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SANTA ANITA NOTEBOOK FEBRUARY 4, 2010 By John Mucciolo A trio of Sunshine Millions events were held on Saturday, while a Grade 1 affair closed out the week at Santa Anita on Sunday. Santa Monica H. (G1): Arnold Zetcher's homebred GABBY'S GOLDEN GAL (Medaglia d'Oro) took command in midstretch and held off a pair of fine runners to post a convincing 1 1/4-legnth tally in this affair. Martin Garcia guided the Bob Baffert-trained four-year-old home in a swift 1:21 1/5 for seven-eighths. Sunshine Millions Wrap: Congrats to Filly & Mare Sprint heroine QUISISANA (Decarchy), Filly & Mare Turf queen TIGHT PRECISION (Pure Precision) and Classic star BOLD CHIEFTAIN (Chief Seattle) in the events held at Santa Anita. Track Stats From a total of 44 races held over the Arcadia, California, racetrack during the week, favorites won at a 30 percent clip and the top two betting choices combined for 57 percent of the wins. From 30 frays contested on the Pro-Ride oval, three animals won in wire-to-wire fashion (10 percent), while two of the 14 grassy tussles went all the way on the lead (14 percent). Just one of the 24 races held on the Pro-Ride from Thursday through Sunday resulted in a wire-to-wire winner. The main track played fairly quickly over the weekend, while outside posts were a strong presence during the course of the five-day racing week. Both of the turf wire jobs were accomplished in down-the-hill sprints. Meet Totals
Post Positions (wins):
HORSES TO WATCH Thursday (1/28) 2ND -- WARREN'S MOON (Broadway Moon) just missed in a fine debut showing for trainer Jorge Gutierrez, and we expect the sophomore filly to graduate in the very near future if she faces similar. 3RD -- DANI REESE (High Demand) rebounded from a poor showing in the La Brea S. (G1) to run third in this turf sprint for Dan Hendricks, and we'll tab the miss for a victory on her return to the main oval. Friday (1/29) 4TH -- LIFE BY R R (Domestic Dispute) came back on short rest to soundly defeat this field for Doug O'Neill, proving further that the filly is a solid threat every time out with similar competition as to what she faced on this day. The co-highweight drilled six panels in a quality 1:08 2/5. 6TH -- Florida import FOLK DANCER (Forest Camp) ran down a clear leader to win this in a smart West Coast debut for trainer Vladimir Cerin. The filly did benefit from carrying a feathery 114 pounds in this dash, but still, she might be a player with a class rise next out. 7TH -- We feel that ANDINA (Ire) (Singspiel [Ire]) will be a big player in the three-year-old filly ranks this campaign following another fine closing performance for conditioner Ben Cecil. We would not be afraid to back this miss on the synthetic oval. Saturday (1/30) 4TH -- We're not certain how we missed GATO GO WIN (City Place) at a healthy 7-1 in this compact field, and we won't overlook the colt in his subsequent outing. Racing for the initial time as a four-year-old, the colt screamed three-quarters in a sizzling 1:07 3/5 for Robert Troeger. 7TH -- Tight Precision was a fairly easy winner of this one for trainer Tom Proctor, defeating a solid group beneath Joel Rosario. The mare has a lot of potential and has never been better. Sunday (1/31) 7TH -- The Mike Mitchell-trained MANHATTAN BEACH (Ire) (Captain Rio) made a successful return to the races following her layoff since Del Mar, putting a useful field away late under Garrett Gomez. The five-year-old could improve in her next affair. 8TH -- PROVISO (GB) (Dansili [GB]) should improve with a little more ground, and the Juddmonte homebred should be a major force in the graded ranks throughout the spring after a smart runner-up effort in this one. DIAMONDRELLA (GB) (Rock of Gibraltar [Ire]) needs to get out of Southern California after another poor showing. The classy mare has gone south and needs a return to cozier confines to bring back her best form. A Look Ahead A huge weekend of racing is upon us at Santa Anita, led by a trio of graded stakes on Saturday. The $250,000 Las Virgenes S. (G1), $200,000 Strub S. (G2) and the $150,000 Robert B. Lewis S. (G2) kick off the weekend, while the $150,000 San Antonio H. (G2) is the Sunday headliner.
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