Daily Racing Form National Digital Edition
SANTA ANITA
Callaghan scores first stakes double
ARCADIA, Calif. – One was expected, one was a surprise.
Trainer Simon Callaghan had his first stakes double at Santa Anita on Saturday, winning the Grade 2 Las Virgenes Stakes for 3-year-old fillies with the heavily favored Bellafina and the Grade 3 Thunder Road Stakes for turf milers with the outsider True Valour.
Callaghan said Sunday that True Valour is a candidate for the Grade 1 Frank Kilroe Mile on turf March 9. It was not clear Sunday who would ride True Valour in the $400,000 Kilroe Mile. British-based Andrea Atzeni rode True Valour to an 11-1 win in the Thunder Road Stakes. Atzeni is scheduled to return to England later this month to prepare for the start of the turf portion of that country’s flat season, which begins in late March.
Callaghan said there is a chance Atzeni could return to California for the Kilroe and ride True Valour, who is owned by Sheikh Fahad of Qatar Racing.
“I’ll leave it up to him and Sheikh Fahad,” Callaghan said.
True Valour, a stakes winner in Ireland, won for the first time in the United States in his fourth start in this country in the $100,351 Thunder Road Stakes. True Valour closed from fifth in a field of six to win by a half-length over 6-1 Ohio.
True Valour was seventh and 10th in Grade 2 stakes at Del Mar last summer, and was third in an optional claimer at a mile on turf here Jan. 13 in his first start in more than four months.
“We learned a lot from his [last] race,” Callaghan said. “He needs to be produced late.”
Bellafina, the leading 3-yearold filly in California, won the $200,000 Las Virgenes Stakes by three-quarters of a length over Enaya Alrabb. Bellafina ($2.20) led by 1 1/2 lengths with a furlong remaining.
“She had to dig in,” Callaghan said.
Owned by Kaleem Shah, Bellafina is not expected to start again until the Grade 1 Santa Anita Oaks at 1 1/16 miles on April 6. Bellafina won the Grade 2 Santa Ynez Stakes by 8 1/2 lengths on Jan. 6.
Callaghan, 35, had two stakes wins on the same day last May – with American Gal in the Grade 1 Humana Distaff at Churchill Downs and Treasuring in the Grade 3 Senorita Stakes at Santa Anita.
Bellafina is likely to face Enaya Alrabb in the $400,000 Santa Anita Oaks. Trainer Doug O’Neill said Sunday that Enaya Alrabb is unlikely to start again until the Santa Anita Oaks.
Noble Commander to D’Amato
Noble Commander, the winner of the Woodchopper Stakes at Fair Grounds on Dec. 29, was recently bought by Agave Racing and has joined trainer Phil D’Amato’s stable in California.
On Sunday at Santa Anita, Noble Commander worked five furlongs in 1:00.60 in his first major exercise since joining D’Amato’s stable. D’Amato said he does not have any race goals for Noble Commander, who has won 3 of 6 starts and earned $143,843.
The Woodchopper Stakes was scheduled for a mile on turf, but was transferred to the main track and was run on a sealed and sloppy track. Noble Commander led throughout and won by 1 3/4 lengths at 7-1.
Noble Commander, a 4-yearold colt by Forestry, was previously trained by Mark Casse for John Oxley.
◗ Apprentice jockey Jean Diaz Jr. won a race on Saturday and a race Sunday at Santa Anita in his first week of riding in California. The 18-year-old Diaz relocated from Puerto Rico earlier this month and recorded the fifth and sixth wins of his career last weekend. He won Saturday’s sixth race on Hero for Hire ($26) and Sunday’s fifth race on turf on Swirling ($3.40).