Reincarnate battles back in Sham; Ice Dancing waltzes to Santa Ynez win

It’s not every day that one sees a Bob Baffert trainee spring a 16-1 surprise, but that’s what happened when Reincarnate posted an upset victory in Sunday’s Sham S. (G3) at Santa Anita.

Baffert saddled three of the five starters in the one-mile Road to the Kentucky Derby qualifier, but last-out maiden winner Reincarnate was overlooked by bettors, who preferred the chances of his graded stakes-placed stablemates National Treasure (3-5) and Newgate (5-1). Also drawing support was flashy Del Mar maiden winner Spun Intended (23-10).

But Reincarnate stole the show under a perfect ride from jockey Juan Hernandez. The gray colt dueled with Spun Intended through fast fractions of :22.28, :45.57, and 1:09.55, then had to withstand a late bid from Newgate. Reincarnate fought on with unwavering tenacity down the homestretch to beat his rival by a neck in 1:35.87.

“He kind of waited for the other horses, but he’s still learning how to run,” explained Hernandez. “When he got the lead, he tried to wait for the company, but when he saw the other horse come to me, he saw him and fought back.”

National Treasure settled for third place, beaten a length for first prize after spending the majority of the race boxed in along the inside. There was a 23-length gap back to longshot Packs a Wahlop in fourth place, while Spun Intended pulled up and was vanned off. Co-owner Edge Racing later reported via Twitter that Spun Intended was “back at the barn resting comfortably after suffering a non-life-threatening injury.”

“She jumped well out of there, and it felt like the pace was really strong, so I kind of kept myself off of the pace a little bit and it felt like she was traveling well,” said Prat. “She responded well when I asked her to make her move.”

Satin Doll rallied up the rail to edge Fast and Shiny by a head for second place. Parody finished another seven lengths back in fourth place, while Huntingcoco trailed the field. Fast and Shiny, Parody, and Huntingcoco are all Baffert trainees ineligible to earn Road to the Kentucky Oaks qualification points, leaving Ice Dancing and Satin Doll as the only points earners in the Santa Ynez.

As a juvenile, Ice Dancing ran third in the Del Mar Debutante (G1) and fourth in the Chandelier (G2) before wiring a one-mile maiden special weight at Del Mar. The daughter of Frosted handled cutting back in trip for the Santa Ynez just fine and is developing into a versatile young stakes star for Hall of Fame trainer Richard Mandella.

Following the Santa Ynez, Mandella indicated Ice Dancing could wheel back on short rest for another Road to the Kentucky Oaks qualifier.

“She’s a big strong filly, so the Las Virgenes ([G3] on Jan. 28) is a big possibility,” said Mandella. “More than likely… We’ll have a look.”