Trainer O’Neill Pulls Off Three Victories

Less than a week after he set a record for most wins in a Santa Anita winter-spring meet, trainer Doug O’Neill had another memorable day Saturday.

The runaway leader in the local standings, O’Neill won the $250,000 WinStar/Sunland Park Oaks and the $500,000 WinStar Derby at Sunland Park in New Mexico, and won the $106,000 Tokyo City Handicap at home with favored Supah Blitz.

Jockey Corey Nakatani rode both winners for O’Neill at Sunland, directing Cee’s Irish, the 17-10 second choice, to a wire-to-wire score in the Oaks and guiding Thor’s Echo, a 2-1 shot, to victory in the Derby.

A 3-year-old gelded son of Swiss Yodeler owned by a partnership that includes Pablo Suarez and Royce Jaime, Thor’s Echo turned the tables on favored Southern Africa on Saturday. In the Borderland Derby on Feb. 27, Southern Africa, who finished second in the WinStar Derby, had defeated Thor’s Echo by 1 1/4 lengths.

This was the second victory in four starts for Thor’s Echo, a California-bred who could very well make his next start in the $250,000 Snow Chief Stakes on April 24 at Hollywood Park. He ran the 1 1/8 miles Saturday in 1:49.59.

Southern Africa, who prompted the winner from the outset after winning the Borderland from off the pace, finished just ahead of Sort It Out, who is winless in two races since being purchased by trainer Bob Baffert for Preferred Pals Stable and Bob and Janice McNair’s Stonerside Stable.

In the Oaks, Cee’s Irish, a California-bred daughter of Cee’s Tizzy owned by Merv Griffin, won for the fourth time in nine starts, running the 1 1/16 miles in 1:44.66. All of her victories have come for O’Neill after she was purchased privately. She lost her first two races for former trainer Ray Bell. Dayglogreen was second and Island Escape was third.

Meanwhile, at Santa Anita, Supah Blitz responded to the addition of blinkers after a seven-race absence and softer company to win for the seventh time in 36 starts. Victor Espinoza rode the 5-year-old Mecke horse, giving the jockey a sweep of the day’s stakes at Santa Anita. Earlier, he and No Bull Baby, the 3-1 second choice, had given Baffert his second consecutive win in the $86,250 Santa Paula Stakes, winning by two lengths.

Owned by Black Saddle Stable, the Kaegele Brothers, Inc. and Mark Leib, Supah Blitz, who paid $4.80, beat Outta Here, the 4-1 fourth choice in the field of five, by three lengths. In giving O’Neill his meet-high ninth stakes victory, the Florida-bred ran the 1 1/8 miles in 1:48.90.

“The blinkers made a huge difference and Victor knows the horse very well now,” said Leandro Mora, O’Neill’s assistant. “He just tries to keep him close to the leader. It was a smart ride.”

Ender’s Shadow, the pacesetter and 2-1 second choice, finished third, then came Skukuza and That’s An Outrage.

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Offlee Wild, the 11-10 favorite, rolled to an 8 1/2 -length victory over a sloppy track in the $196,000 Excelsior Breeders’ Cup Handicap on Saturday at Aqueduct.

Trained by Rick Dutrow Jr. for AZ Azalea Stables, the 5-year-old Wild Again horse ran the 1 1/8 miles in 1:50 2/5 under Rafael Bejarano. It was the fifth win in 16 starts for Offlee Wild. Rogue Agent, the pacesetter finished second at 7-1 and Cuba, the longest shot in the field of five at 14-1, was third.