Runhappy, Birdatthewire star on opening-day program at Santa Anita

Runhappy, Birdatthewire star on opening-day program at

Santa Anita

The Malibu (G1) and La Brea (G1), seven-furlong test for three-year-olds and

three-year-old fillies, highlighted the opening day program at Santa Anita on

Saturday.

Presumptive sprint champion Runhappy, a game winner of the TwinSpires Breeders'

Cup Sprint (G1), dominated the Malibu, winning easily on the front end as

the 1-2 favorite. Gary Stevens was up for an injured Edgar Prado and the Super

Saver colt turned 7 furlongs in a sharp 1:21.76.

Birdatthewire rallied determinedly down the middle of the track to overhaul

pacesetter Hot City Girl in the La Brea, scoring a 10-1 upset for trainer

Dale Romans. The daughter of Summer Bird registered her first win since taking

the Gulfstream Park Oaks (G2) in late March and stopped the teletimer in

1:23.31.

Om rebounded from a third as the favorite in the Hollywood Derby (G1),

scoring as the 6-5 choice in the Mathis Brothers Mile (G2) at Santa Anita.

Gulfstream Park offered a trio of graded stakes on Saturday.

Best Behavior registered her first stakes victory in the $100,000 Sugar Swirl

(G3), taking advantage of a troubled trip from Stonetastic to post a

two-length win over the 2-5 favorite. John Velazquez was up on the Marty Wolfson-trained

5-year-old mare.

Ken and Sarah Ramsey's homebred Charming Kitten dug in gamely to capture the

W.L. McKnight H. (G3) and Goldy Espony proved much the best recording a

wire-to-wire decision in the La Prevoyante (G3).

After narrowly defeating Palace with a nine-pound weight concession in the

Thanksgiving's Fall Highweight (G3),

Green Gatto left no doubt to superiority in Saturday's $98,000 Gravesend at

Aqueduct, dominating on the front end by a 5 3/4-length winning margin.

Trained by Gaston Grant and ridden by Kendrick Carmouche, Green Gatto was giving

runner-up Palace two pounds in the Gravesend and completed six furlongs in

1:09.89 over the fast inner track. The $98,000 Damon Runyon earlier on the

Aqueduct program also resulted in an upset, with the 12-1 Extinct Charm

prevailing by a neck in the one-mile and 70-yard event for New York-bred

juveniles.

Santa Anita will feature the $100,000 Robert J. Frankel (G3) on Sunday and

Glory will look to continue her improving form in the 1 1/8-mile turf affair.

Trained by Jerry Hollendorfer, the 3-year-old is among 14 fillies and mares

entered and will be ridden by Mike Smith.