Santa Anita Notebook

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

RACES:		217
PRO-RIDE:		157
TURF:		60
FAVORITES:		70 (32 percent)
2ND CHOICES:		54 (25 percent)
TURF WIRE:		12 (20 percent)
PRO-RIDE WIRE:		20 (13 percent)

Post Positions (wins):

RAIL:		24
1-3:		85
4-6:		77
7-out:		55

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.