Daily Racing Form National Digital Edition
SANTA ANITA Ippodamia’s Girl has turf plan
ARCADIA, Calif. – Ippodamia’s Girl will be on a racea-month schedule for early 2018 after winning her stakes debut in Sunday’s $85,320 Blue Norther Stakes for 2-year-old fillies at Santa Anita.
Trainer Mike Puype said Monday he wants to keep Ippodamia’s Girl on turf through the year, with an emphasis on the lucrative races for the 3-yearold filly division this summer.
Puype said the $75,000 Sweet Life Stakes on the hillside turf course Feb. 11 and the $75,000 China Doll Stakes at a mile March 10 will be considered in advance of the Grade 3 Providencia Stakes on April 7.
“I think we’ll take a look at those and build her up for the Providencia,” Puype said.
The $150,000 Providencia Stakes is run at 1 1/8 miles.
Owned by breeder George Schwary, Ippodamia’s Girl won the Blue Norther by a halflength over One Fast Broad after breaking from post 9 in a field of 11. Ridden by Rafael Bejarano, Ippodamia’s Girl was three wide on the first turn but always near the pace.
“She was quick enough to get in the right spot,” Puype said.
By Stormy Atlantic, Ippodamia’s Girl has won 2 of 5 starts and earned $96,525.
Mandella has hopes for Peace
Peace won a maiden race against 2-year-olds Saturday, and trainer Richard Mandella is looking forward to running him in major stakes for 3-yearolds at Santa Anita.
Peace won in his third start, and first at 1 1/16 miles, in Saturday’s second race. Ridden by Mike Smith, Peace ($3.40) closed from fourth in the final three furlongs to finish threequarters of a length in front of Regulate.
Peace left Mandella with the impression he is capable of greater improvement.
“I think he’s still learning,” Mandella said. “I’ve got hopes to dream bigger.”
Peace was second in a sixfurlong maiden race at Santa Anita in September and second by a head in a one-mile maiden race at Del Mar on Nov. 23, losing to Shivermetimbers.
“We sprinted him and didn’t expect him to win that day,” Mandella said Saturday. “He got caught up with inexperience in his last race. Today, he did what he was supposed to do.”
Shivermetimbers is a candidate for Saturday’s Grade 3 Sham Stakes at a mile for 3-year-olds.
Mandella did not state any race goals for Peace, a colt by Violence who races for B. Wayne Hughes and Town and Country Farm. One race likely to be considered is the Grade 3 Robert Lewis Stakes at 1 1/16 miles on Feb. 3.
Abbondanza purchases paying off
The Abbondanza Racing partnership, a group of friends from the Del Mar area, has an annual draft of racehorses at the Kentucky sales each November.
There are no fantasies involved.
In November 2016, the group bought Goodyearforroses for $200,000. In her first start for Abbondanza, Goodyearforroses won the Grade 3 Robert Frankel Stakes a month later at Santa Anita.
The team had a similar result Saturday when Midnight Crossing won the Frankel Stakes in her California debut and first start for trainer Richard Baltas. Midnight Crossing, purchased for $240,000 at the Keeneland November sale, led throughout the $100,345 Frankel Stakes to score a half-length win over 8-5 favorite Elysea’s World.
Abbondanza owns Midnight Crossing with Medallion Racing. The Abbondanza team is led by Bing Bush, an attorney in Del Mar. Midnight Crossing was the group’s first runner from a recently acquired group of five horses.
“Our plan is to try and improve,” Bush said after leaving the winner’s circle. “We have a bigger bankroll [this year]. We’ll see how it goes.”
Unlike some partnership groups, Abbondanza does not solicit investors, Bush said. “Everyone is friends of friends,” he said.
The group will be at Santa Anita frequently in coming weekends. Free Rose is scheduled to start in the Grade 2 San Gabriel Stakes at 1 1/8 miles on turf Saturday. Free Rose, a 5-year-old gelding, gave Abbondanza its first big success in the summer of 2016 with consecutive wins in the Grade 3 La Jolla Handicap and Grade 2 Del Mar Derby.
Trained by Baltas, Free Rose has not raced since finishing fourth in the Grade 1 Shoemaker Mile last June.
Reverse, a 4-year-old filly owned by Abbondanza and Medallion, is a candidate for the Grade 2 La Canada Stakes on Jan. 13 or the Kalookan Queen Stakes sprint a day later. Queen Blossom, bought by Abbondanza and Medallion for $220,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky sale last month, will have her first start for Baltas in the Astra Stakes at 1 1/2 miles on turf for fillies and mares Jan. 14.
Queen Blossom finished fourth in the Astra Stakes at Santa Anita last February when trained by Graham Motion for Gary Barber and the Team Valor International syndicate.