Chilean import Richi (Chi) (Practical Joke), second while making her North American debut in the Desert Stormer Stakes June 2, went one better off the bench to upset 1-5 favorite and her Bob Baffert-trained stablemate Pleasant (Munnings) in Saturday's GIII Las Flores Stakes at Santa Anita.
Off at odds of 3-1 with the blinkers coming off here, Richi sat a tracking trip in an inside third, shot through an opening along the rail at the top of the stretch and blasted off from there to defeat the GI Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint third-place finisher by 1 1/2 lengths.
Richi made nine starts in her native land, led by wins in the 2023 G1 Alberto Solari Magnasco and G1 Tanteo de Potrancas. She was named champion 2-year-old filly that season.
“She's completely changed since she has been here,” Baffert said. “She was really light, and they ran her really long distances. Maybe that was all they had there. Since coming here, I took the blinkers off and she has filled out and changed a lot since August–since Del Mar we freshened her up. She was training really well and I think she will settle and she should be able to go long.”
Practical Joke is responsible for 11 winners at the top level worldwide. Four of them, including Richi, were produced by Scat Daddy mares.
#3 RICHI ($8) under @kazushi0096 was like a rocket coming up the rail right past her stablemate to win the $100,000 Las Flores Stakes (G3) at Santa Anita. The daughter of Practical Joke is trained by Bob Baffert, who has 4 wins on the day and took both stakes on the card. pic.twitter.com/EuhPqMAc9M
— FanDuel Racing (@FanDuel_Racing) January 4, 2025
Saturday, Santa Anita
LAS FLORES S.-GIII, $100,000, Santa Anita, 1-4, 4yo/up, f/m, 6f, 1:09.05, ft.
1–RICHI (CHI), 124, m, 5, by Practical Joke
1st Dam: Rich Baby (Chi) (MGSP-Chi), by Scat Daddy
2nd Dam: Richwood Royal, by Royal Academy
3rd Dam: Magic Feeling (Ire), by Magical Wonder
O-Hill 'n' Dale Equine Holdings, Inc. (J. G. Sikura) and Stud
Vendaval, Inc.; B-Haras Paso Nevado (CHI); T-Bob Baffert;
J-Kazushi Kimura. $60,000. Lifetime Record: Ch. 2-year-old
filly-Chi, MG1SW-Chi, 11-7-3-0, $178,424. Werk Nick Rating:
A+++. *Triple Plus*
Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Pleasant, 120, m, 5, Munnings–Fair Lady, by Medaglia d'Oro.
O/B-Juddmonte Farms Inc (KY); T-Bob Baffert. $20,000.
3–Don't Bring Crazy, 122, f, 4, Maximus Mischief–Lily Maria,
by Paynter. ($60,000 Wlg '21 KEENOV; $140,000 Ylg '22
KEESEP). O-Great Friends Stables and Mark Davis; B-Mullikin
Thoroughbreds (KY); T-Doug F. O'Neill. $12,000.
Margins: 1HF, 7, NO. Odds: 3.00, 0.20, 15.60.
Also Ran: Irish Wahine, Wine On Tap. Scratched: Anywho, Pushiness.
Click for the Equibase.com chart and the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.
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