With idyllic weather conditions and a full menu of world class racing highlighted by six graded stakes, Santa Anita Park established an all-time record Classic Meet opening day handle mark of $26,315,016, a 35 percent increase over last year’s opener. An on-track crowd of 41,446, the Arcadia oval’s biggest on-track gathering since opening day, Dec. 26, 2016, contributed to a festive atmosphere that accompanied a truly unforgettable day.
A collection of fascinating stakes races highlighted the card of racing and the stars of the show were COUNTRY GRAMMER and TAIBA as well as trainer BOB BAFFERT, who won five races on the day.
Country Grammer on top of the world
It’s on to the desert. Country Grammer, Thoroughbred racing’s leading active money earner with $11.1 million, dominated five rivals in taking Monday’s Grade II, $200,000 San Antonio Stakes with European-based superstar jockey Lanfranco (Frankie) Dettori aboard and thus set the stage for a return to the middle east, where he finished second in the $20 million Saudi Cup and was victorious in the $12 million Dubai World Cup earlier this year.
Attentive to the pace while hung four-deep around the first turn, Country Grammer, who was reunited with Dettori today for the first time since his win in Dubai four starts back on March 26, took command three-wide at the quarter pole under aggressive handling and was long gone three sixteenths of a mile from home in a rousing win.
Most recently a close second to stablemate Defunded here in the Grade I Awesome Again Stakes Oct. 1, Country Grammer was off at 3-5 and paid $3.20, $2.40 and $2.10.
Owned by Commonwealth Thoroughbreds, LLC, Winstar Farm, LLC and Zedan Racing Stables, Inc., Country Grammer, a 5-year-old full horse by Tonalist out of the Forestry mare Arabian Song, is now 14-5-5-1. With today’s winner’s share of $120,000, he boosted his earnings to $11,277,320.
Stilleto Boy, who sat second to pacesetter Hopkins to the quarter pole, put a short head in front for an instant but was immediately vanquished by the winner while finishing second, 3 ½ lengths clear of Heywoods Beach.
Off at 5-1 with Mike Smith, Stilleto Boy paid $4.00 and $2.60.
Ridden by Ramon Vazquez, Heywoods Beach was off at 9-1 and paid $2.80 to show.
Fractions on the race were 22.76, 46.16, 1:10.35 and 1:36.57.
Editor’s note: Country Grammer has an interesting background. He was a $60,000 yearling purchase by agent Brooke Hubbard (she purchased subsequent Queen’s Plate winner One Bad Boy at auction) at the 2018 Keeneland September sale and then pinhooked for $450,000 at the Ocala Breeders’ Sale in April 2019. Paul Pompa, Jr. bought the colt and Chad Brown trained him. Country Grammer made 5 starts for Pompa before he passed away and his horses were sold at auction. Country Grammer was bought for $110,000 at the 2021 Keeneland Horses of All Ages Sae by WinStar Farm.
Taiba’s Malibu
With an Eclipse Award for top 3-year-old perhaps in the balance, Bob Baffert’s Taiba made on last emphatic appeal for votes as he dominated Santa Anita’s traditional opening day feature, the Grade I, $300,000 Runhappy Malibu Stakes by 4 ¼ lengths, thus becoming North America’s lone sophomore to annex three Grade I races in 2022.
Handled by regular rider Mike Smith, Taiba, winner of this year’s Grade I Runhappy Santa Anita Derby and Grade I Pennsylvania Derby, got seven furlongs in 1:21.75.
As for Baffert, his reign of dominance would appear to have no end in sight, as he posted his third graded stakes win, second Grade I victory and his fifth overall win on Santa Anita’s Classic Meet opener, which also attracted a tremendous on-track crowd of 41,446 which helped produce an all-time opening day record all-sources pari-mutuel handle of more than $26 million.
With Richard Mandella’s Forbidden Kingdom setting the pace from his rail post to the quarter pole, Taiba, under confident handling was in the middle of a three-horse spread that had Straight No Chaser to his immediate outside. Turning for home, Taiba, under a hand ride, opened up quickly and the Malibu outcome was assured three sixteenths of a mile out.
A 3-year-old colt by Gun Runner out of the Flatter mare Needmore Flattery, Taiba was purchased for $1.7 million out of a 2-year-old in training sale in March of last year. Sprinting for the first time since a runaway first-out maiden win here on March 5, Taiba is now 7-4-1-1. With today’s winner’s share of $180,000, he ran his earnings to $1,956,200.
Off as the 2-5 favorite in a field of nine, Taiba, who is owned by Zedan Racing Stables, Inc., returned $2.80, $2.20 and $2.10.
Forbidden Kingdom, who was ridden by Juan Hernandez, cleared his rivals heading out of the seven furlong chute and had a 1 ½ length edge on the winner at the half mile pole. Although it looked as though he might split the field at the top of the lane, he re-rallied late to finish second, three quarters of a length over longshot Hoist the Gold in a big effort.
The second choice at 6-1, Forbidden Kingdom paid $4.40 and $3.60.
Hoist the Gold, off at 29-1 with Joe Bravo, paid $5.60 to show while finishing a neck better than Nakatomi.
Fractions on the Malibu were 22.18, 44.38 and 1:08.91.
Woodbine’s leading rider KAZUSHI KIMURA, on his first day of riding at Santa Anita, landed a third-place finish on longshot Kirstenbosch in the Grade 1 La Brea Stakes on the card.
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