Santa Ynez

Spendthrift stallion Omaha Beach got the first graded win of his nascent sire career with a blowout victory by Kopion (f, 3, Omaha Beach--Galloping Ami, by Victory Gallop) in Santa Anita's GIII Santa Ynez S. Sunday. Three of the four fillies in the gate were by first-crop sires, but it was the least experienced of the newly minted sophomore fillies whom the public pegged at 1-5 and who put herself firmly in the early GI Kentucky Oaks conversation. The Santa Ynez was worth 10 points on the Oaks trail on...

Zedan Racing's 'TDN Rising Star' Muth (Good Magic), winner of the GI American Pharoah S. and runner-up in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile, will take on five rivals in Saturday's seven-furlong GII San Vicente S. at Santa Anita. Regular rider Juan J. Hernandez will be aboard the 4-5 morning-line favorite. Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert will also saddle front-running Del Mar debut winner and 5-2 second-choice Pilot Commander (Justify). Baffert is seeking his record 13th win in the San Vicente, which was previously held in early February. "They changed...

Finally out from under And Tell Me Nolies's (Arrogate) shadow, ICE DANCING (Frosted) broke through for her first graded-stakes win in two prior tries and earned 10 points on the road to the Kentucky Oaks with a 3 1/4-length closing performance in the rescheduled GIII Santa Ynez S. Third behind the daughter of Arrogate when debuted at Del Mar Aug. 14, she rebounded with another third second-time out in the GI TVG Del Mar Debutante S. but had to settle for fourth in her first try at the Great Race...

Bob Baffert brings a strong hand into Sunday's local prep for the GI Kentucky Oaks in Santa Anita's GIII Santa Ysabel S. Leading the charge is Eda (Munnings), last out winner of the GI Starlet S. Dec.4 where she defeated fellow Santa Ysabel contender Cairo Memories (Cairo Prince) by a gamhalf-length. She'll be looking for her fourth stakes victory in a row after also decisively winning both the Desi Arnaz S. and the Anoakia S. last fall. Not to be outdone by her stablemate, Under the Stars (Pioneerof the Nile) posted...

The GII Santa Ynez S. at Santa Anita Sunday looks like Bob Baffert's race to lose as he saddles four of the seven runners in the field, including Grade I winner Varda (Distorted Humor). A debut winner at Del Mar Aug. 30, the $700,000 OBSAPR buy was second to recently retired stablemate Princess Noor (Not This Time) when navigating two turns in the Sept. 26 GII Chandelier S. in Arcadia. The bay rallied to victory at odds of 17-1 in the Dec. 5 GI Starlet S. at Los Alamitos, defeating...

In a matchup of three talented newly-turned-sophomore fillies from the Bob Baffert barn, it was the experience and the class of multiple Grade I winner Bast (Uncle Mo) that proved superior, as the 124-pound highweight sat off her stablemates and edged clear late to score an odds-on success in the GII Santa Ynez S. Sunday at Santa Anita. A debut second Aug. 11 at Del Mar, the $500,000 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga buy added blinkers and dominated the GI Del Mar Debutante S. by 8 3/4 lengths 20 days later. A narrow...