Horse racing newsletter: An interesting non-Derby race at Oaklawn

Hello, my name is John Cherwa and welcome back to our horse racing newsletter as we mark two weeks to this year’s Kentucky Derby.

No doubt most of the attention is on the Kentucky Derby in two weeks. But on Saturday at Oaklawn Park is a pretty darn good matchup that should have most race fans excited. Monomoy Girl, Eclipse Award-winning older female dirt horse, will run against Swiss Skydiver, winner of the Eclipse for 3-year-old filly. The race is the $1-million Apple Blossom Handicap for fillies and mares going 1-1/16 miles.

Monomoy Girl has won 14 of 16 lifetime races and hasn’t lost since 2018, although she did take off all of 2019 with an injury. She has won six in a row, including the Breeders’ Cup Distaff. She’s the even-money favorite. Swiss Skydiver won the Preakness last year before running a disappointing seventh in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff. Her last race was a win at Santa Anita in the Grade 1 Beholder Mile.

One added wrinkle to this race is that Swiss Skydiver will be running without Lasix, a diuretic used to reduce bleeding from the lungs (EIPH: exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhaging). She didn’t run with it in her win in the Beholder Mile, as most stakes in California do not allow race-day Lasix. The rule is being phased in nationally.

“She doesn’t need it,” Swiss Skydiver trainer Kenny McPeek told Oaklawn publicity. “She’s never really needed it. We took her off Lasix for her last start because she’s going to be running the rest of the year without it, anyway.”

If Swiss Skydiver loses, it’s likely not because of Lasix, but because Monomoy Girl is the better horse.

“It should be a great race,” McPeek said. “It kind of reminds me of when I brought Take Charge Lady here to face Azeri in the [2003] Apple Blossom. We got beat like an inch. I just hope the outcome is different this time.”

Here’s hoping for an exciting race.

Santa Anita preview

Santa Anita is back with a more normal nine-race card as opposed to the rather dismal cards of last weekend. First post is 1 p.m. There are two stakes races on the card, and there are two turf races, with the rail set at 30 feet to give the inside of the course more time to recover.

The first stakes is the $75,000 Mizdirection Stakes for fillies and mares going six furlongs on the turf. The 8-5 favorite is Superstition for trainer Richard Mandella and jockey Flavien Prat. She’s coming off a win in the Wishing Well Stakes at 6½ furlongs. She has won three of seven with two seconds. Leggs Galore is the 9-5 second choice for Phil D’Amato and Ricardo Gonzalez. She has won her last five including the Irish O’Brien Stakes at six furlongs last out. She has won five of seven lifetime. Post is around 3:15 p.m.

The bigger stakes is the Grade 2 $200,000 Californian Stakes for horses 3 and up going 1-1/8 miles on the dirt. The 8-5 favorite in the five-horse race is Independence Hall for Michael McCarthy and Prat. He was a player as a 3-year-old winning the Nashua and Jerome at Aqueduct and then a second in the Sam Davis and a fifth in the Florida Derby. She switched from the barn of Michael Trombetta to that of McCarthy. She finished fifth in the Malibu, third in Pegasus at Gulfstream and fourth in the Santa Anita Handicap. Looks like he’s in search of a win. There are two horses at 5-2, Magic Tap and Country Grammer, both trained by Bob Baffert. Magic On Tap (jockey Umberto Rispoli) won last out in an allowance, and Country Grammer (Abel Cedillo) is making his first start for Baffert after moving from the Chad Brown barn. Post is around 4:51 p.m.

Here are the field sizes, in order: 7, 6, 6, 7, 6, 8, 6, 5, 12 (2 also eligible).

Ciaran Thornton’s SA pick of the day

FIFTH RACE: No.1 Annangle (12-1)

Annangle may be overmatched here, but this gate-to-wire winner in three of four since coming to the States will have to send from this one post, and that is not an issue. If she breaks to the front, we have a great chance at 12-1 or more. Two best-of-the-day bullet works since the win in early March add to the appeal here.

Sunday’s result: Jan Jan Can and Velle both sat mid-pack and ran around the track.

Ciaran Thornton is the handicapper for Californiapick4.com, which offers daily full card picks, longshots of the day, best bets of the day.

Golden Gate preview

Matt Dinerman is back for another week of Golden Gate Fields racing. The genial race caller is the host for our weekly previews and other musings. So, take it away, Matt.

“A total of 114 nominations were submitted for next Saturday’s races for the Gold Rush Weekend, with plenty of horses from Southern California in the mix. The marquee event, the Grade 3 $250,000 San Francisco Mile, drew 19 nominations, led by the top two finishers in the Grade1 Kilroe Mile, Hit the Road and Smooth Like Strait, and also Grade 1 winning mare Keeper Ofthe Stars. There will be a mandatory payout in the pick six next Saturday along with six stakes races. There are two more on Sunday. We’ll give you a more in-depth run down next week.

“There are nine races today with a pair of allowances heading the program. The third, for fillies and mares, features the U.S. debut of Time Voyage. Trainer Manny Badilla trains for owners Ron Charles and Sam Gordon, who have done very well purchasing European imports in the past. Jonathan Wong saddles a pair of contenders in recent maiden winner Munn She’s Pretty and She’s So Pretty, who has progressed up the class ladder since being claimed by Wong. These three look like the top competitors.

“The eighth, a first-level allowance for colts and geldings going two turns, is an extremely competitive race. Shadrack was an impressive winner at this level two starts ago but regressed in his most recent race. He freshens up for what his connections hope is a duplicate effort of his two-back run. Descartes is in the exact same position as Shadrack, having run a massive race two starts ago before running poorly in his most recent start. He does his best work on the lead and it appears there’s not much front-running speed to contend with him early.

“More Power to Him makes his first start off the claim for Wong and possesses back class. Claim of Passion has already won at this condition and hasn’t run a bad race at this level since moving to the barn of Andy Mathis late last year. Seeking Refuge ships from Southern California in his first start for trainer Manny Ortiz, Respect the Hustle loves the Tapeta, and Union Dance comes off a dead-heat starter allowance victory. The other horse in the dead heat was Mecklenburg, who came back to win at this condition a few weeks ago. As you can see, we could make a case for all eight horses.

“Sunday’s nine-race card includes a maiden special weight that is loaded with Southern California flavor. Damn The Torpedoes from the Simon Callaghan barn looks like the one to beat, seeking a bit easier company from what she’s faced down south. An intriguing first-time starter, Moart, is a daughter of Uncle Mo that makes her career debut for trainer Michael McCarthy. Although McCarthy sports much better numbers with maiden second-time starters, he always has his horses well spotted, fit, and ready to run when they ship here. Wong enters a pair as well. The better of his two, Ghostly Gal, most recently finished third behind the well-regarded filly Ida Claire, a likely contender in the California Oaks next week.”

Big races preview

A look at thoroughbred graded stakes or races worth $100,000 or more on Saturday. All times PDT.

1:29 Oaklawn (7): $105,000 allowance/optional claiming, 4 and up, 6 furlongs. Favorite: Kadri (3-1)

1:44 Aqueduct (7): $200,000 New York Stallion Stakes (Times Square Division), NY-breds 3-year-olds, 6½ furlongs. Favorite: Sinful Dancer (5-2)

2:19 Aqueduct (8): $100,000 Woodhaven Stakes, 3-year-olds, 1-1/16 miles on turf. Favorite: Hard Love (4-5)

2:30 Keeneland (9): Grade 2 $200,000 Elkhorn Stakes, 4 and up, 1½ miles on turf. Favorite: Red Knight (3-1)

2:49 Oaklawn (9): Grade 2 $1-million Oaklawn Handicap, 4 and up, 1-1/8 miles. Favorite: Express Train (5-2)

3:29 Oaklawn (10); $108,000 allowance/optional claiming, 4 and up, 6 furlongs. Favorite: Welder (2-1)

4:09 Oaklawn (11): Grade 1 $1-million Apple Blossom Handicap, fillies and mares 4 and up, 1-1/16 miles. Favorite: Monomoy Girl (1-1)

4:51 Santa Anita (8): Grade 2 $200,000 Californian Stakes, 3 and up, 1-1/8 miles. Favorite: Independence Hall (8-5)

Chris Wade’s LA pick of the day

SIXTH RACE: No. 4 Dirty Mike (5-1)

He has been last in both career starts at Los Alamitos when finding trouble in each start, but he’s also shown some run when far back in those outings. In his last outing 20 nights ago, he was rambunctious in the gate prior to breaking a little slow and then getting brushed inward by a veering-in rival at the start. He lost over a length and his early racing momentum before putting forth a nice run past the gap to reach a semblance of contention prior. His late challenge was halted when he had to go under a hold nearing the wire while in close quarters. Considering the amount of trouble he faced in that race, his figure earned is competitive with the others in Saturday’s event. I’ll give him a shot for all board placings at a nice price for a quality jockey/trainer (26%) combo.

And now the star of the show, Saturday’s entries.