Santa Anita undercard: Kinza, Mucho Del Oro are winners

Kinza stayed perfect in her young career with a smashing, five-length victory in Saturday’s Grade 3, $100,000 Santa Ysabel Stakes, a Kentucky Oaks (G1) points prep for 3-year-old fillies at Santa Anita.

Trained by Bob Baffert, Kinza seized the early lead under Juan Hernández and never was threatened in the 1 1/16-mile prep for the Santa Anita Oaks (G2) on April 6. Kinza set solid fractions of 22.52, 45.98 and 1:10.55 for six furlongs while being tracked by 14-1 long shot She’s a Tempest.

Click here for Santa Anita entries and results.

At the head of the stretch, Hernández gave Kinza her cue, and she responded, drawing off from the field to win with a final time of 1:44.16 on the fast main track.

“She is just so naturally fast, she gets wound up,” Baffert said. “She is getting better. Her worst enemy is that she is just so cranked up.”

Now 3-for-3 after wins on debut Dec. 29 and last month in the Las Virgenes (G3), Kinza was off at 1-2 and paid $3.00, $2.80 and $2.10.

Where’s My Ring, a 20-1 long shot for trainer Val Brinkerhoff, rallied to be second under Víctor Espinoza returning $8.20, $5.20. She’s a Tempest and Tiago Pereira checked in another 1 1/4 lengths back in third for trainer Steve Knapp returning $4.00. Ultimate Authority was fourth and Shiloh’s Mistress fifth. Nay V Belle and Pacific Rose were sixth and seventh, respectively, and Ifuaintfirsturlast was eased.

The race was assigned 50-25-15-10-5 points for the top five finishers, provided they were eligible. Because Baffert remains under a Churchill Downs Inc. suspension, Kinza did not get her points, which also were not transferred.

Kinza is by Carpe Diem out of the Quality Road mare Secret Wonder. Michael Lund Petersen bought the filly for $350,000 at last year’s Fasig-Tipton Midatlantic 2-year-olds-in-training sale.

Mucho Del Oro is very golden in San Simeon

Mucho Del Oro earned his second stakes victory and his first for trainer Doug O’Neill and owner Purple Rein Racing when prevailing by half-length Saturday in the $100,000 San Simeon Stakes (G3) going about 6 1/2 furlongs on the hillside turf course.

Mucho Del Oro and Hernández grabbed the lead after breaking sharply but quickly had company on the front end. Both Dancing Buck and Air Force Red pressed on the outside as Mucho Del Oro set fractions of 22.36 and 44.31 seconds for the opening quarter- and half-mile.

The race remained that way as the field passed the dirt crossing into the turn for home. Air Force Red began to falter in the stretch, eventually finishing second to last, but Mucho Del Oro and Dancing Buck continued their confrontation.

Mucho Del Oro held a one-length lead at the eighth pole and then dutifully kept to task to ultimately prevail.

Dancing Buck, trained by Richard Dutrow Jr. and ridden by Edwin Maldonado, held on for second by a neck over 2-1 favorite Lane Way with another neck back to Sumter in fourth.

Mucho Del Oro paid $7.80, $4.20 and $3.00. Dancing Buck returned $6.20 and $4.00. Lane Way paid $2.60 to show. The winning time on a turf course listed as good was 1:12.76.

A 6-year-old gelding by Mucho Macho Man, Mucho Del Oro improved to 17: 9-2-0 with $355,100 in earnings. Janie Buss’s Purple Rein Racing claimed Mucho Del Oro for $50,000 in June at Santa Anita. Subsequently sent to the sidelines, he returned almost seven months later to be second by a nose Jan. 28 in Clockers’ Corner Stakes on the hillside turf course.

Mucho Del Oro’s only other stakes win came in last year’s Cotton Fitzsimmons Mile Handicap at Turf Paradise for trainer Vladimir Cerin.