Bradshaw’s Hot Streak Continues

Sunday at Santa Anita was even better than Saturday for trainer Randy Bradshaw, even though he won one less race.

Twenty-four hours after he tripled, including a victory by Artax in the $250,000 San Felipe, Bradshaw won both stakes in Arcadia Sunday.

Four races after Surachai rallied to win the $134,100 Crystal Water Handicap, Hedonist, a 5-1 shot, remained unbeaten in three starts with a gate-to-wire win in the $250,000 Santa Anita Oaks.

Ridden by Kent Desormeaux for owners Jan, Mace and Samantha Siegel, the 3-year-old Alydeed filly surprisingly made the lead over favored Star Of Broadway, then repelled challenges by Keeper Hill and Nijinsky’s Passion in the stretch to win by a length in 1:44 for the 1 1/16 miles.

“We’re going to take this week and put it down in the record books,” said Bradshaw, who from his last 10 starters, has six wins, two seconds and two thirds. “I can’t thank my help enough. I’ve got very special people that work for me and you can’t do this without good help.

“We’ve liked this filly all along. She got sick last spring and we just had to take a lot of time with her. Luckily, we got it turned around in time. We’ve had some problems too, with her feet, but they’re really good right now. Hopefully, all that’s behind her.”

Most assumed Star Of Broadway, the 7-5 favorite racing with Lasix for the first time, would make the lead, but Hedonist took charge immediately and set fractions of 22 4/5, 46, 1:11 1/5 and 1:37 2/5 en route to her $150,000 payday.

“I thought [Star Of Broadway] was the filly to beat and if I couldn’t beat her I couldn’t win the race, so I let her bounce away from there,” said Desormeaux, who also won the second race with Stetson Lady and the third with The Toy Man.

“That move established the lead and that was a big key to the race. She’s still in the learning process and that’s what really has me excited.”

The winner of the Las Virgenes at 56-1 last month, Keeper Hill, the 5-2 second choice this time, outfinished Nijinsky’s Passion by a nose and probably deserved better. She stumbled leaving the gate.

“She lost four or five lengths,” said jockey David Flores. “So I just tried to save her and make one run. At the three-eighths pole, I went between horses and made my move and she made a really nice run.

“I really believe if we would have had a clean trip we would have won easy.”

Hedonist is now bound for Kentucky. Bradshaw says she will run next in the Ashland Stakes on April 4 at Keeneland, then, if all goes well, on to the Kentucky Oaks on May 1. Bradshaw would like nothing better than to have a Kentucky Oaks-Kentucky Derby parlay with her and Artax.

“Kent said she is so green it isn’t even funny,” said Bradshaw. “If she continues to develop, who knows how good she will be.”

In losing for the second time after beginning her career with three victories in Kentucky and Louisiana, Star Of Broadway finished sixth ahead of only the overmatched Spiritual Magic.

“It was pretty obvious it was not her day by the way she went to the gate,” jockey Gary Stevens said of the favorite. “She just washed out and completely came unwound. She had like a mental meltdown. I didn’t have any horse from the three-eighths pole home. She was emptied out.”

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Owned by Ed and Sharon Hudon and ridden by Alex Solis, Surachai finished strongly once he found some room and won in 1:36 for the mile on turf.

Looking for his 17th career victory, Megan’s Interco finished 1 1/2 lengths ahead of stablemate Skywalker’s Choice. Their trainer, Jenine Sahadi, who was married Saturday to another trainer, Ben Cecil, also saddled Mateo, who finished last in the field of seven California-breds.

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Comic Strip, the 9-5 favorite, got up in the final strides to edge 34-1 shot Nite Dreamer by a nose and win the $500,000 Louisiana Derby at the Fair Grounds in New Orleans.

Owned by a partnership that includes Wil Farish and trained by Neil Howard the 3-year-old son of Red Ransom won in 1:43 1/5 for the 1 1/16 miles under jockey Shane Sellers. Comic Strip has won five of nine.

Souvenir Copy, the 2-1 second choice, was fifth under Pat Day. Trainer Bob Baffert’s colt is winless in three starts as a 3-year-old.

Notes

There were four perfect tickets in the Pick Six Sunday and each was worth $326,740.60. None were purchased at Santa Anita. Three of the winning tickets came from Nevada and the other from Louisiana. . . . Ernie Paragallo, who owns Santa Catalina and San Felipe Stakes winner Artax, said he will donate 5% of the colt’s future earnings to the Don MacBeth Memorial Jockey Fund in the name of Herb McCarron, the father of jockey Chris McCarron. Herb McCarron died last week in Massachusetts. . . . Star’s Proud Penny is the 120-pound high-weight for Wednesday’s $100,000-added La Habra Stakes Wednesday at Santa Anita. The race is scheduled to run at about 6 1/2 furlongs on the turf.