Santana surpasses career high in earnings
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. — Ricardo Santana, Oaklawn Park’s leading rider the last six years, has set a career high for purse earnings this year, according to Equibase, racing’s official data gathering organization.
Santana has already earned $9,539,701 this year to eclipse his previous yearly best of $8,924,291 earned in 2017. He rode his first North American winner in 2009 and set a single-season Oaklawn record for purse earnings this year with $4,240,304. He set the previous mark of $4,064,073 in 2016 when he recorded his first career Grade 1 victory aboard Creator in the $1 million Arkansas Derby.
Santana recorded his second and third career Grade 1 victories earlier this year with Unbridled Mo in the $700,000 Apple Blossom Handicap for older fillies and mares on April 13 at Oaklawn and Bee Jersey in the $1.2 million Met Mile on June 9 at Belmont Park in New York. Both horses were retired Tuesday.
Rick Sacco, Red Oak Stable’s racing and operations manager, said in a news release that “Unbridled Mo did not bounce back the way we anticipated after her last start,” the Grade 2 $750,000 Delaware Handicap on July 14 at Delaware Park and will be sent to Kentucky to join the Red Oak broodmare band at Darby Dan Farm.
A 5-year-old daughter of Uncle Mo, Unbridled Mo retired with a 7-0-1 record from 12 starts and earnings of $1,067,880. Trained by Todd Pletcher, Unbridled Mo is one of three starters from the 2018 Apple Blossom to reach $1 million in career earnings since the 1 1/16-mile race, joining champion and recently retired Unique Bella at $1,272,400 and Farrell at $1,064,777.
Bee Jersey was a Jan. 20 Oaklawn allowance winner for Santana and Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen, who has led the standings in Hot Springs nine times since 2007. The horse was unbeaten in four starts this year – the Met Mile was his last race – and was targeting the Grade 1 $1 million Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile on Nov. 3 at Churchill Downs before suffering a tendon injury, owner/breeder Charles Fipke said.
Bee Jersey, a 4-year-old son of Jersey Town, retired with a 5-3-1 record from 10 starts and earnings of $976,293.
Santana has ridden 18 winners this year at the historic Saratoga Race Course in New York to set a personal best at the prestigious upstate New York meet. He is riding regularly at Saratoga for the third consecutive year after riding 14 winners in 2016 and 13 in 2017.
Oaklawn will be well represented on Saturday’s blockbuster card at Saratoga, a 13-race program highlighted by the Grade 1 $1.25 million Travers Stakes for 3-year-olds, one of seven stakes races on the card. The 1 1/4 Travers has drawn three Oaklawn-raced horses in Bravazo, Tenfold and Wonder Gadot.
Other Oaklawn-raced horses entered in stakes on the Travers undercard include Seven Trumpets in the Grade 1 $500,000 H. Allen Jerkens for 3-yearolds at 7 furlongs; Fuhriously Kissed, Farrell and Elate in the Grade 1 $700,000 Personal Ensign for fillies and mare sat 11/8 miles; Ivy Bell and Finley’ s lucky char min the Grade 1$500,000 Ballerina for fillies and mares at 7 furlongs; and Whitmore, Warrior’s Club and City of Light in the Grade 1
$600,000 Forego at 7 furlongs.
Farrell won the $125,000 Pippin Stakes for older fillies and mares on Jan. 13 at Oaklawn. Elate finished third in the key race of the 2017 Oaklawn meeting, the Grade 3 $200,000 Honeybee Stakes for 3- year-old fillies. Finley’ s lucky charm was an allowance winner in 2016 at Oaklawn.
Whitmore was Oaklawn’s top sprinter in 2017 and 2018, winning the $125,000 Hot Springs Stakes and Grade 3 $400,000 Count Fleet Sprint Handicap both years. City of Light returns to a sprint after winning the Grade 2 $750,000 Oaklawn Handicap for older horses at 1 1/8 miles April 14 at Oaklawn.
Favored Operation Stevie ($7.60), a two-time winner this year at Oaklawn, captured the $100,000 William Henry Harrison Stakes for registered Indiana-sired horses Wednesday at Indiana Grand for co-owner/trainer Cipriano Contreras. Operation Stevie also finished fourth in the $125,000 Hot Springs Stakes for older sprinters March 10 at Oaklawn.
The gelding became the third Hot Springs starter to return and win a stakes race, following Warrior’s Club in the Grade 3 $250,000 Commonwealth on April 7 at Keeneland and Whitmore in the Count Fleet. Warrior’s Club finished sixth in the Hot Springs. Operation Stevie was a Jan. 21 allowance winner at Oaklawn and a starter-allowance winner on Feb. 9.
Oaklawn allowance Rated R Superstar is entered in the $100,000 Remington Green Stakes, the opening-day feature, today at Remington Park. Probable post time for the 1 1/8-mile Remington Green, which goes as race 8, is 10:16 p.m.
Another Oaklawn allowance winner, Title Ready, is entered in the Grade 3 $300,000 Smarty Jones Stakes Saturday at Parx. Probable post time for the 1 1/16-mile Smarty Jones, which goes as race
8, is 3:18 p.m.
Oaklawn-raced Thirstforlife is entered in the
$100,000 Salvatore M. DeBunda PTHA President’s Cup Stakes also on Saturday at Parx. Probable post time for the 1 1/8-mile event, which goes as race 7, is 2:43 p.m.
Oaklawn-raced St. Joe Bay is entered in the Grade 2 $200,000 Pat O’Brien Stakes Saturday at Del Mar in California. Probable post time for the
7-furlong Pat O’Brien, which goes as race 7, is 7 p.m. Pickford, also raced at Oaklawn, is entered in the Grade 3 $200,000 Canadian Derby Saturday at Northlands Park in Edmonton. Probable post time for the 1 3/8-mile Canadian Derby, which goes as race 12, is 7:55 p.m.