San Simeon

The last stakes race of the Santa Anita spring meet was an exciting one as W.

D. & Ella Sivage's SHADOW OF ILLINOIS (Illinois Storm) closed determinedly

through the lane to take the $107,000 San Simeon H. (G3) on Monday. The

five-year-old gelding entered the race off an optional claiming win, his first

trip to the winner's circle since 2003, and was subsequently dismissed as the

7-1 longshot in the six-horse field. But conditioner Anthony Saavedra and jockey

Mark Guidry would not be denied, even after the rider lost his whip in the

stretch, as the dark bay persevered by a length to return $16.60, $7.40 and $3

to his backers.

Content to rate off rapid fractions of :21 3/5, :44 1/5 and 1:06 4/5, Shadow

of Illinois was angled four wide entering the stretch, heading the leader,

Golden Arrow (Rahy) on the outside. Guidry went to the whip, lost it in

midstretch, and had to improvise with some strong hand slapping. That tactic

worked as the duo held the closing post-time favorite Geronimo (Chi) (Gold

Tribute) to second, stopping the clock in 1:12 3/5 for the about 6 1/2-furlong

firm turf test. Golden Arrow finished just a head shy of the place and two

lengths clear of Lazzeri (Grand Slam). Next came McCann's Mojave (Memo [Chi])

and Royal Price (Ger) (Oxalagu).

Shadow of Illinois keyed $1 exotics of $31.10 for the exacta and $117 for the

trifecta, while Geronimo returned $3.60 and $2.40 and Golden Arrow paid $2.60

for the show.

Bred in California by Barbara Millard, Shadow of Illinois is the first

registered foal

out of My Annie T (Trempolino) and counts Opa (Chullo [Arg]), an unraced

two-year-old, and an unnamed yearling by Western Fame as half-brothers. This is

his first stakes score as he improves his mark to 19-4-4-2 with earnings of

$219,384.