Tag Archives: Jorge Gutierrez

Del Mar, Horse racing

Del Mar selections for Wednesday, July 20 (updated)

Preview: After just three days of racing, Del Mar has moved the turf rails out to 30 feet. I don’t get it. After 3 weeks of no grass racing at Santa Anita, Del Mar should be looking to have bigger turf fields at least through this week. Instead, the fields will be limited to 9 with the rails out so far. Also closers dominated on the turf sans Midnight Storm’s win in the Eddie Read on Sunday. However, with the rails out, look for speed to do better as there will be less room to pass on the grass.

Race 1: 1. #3 Guapo Diablo (5-1), 2. Zealous Tale, 3. Agronomy. LONG SHOT: Marvelous Max.
This gelding takes the biggest drop in racing: from straight maiden to maiden claiming. He flopped in his one dirt run, but that was his debut and jockey Rafael Bejarano decides to jump on for trainer Marty Jones. The son of Tizdejavu showed speed last time out and look for more of the same on the drop.

Race 2: 1. #3 Warren’s Cracker (4-1), 2. Allthatnmore, 3. Senza Fina. LONG SHOT: Jackie K.

Trainer Jorge Gutierrez isn’t great at long layoffs but this mare looks like she has been training for her return. She comes out of a key race at Santa Anita where the top three finishers all came back to win so we’re hoping for the same here with jockey Tyler Baze.

Race 3: 1. #9 Journeytothestars (3-1), 2. Marriedtoaminister, 3. Stylistic. LONG SHOT: Big Alice.
Trainer Mark Glatt drops this filly down to her lowest level yet and Glatt is 24% down two or more class levels. Her one dirt race was OK. Glatt is 42% the last 60 days with jockey Santiago Gonzalez, who three wins on opening day.

Race 4: 1. Spicy Blonde, 2. You Sleep On That, 3. Sooner Time. LONG SHOT: Dancing Sunset.

Race 5: 1. Chips All In, 2. Act, 3. Kentuckian. LONG SHOT: Bottle Rocket.

Race 6: 1. Rebarules Again, 2. Chao Chom, 3. Christy Jackson. LONG SHOT: Southern Drawl.

Race 7: 1. #3 Everqueen (10-1) SCRATCHED, 2. Pretty N Cool, 3. Enchanting Lady. LONG SHOT: Lucky Folie. NEW PICKS: 1. Lucky Folie, 2. Pretty N Cool, 3. Enchanting Lady. LONG SHOT: Dr. Fager’s Gal.
We liked Everqueen for her possible closing abilities because there is too much speed in this race, so we’ll go with Lucky Folie, who we think will do the same thing — come from off the pace. It will be interesting to see if Bob Baffert’s pair of Pretty N Cool and Enchanting Lady kills themselves off since they have similar styles.

Race 8: 1. Buymeabond, 2. Infinite Magic, 3. Trifecta. LONG SHOT: Horizontalspeakin.

@Jeff_Nahill on Twitter

Sunday’s top choice winners: 6 (Carlsbad Mountain $11.40, second race; Sausalito Sunset $6.40, fourth; Entrechat $8.60, fifth; Chasing Aces $3.80, eighth; Midnight Storm $5.40, ninth; Kristi’s Copilot $6.60, 10th)

Sunday’s second choice winners: 2 (Brainspin $5.20, first; Mr. Louis $7.20, third)

Sunday’s third choice winners: 0

Sunday’s long shot winners: 0

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Horse racing, Santa Anita

Santa Anita opinions for Sunday, June 26

Preview: So the day after the Gold Cup and we have nine races with just some 50-odd horses entered. Just lovely. Good luck trying to find prices on this card.

Race 2 – SA
#1 Ipray (5-2): This filly finished second to easier in her last for trainer Hector Palma, who is 26% with beaten favorites. Jockey Rafael Bejarano stays aboard and he’s 44% with Palma at Santa Anita.

Race 4 – SA
#4 Chris and Dave (4-1): This gelding returns to the David Jacobson barn after runs in two other barns. The 3-year-old pressed the pace and won last time and has the top Brisnet Late Pace Rating. He is also 2-for-2 at the distance.

Race 7 – SA
#2 Warren’s Super Cat (6-1): This mare broke her maiden in her seventh try last time, but the key here for trainer Jorge Gutierrez will be the ride of jockey Flavien Prat. There is a ton of speed in this race and if Prat brings this mare from off the pace like he did in here last race she should be a winner.

@Jeff_Nahill on Twitter

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Horse racing, Los Alamitos

Los Alamitos RC opinions for Friday, April 22

Preview: There is actually a 10-horse field in the seventh race, which might be the first time at the meet. The first 2-year-old race of the season will occur with trainers Mike Harrington and Edward Freeman dominating the field. Harrington had three winners the first week of the meet to tie for leading trainer with Peter Eurton.

 

Race 4 – LRC

#1 Zeekid (5-1): This filly’s best race came in breaking her maiden over the track. Now trainer Jorge Gutierrez sends her around two turns and he is 20% going to sprint to a route.  

Race 6 – LRC

#1 Born to Serve (4-1): This gelding has plenty of early speed for trainer Jonathan Wong, who is 44% when he takes a horse from an All-Weather track to dirt.

 

Race 8 – LRC

#5 Love My Bud (6-1): This gelding broke his maiden over this track. Trainer Marty Jones is 22% with horses off a 46 to 90-day layoff. Jockey Kent Desormeaux, who been riding well, jumps on.

@Jeff_Nahill on Twitter

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Horse racing, Santa Anita

Santa Anita opinions for Monday, Feb. 16

Sorry no full handicap. Spent much of Sunday morning in the hospital.

Race 3: #8 Grandiose Tactics (4-1)

The one time this mare ran on a fast main track she won by 18 1/2 lengths. Yes, this competition is tougher but trainer Ron Ellis is 36% going turf to dirt and is 4-of-12 with jockey Tyler Baze.

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Race 9: #4 Hazardous Dreams (turf only) (9-2)

This 4-year-old colt lost all chance at the start when he hopped and was off slow. Jockey Rafael Bejarano returns to ride and he knows the horse having ridden him two races back. Bejarano is 20% with trainer Jorge Gutierrez.

@Jeff_Nahill on Twitter

Sunday’s top choice winners: 3 (Lotta Attitude $4, third; Crucero $4.40, fifth; Gouyen $7.20, sixth)

Sunday’s second choice winners: 2 (Lucky J Lane $3.60, fourth; Bench Warrant $5.80, eighth)

Sunday’s third choice winners: 1 (Behest $22, ninth)

Sunday’s long shot winners: 0

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Horse racing, Santa Anita

Santa Anita selections for Thursday, Jan. 29

FIRST RACE: 1. Bad Ju Ju, 2. Easter Fever, 3. Exfanofsixties. LONG SHOT: Racing for Chasen.

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SECOND RACE: 1. Congrats Seattle, 2. Whiskey Wild, 3. Fabber. LONG SHOT: Whenudon’t Know.

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THIRD RACE: 1. Rattataptap, 2. All Star Bub, 3. Tall and Sweet. LONG SHOT: Twister Ginger.

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FOURTH RACE: 1. Spring Action, 2. Crane Lodge, 3. Couldashouldadid. LONG SHOT: Beach Fever.

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FIFTH RACE: 1. Queen’s Balladier, 2. Scatfish, 3. Taylor Lane. LONG SHOT: Humoristica.

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SIXTH RACE: 1. When We Met, 2. Relentless Heat, 3. Dress Code. LONG SHOT: Juniper Pass.

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SEVENTH RACE: 1. Warren’s Nicholas, 2. Wicked Heat, 3. Silver Torch. LONG SHOT: Shackleford Banks.

WARREN’S NICHOLAS (9-2), a 6-year-old gelding, is making his second start off a nearly 2-year layoff. He got his legs back under him in a sprint and now trainer Jorge Gutierrez sends him long on the grass, where he broke his maiden. Jockey Joe Talamo had his choice of a few others in here and stays with this one.

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EIGHTH RACE: 1. Starzilla (best bet), 2. Dench, 3. Silent Ruler. LONG SHOT: Deep Digger.

Jockey Joe Talamo goes for the late daily double by sticking with STARZILLA (7-2), a son of Rock Hard Ten. The 5-year-old has been facing some toughies in the MSW ranks and drops into a maiden claimer for the first time for trainer Art Sherman. Plus STARZILLA is coming out of a key race.

@Jeff_Nahill on Twitter

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Horse racing, Los Alamitos

Los Alamitos thoroughbred picks for Saturday, July 12

FIRST RACE: 1. Sacred Ovation, 2. Hamiltonian, 3. Runaway Wildcat. LONG SHOT: Smokin Bomb.

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SECOND RACE: 1. Next Book, 2. Shaniel, 3. Smogcutter. LONG SHOT: Badwater.

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THIRD RACE: 1. Stracciatella, 2. Broadway Bella, 3. Wine Country Wanda. LONG SHOT: Awesome Gift.

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FOURTH RACE: 1. Dynamo Dixie (best bet), 2. Los Bambinos, 3. Timeless Indy. LONG SHOT: Luca.

Northern California-based trainer Blaine Wright comes south with DYNAMO DIXIE, a 3-year-old gelding. Wright is 47% first off the claim.

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FIFTH RACE: 1. Rowdy Dylan, 2. Litigation Road, 3. Popsracer. LONG SHOT: Saddle Soar.

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SIXTH RACE: 1. Sizzling lassie, 2. Ghost N Your Heart, 3. Plazarita. LONG SHOT: Metaxa.

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SEVENTH RACE: 1. Sagebrush Queen, 2. Heir Kitty, 3. Concave. LONG SHOT: Doinghardtimeagain.

SAGEBRUSH QUEEN, a Cal-bred, comes off a big effort at Santa Anita and moves into graded stakes company for trainer Jorge Gutierrez. The filly has a good work over the surface and jockey Edwin Maldonado has done well in sprints over this new track.

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EIGHTH RACE: 1. Bright Ocean, 2. Doubledeesonthetee, 3. Relatively Correct. LONG SHOT: It’s Superman.

@Jeff_Nahill on Twitter

Friday’s top choice winners: 3 (Saint Lemone $6.60, third race; It’s Aine $4.80, fifth; Tacit Approval $4.20, seventh)

Friday’s second choice winners: 1 (Time to Go Robo $9.40, first)

Friday’s third choice winners: 2 (Valdirone $4, second; Naomi’s Gift $10, fourth)

Friday’s long shot winners: 1 (Tribal Desert $15.20, sixth)

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Horse racing, Santa Anita

The grass is always greener

The Santa Anita turf course is considered one of the best in the business. Now, we’ll see what happens later this spring when the meet extends into May and June with the extinction of Hollywood Park.

So far this meet, the rain has been confined to one week. Unfortunately, rain is in the forecast for this week so this probably isn’t the best time to talk about the best turf riders and trainers, but such is life.

When handicapping I always give horses ridden by Joe Talamo (16-for-121), Corey Nakatani (16-99), Gary Stevens (11-49) and Mike Smith (12-71) extra credit. I guess I need to start looking at more Rafael Bejarano, even if he is the track’s leading rider already. Bejarano has won 31-of-130 turf starts, according to Equibase stats. The price might be great, but winners are winners.

On the flip side. jockeys to stay away from on the grass are Martin Garcia (1-54), Alonso Quinonez (1-26), Fernando Perez (1-22), Aaron Gryder (0-20) and Orlando Mojica (0-19). Garcia’s stats surprise me a little bit, but he does ride No. 1 for the Bob Baffert barn, which is 1-for-12 on the grass this meet.

The top turf trainer is Tom Proctor (14-47), especially with all those Glen Hill Farm horses he has and Stevens rides most of those.

The trainer that surprised me was Marty Jones, who has won 10 of 26 grass starts. He’s followed by Jerry Hollendorfer (9-43), John Sadler (8-59) and Doug O’Neill (8-87). O’Neill has usually been a throw out for me on turf at Del Mar, but he’s starting to get a lot of horses from Europe lately.

Surprisingly, trainer Barry Abrams is a horrible 1-for-26 on the grass this year despite most of his horses being by the sire Unusual Heat, who has excelled on the surface in the past. Others to ignore are Richard Baltas (1-17), Eoin Harty (1-16), Jack Carava (1-17) and Jorge Gutierrez (1-18).

As for last week, Baltas had three wins in one day while at least four other trainers (Jones, Hollendorfer, O’Neill and Ron Ellis) had two wins. Peter Miller continued his cold spell with an 0-for-8 week and Baffert’s barn was 0-for-3.

On the jockeys’ side, Bejarano had three wins from just nine mounts as he had to sit out a suspension. He was joined with three wins by Talamo (3-24), Tyler Baze (3-22), Smith (3-8) and apprentice Drayden Van Dyke (3-16). Nakatani was just 1-for-13 while Victor Espinoza was 1-for-10.

@Jeff_Nahill on Twitter

Sunday’s top choice winners: 2 (Musical Arts $7.40, seventh race; Hobbits Hero $31.80, eighth)

Sunday’s second choice winners: 3 (Halo Dolly $7.60, third; Tizmetizyou $18, fourth; Fast Moka Too $3.40, ninth)

Sunday’s third choice winners: 0

Sunday’s long shot winners: 1 (Arkenstone $35.80, first)

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Horse racing, Santa Anita

Santa Anita final picks for Friday, Feb. 7

Evidently no worries about the turf and no scratches as of 11 a.m. so here are the final selections.

FIRST RACE: 1. Oneandonlyloveman, 2. Takem by Surprise, 3. Still Unbroken. LONG SHOT: Bushwacked.

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SECOND RACE: 1. Fit to Rule, 2. Bob Consultation, 3. Billy Win. LONG SHOT: Justa Gusta.

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THIRD RACE: 1. Caribe d’Oro, 2. Lakota Road, 3. Majestic Minister. LONG SHOT: Another Sky.

CARIBE D’ORO, a 4-year-old filly, makes her first try on the turf and around turns. With breeding by Medaglia d’Oro out of Pine Bluff mare, that shouldn’t be a concern. Neither should the fact that Hall of Fame jockey Gary Stevens takes over for apprentice Drayden Van Dyke and Stevens is 29% with trainer Tom Proctor.

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FOURTH RACE: 1. Only the Gold, 2. Twin Six, 3. Joe Carl. LONG SHOT: Unstopper Topper.

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FIFTH RACE: 1. Distillery, 2. Cernobbio, 3. Friendswith K Mill. LONG SHOT: Village Kitten.

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SIXTH RACE: 1. Midnight Transfer, 2. Longview Drive, 3. Fury Kapcori. LONG SHOT: Majestic City.

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SEVENTH RACE: 1. Warren’s Empire (best bet), 2. Ay Ay Ay, 3. Euroclydon. LONG SHOT: Betty Bing Bing.

Trainer Jorge Gutierrez is 33% (7 for 21) with first-time turfers, 33% dirt to turf and 20% sprint to route. A lot of those numbers are with offspring of Affirmative for breeder/owner Benjamin Warren like this 3-year-old filly WARREN’S EMPIRE. She gave an even effort in her sprint debut for jockey Joe Talamo, who sticks around.

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EIGHTH RACE: 1. Notbyemyrules, 2. Amina Perfect, 3. Rich in Tradition. LONG SHOT: Dream Baby.

@Jeff_Nahill on Twitter

Thursday’s top choice winners: 2 (Sweet Spell $17, second race; Readyforhercloseup $6, sixth)

Thursday’s second choice winners: 2 (Cousin Rikcy $6.40, first; Melatonin $4.80, eighth)

Thursday’s third choice winners: 2 (Warren’s Judy $10.20, third; Always a Chance $8.40, seventh)

Thursday’s long shot winners: 0

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Horse racing, Santa Anita

Santa Anita picks for Thursday, Jan. 23 (updated)

Did I miss something? Aren’t there suppose to be less racing days in Southern California? If so, why is Santa Anita running Thursday? Monday was a holiday so Santa Anita ran. Great. A lot of people were off. Fine.

So why are they running Thursday? Shouldn’t you be sticking to a four-day racing week, especially since track handle is way down —- in part due to the elimination of the rolling daily doubles, but mostly due to the field sizes are way down.

Thursday’s PPs only needed 16 pages to print out. Friday’s PP’s are just 15 pages. A weekend is usually over 20 pages.

Yes, there is a big Pick 6 carryover Thursday, over $400,000, but I won’t be playing it. Fields are too small. Someone will hit it, no doubt. On Monday, there was no one going to hit that Pick 6 because the fields were big and races contentious.

Since Santa Anita seems to make the world go around, Keith Brackpool, track president, needs to get his act together, but that ain’t happening anytime soon.

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FIRST RACE: 1. South Sound, 2. Sergeant O’Rourke, 3. Swissarella. LONG SHOT: D’ya Knowwhatimean.

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SECOND RACE: 1. The Cleaners, 2. Advisory, 3. Perfectly Legal. LONG SHOT: Salutos Amigos.

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THIRD RACE: 1. Zimmer, 2. A Toast to You, 3. He’s a Dance Star. LONG SHOT: Hotradamus.

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FOURTH RACE: 1. New Order, 2. No Longer Blue (SCRATCHED), 3. Gutsy Ruler. LONG SHOT: Agila. Put White Front Freddy in the No. 2 spot. Exponentially has also been scratched.

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FIFTH RACE: 1. Thunder Cole, 2. Stake Hunter, 3. Through My Eyes. LONG SHOT: We Have Lift Off.

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SIXTH RACE: 1. Red Sharp Humor (best bet), 2. Warren’s Joe T., 3. Liberty Cap. LONG SHOT: Only the Gold.

Trainer Mike Pender is off to a red-hot, sizzling start to the meet (15-4-3-4) and he claimed RED SHARP HUMOR at Hollywood Park. Looks like Pender claimed the 6-year-old for his own personal stable and brings him back after two months at a distance and track he has a win. Also, the horse comes out of a key race where three have come back to win.

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SEVENTH RACE: 1. Warren’s Rosebud, 2. Miss Well Molded, 3. Lil Swiss Echo. LONG SHOT: Mangita.

Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith never, ever rides for trainer Jorge Gutierrez so with him picking up the mount on the 4-year-old WARREN’S ROSEBUD speaks volumes. She finished third in a similar spot opening week and certainly seems to be well-spotted again.

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EIGHTH RACE: 1. Sir Macho, 2. Runaway Que, 3. Bluegrass Fox Trot. LONG SHOT: Keeneland Kitten.

@Jeff_Nahill on Twitter

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Monday’s top choice winners: 2 (Indianapolis $3.20, second race; San Onofre $3.20, third)

Monday’s second choice winners: 1 (Dunmore East $11.60, fifth)

Monday’s third choice winners: 2 (Macias $15.20, sixth; Grammy Times Six $21, ninth)

Monday’s long shot winners: 0

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