Free: 8-year-old Law Abidin Citizen still formidable - Daily Racing Form
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ARCADIA, Calif. – The coast-to-coast journal is full again, with notes and observations from California to Arizona to Florida and New York.
Laying down the Law
You have to love veterans like Law Abidin Citizen, the 8-year-old favored in the Phoenix Gold Cup on Friday at Turf Paradise.
“He’s getting some age on him, but he’s an old pro and doing well,” trainer Mark Glatt said.
Law Abidin Citizen was purchased by Glatt for $100,000 as a yearling, and is now in his seventh season for Dan Agnew, Gerry Schneider, and John Xitco. He has won nine races and $621,667 from 33 starts.
“He’s maybe a notch below stakes horses in California, but he developed into a very solid horse,” Glatt said.
Abel Cedillo rides Law Abidin Citizen, who runs with Lasix and should be tough to beat on Friday.
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Hernandez finds paradise
News that jockeys Flavien Prat and Umberto Rispoli are heading to New York positions Juan Hernandez as likely top dog in Southern California. The past year, since opening day of the 2020-21 Santa Anita meet, Hernandez has won more races (216) in Southern California than anyone but Prat (282). But hold on. Hernandez still has a void in his West Coast/Southwest résumé – he has never ridden a race at Turf Paradise. Bucket-list checkoff this week: Hernandez rides four stakes Friday at Turf Paradise, including contender Arham in the Phoenix Gold Cup.
Everyone makes mistakes
Flavien Prat dominates at Santa Anita, Luis Saez at Gulfstream Park. But once in a while, they produce head-scratchers.
Prat curiously allowed late-runner Got Thunder to set the pace in race 7 Saturday at Santa Anita; the maiden ran sixth at even-money. Saez steadied and got shuffled on Abaan in a Grade 2 on Saturday at Gulfstream; he finished fourth at odds-on.
Considering that most trips orchestrated by Prat and Saez tend to be trouble-free, a bad trip every so often is only a reminder – even peerless jockeys are human.
Drawing the line on excuses
Heard a funny line recently from a trainer. It applies to Got Thunder. The underachieving maiden has lost all four of his starts as the favorite this season at Santa Anita. Got Thunder had an alibi every time – debut inexperience, mistaken strategy, wrong surface, and strategy again.
“You can draw a line through this race, and draw a line through that race, and draw a line through the other race,” the trainer said. “Next thing you know, your pencil is out of lead.”
Late odds drop lament
Perhaps I should be grateful, not sour. After all, Count Again benefited from a perfect trip and needed every inch of Santa Anita’s stretch to barely win the Grade 1 Frank Kilroe on Saturday. But, geez, the late odds drop felt like a gut punch. Two minutes out, 7-2 was fair. I bet accordingly. And 3-1 was okay as the field loaded. Imagine the surprise when Count Again plummeted to 2-1 inside the gate, won by a head and paid a mere $6.60. These days it is tough to make a win bet at fair odds, because there is no assurance that the price will stick. Count Again won, but he won as an underlay.
Fresh, fit and dangerous
Trivia question: What do the last four Tampa Bay Derby winners have in common other than double-digit payoffs? Answer: from 2018 to 2021, Quip ($40.20), Tacitus ($19.80), King Guillermo ($100.40), and Helium ($32.80) were making their first start in three months or more. Is that an omen for comebacker Major General on Saturday?
Todd Pletcher trains Major General, unraced since he won the Grade 3 Iroquois Stakes in September. Classic Causeway is the presumptive Tampa Bay Derby favorite, but Major General has upset potential.
Busher bashers beware
The ungraded Busher Stakes at Aqueduct deserves respect. High-figure Busher winners frequently become major players in the 3-year-old filly division. Four of the last five Busher winners that earned an 88 Beyer or higher later won big races. Little Belle (2008), Grade 1; It’s Tricky (2011), three Grade 1s; Condo Commando (2015), Grade 2; and Search Results (2021), Grade 2 and Grade 1 runner-up. That does not include Princess of Sylmar (2013), who won the Busher with an 81, followed by four Grade 1s.
So how good is 2022 Busher winner Venti Valentine? Based on her seven-length smasher and 92 Beyer, the sky is the limit.
Peru import packs a punch
It is uncertain if this Peruvian-bred stakes winner will float like a butterfly or sting like a bee, but the 6-year-old sure looks the part. Genaro Vallejo trains Muhammad Ali, who worked five furlongs Monday at Santa Anita.
“He’s such a powerful horse,” Vallejo said as Muhammed Ali cooled out Monday. “He’ll run all day. He’ll run on grass; he’ll run on dirt
Muhammed Ali won 2 of 20 and placed in three Group 1s in Peru. Vallejo recently reopened a Santa Anita stable with 10 head, and Muhammad Ali is not the only Vallejo trainee with a front-page name. When he worked five furlongs Monday, Muhammad Ali’s workmate was a claiming-caliber gelding with one win from 15 starts. His name – Good Bye Putin.
:: Access morning workout reports straight from the tracks and get an edge with DRF Clocker Reports
Taiba looks like $1.7M in debut
Is debut winner Taiba another Charlatan? Trainer Bob Baffert compared Taiba to Charlatan, a triple-digit debut winner in February 2020 who went on to win the Grade 1 Arkansas Derby and Grae 1 Malibu Stakes.
Taiba likewise scored a 103 Beyer debut romp March 5 at Santa Anita. A $1.7 million Gun Runner 2-year-old purchased last year by Zedan Racing on the recommendation of bloodstock agent Gary Young, Taiba was a buzz horse at the Fasig-Tipton 2021 March sale, and he ran to the odds-on hype in his debut. He won by more than seven lengths with powerful late acceleration.
Young may have been cheerleading for Taiba, but his analysis happens to be true: “Visually, time-wise, any other way, horses don’t do that … the way he ran the final quarter.” Stay tuned.
Possible false favorite alert
It was strange to read “Forbidden Kingdom favored in pool 4.” The headline is accurate, referencing the Kentucky Derby Future Wager.
The curiosity is that Forbidden Kingdom probably will not even be favored in his next start, assuming that is the Santa Anita Derby and Messier is in the field. Messier is the only Bob Baffert trainee who has defeated Richard Mandella-trained Forbidden Kingdom. Eight other Baffert trainees fell short against Forbidden Kingdom (Kamui twice, Rhetoric, Portsmouth, Winning Map, Pinehurst, McLaren Vale, Doppelganger twice, and Armagnac).
Stakes winners on way back
The exciting 3-year-old stakes winner Maglev is out; so is Grade 2 winner Soothsay. The good news is both are likely to return.
Maglev won the Baffle Stakes in January at Santa Anita, his second U.S. start after arriving from England. Maglev is not injured; he just needs time. Trainer Mark Glatt expects Maglev to be out three months. A comeback goal may be the Grade 2 Franklin-Simpson Stakes in fall at Kentucky Downs.
“He could develop into one of the top [turf] horses in California next year,” Glatt said.
Soothsay, the 2021 Santa Anita Oaks winner trained by Richard Mandella, is out with a splint setback.
“We’ll turn her out for a couple months, and bring her back for the fall,” Mandella said.
Sprinters staying home
It’s a good thing for U.S. racing that two prominent California sprinters will remain stateside rather than knock themselves out on the Dubai World Cup undercard.
Grade 2 winner Brickyard Ride, invited to the $2 million Golden Shaheen, goes in the Sensational Star on March 20 at Santa Anita. Grade 3 turf-sprint winner Barraza, invited to the $1.5 million Al Quoz Sprint, goes in the Grade 2 Shakertown on April 9 at Keeneland.
Brickyard Ride’s trainer, Craig Lewis: “The money is great, but I just think it’s too demanding. In the best interest of the horse, I don’t want to do it.”
Barraza’s trainer, Vladimir Cerin, on aiming to Keeneland: “If he’s good enough, Keeneland is where the Breeders’ Cup is.”
source: https://www.drf.com/news/free-8-year-old-law-abidin-citizen-still-formidable
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