Kirstenbosch stuns in opening day feature
Two new high-tech video boards in the paddock, a riding triple for Juan Hernandez and a pair of victories for trainer Mark Glatt highlighted the opening day of Santa Anita's 19-day fall meet on Friday.
Santa Anita also unveiled two new wagers — the $3 minimum All-Turf Pick 3 and the return of the traditional Pick 6, a $1 minimum bet that replaces the old Rainbow Pick 6 and its minimum 20-cent wager. The All-Turf Pick 3 encompasses the final three grass races on each day's card.
In the day's feature race, the $100,000 Grade III Chillingworth Stakes named for the late racing executive Sherwood Chillingworth, the John Sadlertrained Kirstenbosch with Hector Berrios aboard upset heavily-favored Eda in the 61/2-furlong race for fillies and mares, beating Clearly Unhinged by 13/4 lengths.
Eda, trained by Bob Baffert, had her seven-race win streak snapped and the 4-year-old Munnings filly lost for the first time in five races at Santa Anita. She went postward at 3-5 under Hernandez and finished third in the sevenhorse field, 11/2 lengths behind Clearly Unhinged.
Kirstenbosch, the 6-1 third choice in the wagering, was sixth up the backside, moved into fourth by the head of the stretch and closed strongly to post her fourth victory in 17 starts and second in 10 tries at Santa Anita. The 4-yearold daughter of Midnight Lute earned $60,000 to pad her career earnings to $521,480.
Sadler said he's been waiting for an early pace that would benefit Kirstenbosch's late-running style, and he got it Friday. She'd won only one of 11 races on dirt heading into the Chillingworth with five secondplace finishes and two third-place showings.
“What I've been talking about with Keith (ownerbreeder Keith Abrahams), it's not the distance for her it's the set up, and she finally got the set up she wanted, which was faster,” he said. “She always puts in a good late run, but if they go slow in front it's sometimes hard for her. It worked out for us today.”
Sadler said the filly's connections have her next race already mapped out.
“Yes, because it's seven eighths and you might get a strong pace,” he said of the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint at Santa Anita on Nov. 4.
Home Cooking, a 17-1 longshot, set blazing fractions of 21.66 and 43.69 before fading to last under Edwin Maldonado.
Berrios, who has ridden Kirstenbosch in her past four races, knew going in that the race might be to his filly's benefit.
“I knew there was a lot of speed in the race and I knew the pace would be in my favor,” he said. “I tried to stay as still as I could on her and around the turn I asked her and she responded well and drew away from the field.”
The final time for the race was 1:15.37 over a main track labeled fast.
Said Abrahams: “Seven furlongs is probably better, as we can see. In the past, she was always catching up and then we tried a mile and a sixteenth, but a mile and an eighth is what she really wants.”