Let’s Meet in Rio, a 2-year-old colt trained by Bob Baffert, made a successful transition to racing around two turns with a win in a one-mile maiden race at Los Alamitos on Saturday.
Ridden by Kent Desormeaux, Let’s Meet in Rio caught stretch leader Laoban in the final sixteenth to win by 1 1/2 lengths over that rival. Let’s Meet in Rio was fifth and sixth in his first two starts in sprints.
“We thought he wanted to go long,” Baffert said. “It’s a good move forward.”
Jockey Flavien Prat, who has not ridden since September after sustaining a back injury in a spill at Los Alamitos, resumed working horses at Santa Anita over the weekend and could ride on the Dec. 26 opening day of that track’s winter-spring meeting.
Prat said he worked horses on Saturday and Sunday and plans to intensify his workload in coming weeks.
“I breezed one this morning,” Prat said on Sunday. “I don’t want to go too fast. I feel good. I can ride.”
The graded stakes winner Pretty N Cool will start in Saturday’s $300,000 Starlet Stakes for 2-year-old fillies at Los Alamitos, while Coppa, an impressive maiden race winner at Del Mar last month, will be pointed for a stakes at Santa Anita next month.
As of Sunday, a field of seven fillies was likely for the Grade 1 Starlet at 1 1/16 miles. Pretty N Cool is one five stakes winners among the probable starters, along with Pacific Heat, Patriotic Diamond, Stays In Vegas, and Surfside Tiara. The stakes-placed fillies Street Fancy and Treasuring are other candidates.
OLDSMAR, Fla. – Trainer Efren Loza Jr. had the promising 2-year-old colt Ishaq sitting on ready for his career debut Nov. 28 at Tampa Bay Downs, and the son of Harlan’s Holiday won the way a 9-10 favorite should, leading most of the way under Pedro Cotto Jr. to score by 10 1/4 lengths under only brief, mild urging.
CYPRESS, Calif. – California Chrome continued his preparation for 2016 with a sharp five-furlong workout in 1:01 at Los Alamitos early Saturday morning.
The workout was typical of California Chrome’s Saturdays in the last month – a series of pre-dawn exercises, increasing in intensity each week and leaving trainer Art Sherman satisfied with the progress of the 2014 Horse of the Year.
California Chrome returned to Sherman’s stable in October after a three-month break. The $150,000 San Pasqual Stakes at Santa Anita on Jan. 9 is a likely first target.
The Grade 1, $200,000 Southwest Juvenile Championship for Quarter Horses, Zia Park’s final stakes of the meet, has drawn one of the top 2-year-olds in training in Bv Midnite Express.
Zia Park, in Hobbs, N.M., closes out its meet Dec. 15. The circuit in New Mexico then moves to Sunland Park, which opens Dec. 18 and races through April 19.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Traditionally a mid-winter fixture on the local stakes schedule, the Grade 3 Rampart has found itself a new home on the Gulfstream Park calendar. It’s now the first graded stakes during the 2015-16 Championship Meet and will be contested for the 36th time here next Saturday.
The Rampart is one of four stakes on a card that also includes the Harlan’s Holiday, South Beach, and El Prado. The Harlan’s Holiday serves as a prep for both the Grade 3 Hal’s Hope on Jan. 9 and the Sunshine Millions Classic one week later.
CYPRESS, Calif. – Unforgettable U will be pointed to stakes at the Santa Anita winter-spring meeting after winning an optional claimer Thursday at Los Alamitos. The victory was the second in her last four starts.
Unforgettable U dueled on the lead with Windy Forecast for the opening quarter-mile before taking a commanding lead. She drew away from five rivals in the long stretch to win by 9 1/2 lengths, running six furlongs in 1:08.67.
Songbird, the undefeated winner of the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies at Keeneland on Oct. 31, returned to trainer Jerry Hollendorfer’s stable at Santa Anita on Thursday after a month-long break at a Kentucky farm.
On Friday, Hollendorfer said Songbird will be pointed to stakes for 3-year-old fillies at Santa Anita winter-spring meet, and that he is not planning to start her against males.
“We’re not going to run in the Kentucky Derby,” he said.
Trainer Todd Pletcher is getting ready to head to south Florida for the winter, but he will have plenty of horses to run in upcoming New York stakes.
Tommy Macho, 4 1/4-length winner of the Grade 3 Discovery here on Nov. 11, will make his next start in the $100,000 Queens County Stakes here on Dec. 19.
“Two turns and the timing, I thought, was good to possibly set him up for the Donn,” Pletcher said, referring to the Grade 1 Donn Handicap at Gulfstream Park on Feb. 6. “He seems to like a little bit of space between races.”
