Santa Anita: Rispoli gets Grade 1 double; Johannes wins the Shoe
Jockey Umberto Rispoli won his second Grade 1 on Memorial Day when piloting 4-year-old colt Johannes to his first top-level victory in the $300,000 Shoemaker Mile on the turf at Santa Anita.
Rispoli, who two races earlier won the Gamely (G1) on Anisette, settled Johannes (2-1) in mid-pack of an 11-horse field. They launched their bid near the quarter pole and reeled in a stubborn Funtastic Again (11-1), ridden by Frankie Dettori, to score by a half-length. Du Jour, who went off a slight favorite over Johannes, rallied under Flavien Prat to finish 1 3/4 lengths behind the winner in third.
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“That was fantastic. I beat my idol,” said Rispoli, 35, who like Dettori hails from Italy. “I have so much respect for Frankie. Having my second Gamely and Shoemaker Mile on the same day is just a dream come true.”
Trained by Tim Yakteen, Johannes won with a sharp final time of 1:33.00.
Funtastic Again led through an opening quarter mile in 22.28 seconds before 31-1 long shot Goliad and Kyle Frey took over and proceeded to set fractions of 45.50 and 1:09.20 for six furlongs. Funtastic Again, who was invading from Kentucky for trainer Wesley Ward, seized the lead at the top of the stretch but could not hold off the oncoming Johannes.
Sired by Nyquist, Johannes is a homebred for Cuyathy. After losing his first two starts, both on dirt as a 2-year-old in 2022, he was switched to turf and has lost only once in six starts since.
“He showed talent from the start, but to develop into this? I didn’t expect it in the early stages, but I’m very thankful for him and appreciative,” Yakteen said.
Last time out April 4 at Santa Anita, Johannes returned from an 11-month layoff and won the American Stakes (G3) at one mile on turf. Last year he won the Baffle Stakes sprinting on the hillside turf course and the one-mile Pasadena before suffering his only turf loss at Churchill Downs in the American Turf (G2) on the Kentucky Derby undercard.
Johannes has an overall record of 9: 5-0-1 with $423,859 in earnings. He paid $6.40, $4.00 and $3.00. Funtastic Again returned $10.00 and $6.80. Du Jour, ridden by Flavien Prat for trainer Bob Baffert, returned $3.20.