongs in 1:09.91.
With Hopkins and Juan Hernandez breaking sharply from his outside box, Big City Lights trailed by a length three furlongs from home and appeared to be in deep water at the furlong marker, as Hopkins had increased his advantage to 1 1/2 lengths. From there however, Hopkins, tired a bit late at the rail and Big City Lights was just up on the money.
Mandella said afterward he was concerned over his charge's relatively sluggish start.
“I was (concerned), he didn’t get away running like he usually does," Mandella said. "I noticed that he did grab a quarter, I didn’t think it was bad, but it was enough to set him back the first part. He showed his class, he dug in and fought it out anyway.”
Prat said he figured he was running for second unless Hopkins tired in the stretch.
“He broke just OK," he said of Big City Lights. "He was pretty quiet before the race. I was kind of chasing the leader actually, but he was very game to get the job done. Turning for home I thought (Hopkins) was gone. The only thing was when he was trying to make a move, he kind of stayed with me, so I was hoping he would stop a bit at the end, which is what happened.”
A lightly raced 5-year-old full horse by Mr. Big, Big City Lights registered his first graded stakes win in his ninth career start. Most recently victorious versus open company in a 6 1/2 furlong allowance Jan. 6, Big City Lights, a two-time stakes winner coming in, was off as the 2-5 favorite in a field of five older horses and paid $2.80, $2.10 and $2.10.
Owned by William Peeples and purchased as a yearling for $22,000, Big City Lights gave Hall of Famer Mandella his second Palos Verdes win, the first coming with Eclipse Champion Sprinter Phone Trick in 1985.
Out of the Exchange Rate mare Champagne Exchange, Big City Lights now has five wins and four seconds from his nine starts and with today’s winner’s share of $60,000, increased his earnings to $392,420.
For his part, Hopkins ran too good to lose, finishing second by four lengths over See Through It. The second choice at 9-5, he paid $2.40 and $2.10.|
Ridden by Tiago Pereira, fellow California-bred See Through it was off at 12-1 and paid $2.10 to show.
Fractions on the race were 22.75, 45.09 and 56.85.
Missed the Cut makes the grade in San Marcos
Ridden for the first time by Joel Rosario, John Sadler’s Missed the Cut squeezed through at the rail turning for home and repelled the late charge of Brazilian-bred Planetario to take Saturday’s Grade 3, $100,000 San Marcos Stakes by 1 1/4 lengths while getting 1 1/4 miles over a turf course listed as good in 2:01.14.
With a hillside start and a short run to the dirt crossing, Balladeer, as expected went to the front and led to the quarter pole with Missed the Cut biding his time at the rail. With a handful of horse under him, Rosario waited until Irish Prophet angled outside the pacesetter and then somehow squeezed through a tight opening at the fence with just over a furlong to run.
Although Planetario, a highly accomplished deep closer had good momentum while unencumbered, Missed the Cut was able to outrun him to the line in a solid performance.
Rosario said Missed the Cut seemed comfortable on the rail, so he waited for a hole and found one.
“You never know. He seemed like he was fine being on the inside and that’s where I ended up turning for home," he said. "I had plenty of horse under me and I was just waiting to see when we were going to go.”
Most recently second to highly regarded Easter going a mile and one eighth on turf here in the San Gabriel (G2) on Dec. 26, Missed the Cut, a Grade 3 winner on dirt three starts back for Sadler, was off as the 6-5 favorite in a field of six older horses and paid $4.40, $2.60 and $2.10.
A 5-year-old full horse by Quality Road out of the English-bred mare Beauly, Missed the Cut now has two stakes wins in seven stateside starts for Sadler. Originally based in England, Missed the Cut, who is owned by Bee Zee, Lanes End Racing, St. Elias Stables, Edward Babington, Edward Hudson, Jr. and Lynne Hudson, is now 14-6-2-0 overall. With the winner’s share of $60,000, he increased his earnings to $385,777.
Planetario, who made an eye-catching move at the rail around the far turn, was second best on the day and paid $3.20 and $2.20 while off as the second choice at 2-1. Ridden by Hector Berrios for Richard Mandella, he finished 5 1/4 lengths in front of Balladeer, who was disqualified to fourth for bumping Irish Prophet in deep stretch.
Ridden by Juan Hernandez, Irish Prophet sat second to the top of the lane and via the DQ, paid $3.00 to show while off at 11-1.
Fractions on the race were 23.55, 47.80, 1:12.35 and 1:37.46.