Horse Racing Update: Grade I Malibu Stakes to run at Santa Anita
While quality racing will be offered to the fans of the sport on Boxing Day in the United Kingdom, something equally intriguing will be happening in the USA. Dirt event will be returning to California as the 2010-11 spring meeting starts at Santa Anita this
Sunday. The Grade I Malibu Stakes will be run over a distance of 7 furlongs on a dirt track and will be contended by talented racehorses of age three and above.
The event will be taking place after the track got rid of the troubled all-weather surface due to the extremely frosty conditions in the area. The field of the racehorses that will be running at Santa Anita are indeed some of the strongest racehorses of
the country. The event will be featuring a couple of Grade Is and a Grade II which will be run by the winner of last season’s Santa Anita Derby, Sidney’s Candy, on the turf surface.
The trainer of the champion colt Sidney’s Candy, John Sadler, is fancied for his great work with the horses since his trainees have impressively taken over the fields in the last two years. This time, the great trainer will be sending out three of his champion
colts in the upcoming event under the jockey Joel Rosario.
The Grade I La Brea fixture that will be run by the three year old Fillies will be featuring the Breeders Cup Classic runner-up Switch. Meanwhile, Twirling Candy is hot favourite for the Malibu Stakes. His four race winning streak was intervened by his loss
at Hollywood Park in the Grade I Goodwood Stakes during the last racing season.
His trainer was indeed disappointed when Twirling Candy’s winning streak was broken and he thus decided not to bid his horse for the Breeders Cup Classic. He was reported as saying, “He wasn’t himself that day. He was kind of crampy after the race. The time
off has been good for him.”
Apart from Sidney’s Candy and Twirling Candy, the trainer Sadler also runs Don Tito.
There will be great competition this weekend since the whole field of competitors has immense potential to steal the show. Even if Twirling Candy is not made a part of the event, the competition level will not decline. The event carries a purse of $250,000
and will also be run by the European colts, Thisky-Has-No-Limits and Noble’s Promise.
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