America
Splendora brilliant with fifth win in succession
By Stefanie Grimm, TDN
Last year's G1 Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint winner Splendora (Audible) picked up her second Grade 1 Saturday, easily taking down the G1 B. Wayne Hughes Beholder Mile at Santa Anita for Bob Baffert.
Saturday's win, the mare's fifth straight in a streak that began back at Del Mar last summer, was her second of her year after she returned victorious in the emotionally-poignant seven-furlong G2 D. Wayne Lukas Stakes on February 7.
“We'll see how she comes out of this race,” said Baffert of his mare's upcoming plans. “Mainly, we wanted to get the Grade 1 here. Nothing like a great run, especially winning this race. She's just getting better and better. I haven't mapped anything out for her next race. She'll tell me when she's ready to go next time, and we'll bring her fresh. The main thing is to get her to the Breeder's Cup get her that championship, which she should have gotten last year.”
She took her record to seven wins from 12 starts with earnings over US$1.2 million (AU$1.7 million).
“Bob was thinking about entering her in the Big 'Cap, but a mile and a quarter, that is a tough ask for her,” winning co-owner Michael Talla added.
“I'm not sure she can go that far, but we are going to head back east and take on the big girls back there and see what happens. We are looking at the (G1 Derby City) Distaff on Derby Day and we are looking at the Madison (Keeneland) but the Madison is only four weeks away. I think we give her a couple months off and it's up to Bob what he wants to do. The end goal is to get back into Breeders' Cup and try to repeat and maybe we can win an Eclipse Award this year. We hope. But we want to see some of those good fillies back east. We want to see how good they are.”
Splendora, a US$125,000 (AU$177,000) Fasig-Tipton July yearling graduate, is the only winner at the top level for G1 Florida Derby winner Audible who has thus far sired a total of 10 individual stakes winners and three Graded winners from four crops to race.
First dam Miss Freeze (Frost Giant), herself a stakes winner in the Lynbrook at Belmont Park, has two winners from as many to race with 6-year-old Firsttimeinforever (Always Dreaming) joining Splendora under the produce tab. The Elkstone Group picked up Miss Freeze for just US$45,000 (AU$64,000) carrying this Breeders' Cup champion in utero at Keeneland November in 2020.
New Group 1 winner for Justify
By Jill Williams, TDN
Slam Dunk Racing, Deborah Baltas, and Cynthia McClanahan's 5-year-old gelding British Isles (Justify), a private purchase by the team from Coolmore connections two years ago, has spent the majority of his 24-race career in allowance company, but took full advantage of the scratched-down field of five in Saturday's G1 Santa Anita Handicap in Arcadia to emerge a winner at the elite level. It was not just the big blazed-faced chestnut's first Grade 1 win, but also his first black-type victory.
Last out Turf Classic Stakes winner Vodka Vodka (Stay Thirsty) and Getaway Car (Curlin)–a Grade 1-placed Graded winner–picked up the pieces in second and third, respectively.
The “Big 'Cap,” as it's been affectionately known for decades, also marked the first Grade 1 win for young jockey Diego Herrera, who was an accomplished Quarter Horse jockey before making the switch to Thoroughbreds. “I don't even have any words, it is just such a blessing,” said Herrera. “Thank God that everything came together today.”
British Isles is the 30th worldwide Graded or Group winner for Triple Crown winner Justify, an Ashford Stud stallion who also sports 58 black-type winners. Bred by Orpendale/Chelston/Wynatt, Justify's Santa Anita Handicap winner is out of Purely Hot (Pure Prize), the 2014 G3 Whimsical Stakes victress who sold to Hugo Merry Bloodstock for US$1.2 million (AU$1.7 million) at the 2019 Keeneland November sale. British Isles is the mare's second Grade 1 winner as a producer following the 2019 G1 American Pharoah Stakes score by Eight Rings (Empire Maker).
Nitrogen only third in G2 Azeri Stakes
By TDN staff
All eyes may have been on Eclipse champion 3-year-old filly Nitrogen (Medaglia d'Oro) in Oaklawn's G2 Azeri Stakes on Saturday, but it was Majestic Oops (Majestic Harbor) who sprung the upset for a career high.
Racing in the colours of Medallion Racing, Evan Trommer, Agave Racing Stable and Sheila Regan, Majestic Oops left the gate sharply before taking back on the inside behind La Cara (Street Sense).
She waited in third with Nitrogen to her outside behind La Cara's 0:23.78 and 0:47.17 fractions, then tipped out coming off the turn as Nitrogen tackled La Cara. Majestic Oops, wide and full of run, quickly put about two lengths on Nitrogen nearing the wire as Regaled (Mohaymen) came up on the inside to outfinish Nitrogen for second.
It was the biggest career victory to date for trainer Dan Ward, a former assistant to Hall of Fame trainers Bobby Frankel and Jerry Hollendorfer.
“She broke on top and he (Francisco Arrieta) just sat on her and got her to relax,” Ward said. “That's the key right there. Watch how she breaks? She outbreaks the field, but he knows what to do. That's why she finishes like that. You get can get her to finish when you get her to settle like that. The two races that she won here last year, it was the same thing.”
Majestic Oops is one of three stakes winners and the first Graded winner for Majestic Harbor. She was produced by Miss Oops (Olmodavor), an Adena Springs-bred 13-time winner.
Million dollar filly wins G3 Florida Oaks
By Jill Williams, TDN
Last year, no one could have foreseen Nitrogen (Medaglia d'Oro) would use the G3 Florida Oaks–a turf race for sophomore fillies that offers no G1 Kentucky Oaks points–as an unlikely springboard to the 3-year-old filly championship. This year, it was Tagermeen Racing's Dandona (USA) (Tiz the Law {USA}) who captured the 1 1/16-mile event at Tampa Bay Downs and, if her US$1.05 million (AU$1.49 million) purchase price when bloodstock agent Mahmud Mouni picked her up from Raul Reyes's Kings Equine consignment at the 2025 OBS Spring sale of 2-year-olds in training is any indication, expectations will be high for her, as well.
Under the tutelage of Saffie Joseph, Jr., Dandona broke her maiden at first asking on August 31 going a mile and 70 yards on the all-weather at Gulfstream, then went to the bench for five months before reemerging with a third in a 7 1/2-furlong optional allowance on Gulfstream's lawn on February 7. The Florida Oaks marked just her third career start.
Coolmore America's Ashford Stud is the home of Tiz the Law, who now has nine Graded winners and 14 black-type winners in his two crops to race. The current leader of the third-crop sire list, Classic winner Tiz the Law is a four-time Grade 1 victor.
Spotted Pony Stables bred Dandona in Kentucky from the dual stakes-winning and Graded-placed mare Tulsa Queen (Cactus Ridge), then sent her to the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky October yearling sale, where she brought US$70,000 (AU$99,000) from Laureles Racing six months before her seven-figure OBS price-tag. It’s one heck of a pinhook!
