Santa Anita notes: Bicameral steps up off resounding maiden win

Bicameral, a 10 1/2-length maiden winner going a mile April 15, will make her stakes debut next Sunday in the Grade 2 Summertime Oaks at 1 1/16 miles.

The maiden victory came after an absence of nearly three months, and the bay filly owned by Calvin Nguyen and Joey Tran has been working well since at San Luis Rey Downs, capped by a bullet five-furlong drill of 58.40 on May 25.

“She’s doing great,” said trainer George Papaprodromou, who has only had the daughter of Constitution for brief period of time. Papaprodromou, who turns 46 on July 13, is enjoying success beyond his expectations this meet with 21 victories good for seventh in the standings and purse earnings of $1,110,060.

“Bicameral is stepping up in class, but we should be okay,” he said.

As for American Theorem, who pulled a 13-1 nose upset in winning the Triple Bend Stakes (G2) on May 29, Papaprodromou has the gray son of American Pharoah ticketed for Del Mar’s two signature sprint stakes, the Bing Crosby (G1) on July 30 and hopefully the Pat O’Brien (G2, Aug. 27) after that.

Pereira comes back on winning note

For Tiago Pereira, there’s no place like home.

Better still, there’s no place being home and with your family.

That’s a major reason why the 45-year-old jockey has returned from Oaklawn Park to ride regularly at Santa Anita and in Southern California again.

The native of Brazil caught the eye of racegoers Saturday when he piloted Bestrella to a heady half-length victory for trainer Steve Knapp and one of his principal clients, Ron Thomsen, in the third race, rewarding backers with a $19.60 win mutuel.

“Tiago used good judgement and made winning moves,” said Knapp, now 10th in Santa Anita’s trainer standings with 17 victories in addition to purse earnings of $757,854.

“He won 19 races at Oaklawn, but my thinking is when you’re not doing well, it’s probably good to leave and get away from things for a while, which is what he did,” said agent Derek Lawson, who now represents Pereira and former top apprentice Diego Herrera, who is still winning without the weight allowance. “Tiago had a pretty successful Oaklawn for someone who had never been there before.

“But the real reason for coming back to California was to be with his daughter (Valentina) and his wife (Fernenda). Being 2,000 miles from your family can create emotional stress, so he decided to return. He asked me if I would handle his business, and he’ll do well. He’s got his clients (like Knapp and Bill Spawr) and it’s just a matter of also developing new clientele for him. He rode a really good race yesterday, splitting horses to win it.

“Tiago is a world-class rider having won the Dubai World Cup in 2010 on Gloria de Campano, and Diego is 18 with a promising future, so we’re looking for good things ahead.”

Santa Anita to host inaugural women’s summit

The inaugural Horse Racing Women’s Summit (HRWS) will be held at Santa Anita on Sept. 28-30.

The multi-day event aims to bring together people from all facets of the horse racing industry with the mission of connecting and empowering women in horse racing.

To that end, Susan Packard, an entrepreneur and co-founder of popular TV channels like CNBC, HGTV and Food Network, is the keynote speaker for this exciting new event.

Originally a vision of Stephanie Hronis, Committee Chair for the HRWS, the event started as an idea to connect women in California but when it quickly gained national attention, a decision to expand was obvious. The HRWS planning committee now has bi-coastal representation and is being designed to embrace a national group of participants.

“On behalf of our Horse Racing Women’s Summit planning team, we are excited to offer this summit and honored to have Susan Packard as our keynote speaker for this inaugural event,” Hronis stated.

“As an internationally recognized business power player and author, Packard embodies all that is being offered to our HRWS participants. We look forward to having her inspire attendees to be trailblazers, build networks, meet new friends, foster deep discussions, and ultimately engage, innovate and invest.

“If you are currently or interested in becoming a racehorse owner, bloodstock agent, executive, young professional or a veteran of the sport, this event is for you.”

For further information visit www.womeninracingsummit.com and sign up for the event mailing list.