Not only is the Santa Anita Derby (G1) one of the most successful prep for the Kentucky Derby (G1), this year’s April 8 run also has a unique first. Mandarin hero has traveled halfway around the world and is expected to become the first horse from Japan to compete in the Santa Anita Derby.
With Japanese crossbred horses doing well in races around the world, Mandarin Hero takes it seriously. However, he faces eight others in the $750,000 Derby, including California’s top Triple Crown hopes as well as an up-and-coming pair in the Sunland Park Derby (G3) .
The Santa Anita Derby, with 100 qualifying points for the winner, virtually guaranteed a spot in the Kentucky Derby. Athletes who finish second, third, fourth and fifth will earn 40, 30, 20 and 10 points.
It’s not just the winners of the Santa Anita Derby that have good records Churchill Downs. Over the past 50 years, 14 horses have come out of the Santa Anita Derby and captured the Kentucky Derby.
Six of them won both events: confirm, Winning color, silent sunday, I will have another , california chrome And justification . Four winners in the Kentucky Derby and second in the Santa Anita Derby: Silver Charm, It’s so quiet, Real And Medina spirit (who was later disqualified for testing positive). Ferdinand finished third at Santa Anita and won the Run for the Roses, while Gato Del Sol, attractiveAnd Giacomo finished fourth at Santa Anita before winning the Kentucky Derby.
Coach Tim Yakteen holds the strongest hand in the 1/8 mile Santa Anita Derby. He Coached San Felipe Stakes Winner (G2) Realistic move throughout that pony’s career and now also the condition National treasures a multi-graded bet runner formerly trained by Bob Baffert.
Reality Moves, the most popular game on May 8, beat horses trained by Baffert or previously trained by the Hall of Famer in his last two races, both winning. bets. In Los Alamitos Futurity (G2) December 17, Practical Move beat Baffert’s trainees Carmel Street , Fort Bragg And Arabian lion . In San Felipe March 4, former athlete Baffert Hejazi Fort Bragg, and Mr. Fisk the actual move stretched, as did Ride the rocket rocket Geaux And peeler twice brought him back in for the Santa Anita Derby.
“We’re proud of him – he’s an incredibly gifted horse,” Yakteen said after San Felipe.
Pierre Jean and Leslie Amestoy, who are based in Albuquerque, NM, and own Moving Reality with Roger Beasley, have enjoyed great success racing Quarter horses. They picked up Actual Movement at Ocala Breeders’ Sales 2022 in April for a 2-year-old sale for $230,000.
“I take my hat off to Pierre and Leslie,” Yakteen said. “They went down to Florida. They bought it themselves. They have a very good eye for horses.”
Leslie says that the Actual Movement “topped our list” when it comes to selling, and Pierre recalls going over their budget.
“We pegged him at around $170,000,” he said. “We made about $180,000, $190,000, and Leslie left. I stayed there – I wouldn’t give up a thing I wanted.”
National Treasure was supposed to race with Move Practice in San Felipe, but he developed a minor foot problem and missed the race. Since breaking her daughter in the first start, National Treasure has placed second in American Pharoah Stakes (G1), third in Breeders’ Cup for Minors (G1) and third in Sham Staking (G3).
Ramon Vazquez, who rode Reality in both of his stake wins, will return to the ship from 5th. Vazquez rode the National Treasure in American Pharoah, but John Velazquez rode that pony. in his other three starts and will be back from 6.
The Mandarin hero has more wins than any horse in the Santa Anita Derby, having won four of his five races, by a second. All of those starts took place at Oi Racecourse, a regional public racecourse in Japan. He is an Eclipse Award-winning 2-year-old boy Shanghai Bobby and will be ridden from lesson 8 by Kazushi Kimura, who is originally from Japan but lives in Santa Anita this winter.
Geaux Rocket Ride (Flavien Prat, track 3) and Skinner (Victor Espinoza, track 7) return to the actual Motion battle. Richard Mandella coaches the Geaux Rocket Ride, who will only start for the third time, the first time he scored a girly 5 3/4. Last year’s Skinner was sixth in the American Pharoah after the winner stone cave and National Treasure.
One of Vermillion (Hector Berrios, lesson 4) and Low expectations (Umberto Rispoli, lesson 9) taking part in the Santa Anita Derby after the Sunland Park Derby. One of Vermillion ranked fifth after being annoyed at the gate. Previously, he won three stakes—two at Lawn heaven and one at Sunland Park. Low expectations, who won two of six Southern California races, finished second in the Sunland Park Derby 21-1 to 35-1 Wild On Ice resulted in a payout of exactly $548 for a $1 ticket.
Item: Derby Santa Anita RUNHAPPY (G1)
Santa Anita . ParkSaturday, April 8, 2023, Race 6
- Grade I
- 1 1/8m
- dust
- $750,000
- 3 years old
- 2:30pm (local)
